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News Filed Under Commercial Horticulture

Green tomato with buckeye rot.
May 26, 2022 - Filed Under: Tomato Pepper and Eggplant, Food, Vegetable Gardens

Tomatoes are a popular crop for home gardeners, but they can be tricky to grow. Insects, disorders, and diseases can all cause problems with tomatoes. 

April 14, 2022 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Commercial Horticulture, Commercial Fruit and Nuts, Other Vegetables, Livestock, Beef, Beekeeping, Goats and Sheep, Poultry, Forestry, Marine Resources

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Agricultural producers and industry professionals met with Mississippi State University personnel in the coastal region to discuss research and education priorities at the 2022 Producer Advisory Council meeting. The annual event aims to help clients improve their productivity. Attendees gathered in small commodity groups at each event to share their ideas with agents, researchers and specialists with the MSU Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

March 4, 2022 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Commercial Fruit and Nuts, Fruit, Beef, Beekeeping, Equine, Goats and Sheep, Vegetable Gardens, Forestry, Wildlife

Central Mississippi agricultural producers and industry professionals met with Mississippi State University personnel to discuss research and education priorities at the 2022 Producer Advisory Council meeting on Feb. 23 in Raymond. The annual event is aimed at helping clients improve their productivity. Attendees gathered in small commodity groups to share their ideas with agents, researchers and specialists with the MSU Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

A yellow flower blooms on a small plant.
March 4, 2022 - Filed Under: Commercial Horticulture, Green Industry, Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

Home lawns and landscapes have possibly never looked better, as consumer data show people changed buying habits and spent more on plant and landscape items during the pandemic. Tricia Knight, director of coastal horticulture research at Mississippi State University’s South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville, said revenue for the green industry grew during the pandemic in part because people were looking for something positive amid all the uncertainty.

A group of people sitting around a table.
February 23, 2022 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Crops, Commercial Horticulture, Swine, Forestry

VERONA, Miss. -- Each February, agricultural producers in Mississippi speak, and personnel with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station listen.

Producer Advisory Council meetings present opportunities for growers to meet with MSU commodity experts and share ideas for research and educational projects.

February 7, 2022 - Filed Under: Commercial Horticulture, Master Gardener, Lawn and Garden, Floral Design, Flower Gardens

Pat Scace, floral display supervisor at the Missouri Botanical Garden will give a lecture on March 21 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center. It will conclude with a recognition ceremony for the newest group of certified MSU Extension Service Master Floral Designers. Deadline to register is March 14.

Blueberries grow on a bush.
January 14, 2022 - Filed Under: Commercial Fruit and Nuts, Fruit

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Blueberry growers and those interested in entering this industry can participate in an online Mississippi State University workshop Jan. 27.

Register for this MSU Extension Service workshop by Jan. 26 at . There is no cost to attend the online workshop, which runs from 2-4 p.m. Jan. 27.

Different colored pumpkins in a line.
October 8, 2021 - Filed Under: Other Vegetables, Pumpkins

Pumpkins are a fall staple and a great way to add a bit of festive decor to your home. I’ve had a pumpkin display out at my home since mid-September. I’ll keep this fall arrangement up until after Thanksgiving and then replace it with Christmas lights and decor.

Ruined watermelons lie in a muddy field.
July 21, 2021 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Watermelon Cantaloupe and Cucumber, Watermelons

One month ago, watermelon production in southeast Mississippi was on track. Now, growers there have lost much of their crop to the summer’s wet weather.

Two watermelons on the vine.
June 15, 2021 - Filed Under: Watermelon Cantaloupe and Cucumber

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Watermelon production is on track despite cool weather at planting.

“I’ve been in our watermelon fields a good bit over the past several days,” Heath Steede, Mississippi State University Extension agent in George County, said on June 9. “The crop looks really good. We had a slow start with the cool nights this spring, but they caught up later. The watermelons are stacked in there, and we’ll have a good crop as far as the number of melons.”

Continuous rains, however, have Steede a little concerned.

Tomatoes growing on a vine.
June 10, 2021 - Filed Under: Greenhouse Tomatoes, Vegetable Gardens

There’s nothing more satisfying than homegrown tomatoes. You don’t have to be a gardening expert to grow delicious tomatoes in your backyard. Here are a few tips that will help you grow the best looking (and tasting) tomatoes out there:

A bee gathers pollen form a blueberry bloom.
March 31, 2021 - Filed Under: Commercial Fruit and Nuts, Fruit, Nutrition and Wellness, Nutrition

Mississippi’s recent bout of bad weather came at a critical time for producers of blueberries, the state’s largest commercial fruit crop. Blueberries can be easily damaged by cold weather, but the timing of mid-February’s icy weather limited the potential damage.

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