VERONA, Miss. (WTVA) - For people who enjoy being outdoors or grow a big part of the food supply in their own backyard there was an event just for them on Saturday.
An expo gave people the opportunity to start, add-on or enhance their gardens.
A number of vegetables, along with pumpkins and plants, were some of the items on display for the public to see at the MSU Research and Extension Center.
"We like to show the gardening public what plants we can grow," said Susan Worthey, research associate. "Plants can be grown year round and just have fun and just how educational it is to grow your own plants and food."
The show-and-tell of a garden does require hours of work and some simple guidelines to follow to make sure everything tastes as good as it looks.
"We basically follow the reccomendations from Missisippi State. We do a soil test and we just add fertilizer required and put the plants out," said Thomas Horgan, research associate.
With the prime season for gardening being between the months of March through November, this Garden Expo is an opportunity for beginners to come out and look at a finished product.
"Well, we just want to show the different varieties they can grow and the stuff that can be grown here," adds Horgan. "Some of the techniques that we use that maybe they can apply on their farms or gardens I mean."
After a five year hiatus, research associates with the North Mississippi Reserach and Extension Center are hoping the public will gain further understanding of what all goes into a garden from the ground up.
"This year we have put a huge effort into restoring the botanical garden the scarecrow trail and other things," adds Worthey. "We thought that this would be a good time to display our efforts and hope that the public would want to come back down and visit us."
The expo also places a strong emphasis on what fall crops can be planted and harvested during the winter months which comes in handy for many people.
