Trees, Shrubs and Perennials for Mississippi: What Will Not Survive
Mississippi’s USDA hardiness range runs from 7b to 9a, and that spread is wide enough to change the answer to “will it grow here” depending on which…
Gardening in Mississippi
Everything we have worked out for Mississippi: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Jackson, the last spring freeze runs March 6 to March 22 and the first fall freeze runs November 7 to November 22, USDA zones 7b-9a, 6,057 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 13 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Mississippi: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
How Much Insulation Does a Home in Mississippi Need?
Mississippi splits across two IECC climate zones, so the right insulation level depends on which side of the state you’re on.
When to Sow Carrots in Mississippi: Counting Back From the Last Frost
Mississippi gardeners sow carrots straight into the ground, never as transplants, and they count back 70 to 100 days from their local last-frost date to…
When Can You Turn the Heat Off in Mississippi?
The honest answer for Mississippi is that there’s no month when the house truly asks for nothing.
Will Sweet Corn Ripen in Mississippi?
Yes, sweet corn ripens reliably in Mississippi. The state’s frost-free stretch runs long enough for even the slower varieties, and the real work isn’t…
When to Sow Sweet Corn in Mississippi
Soil has to clear 60°F before sweet corn seed goes in the ground, and that threshold lands well after the last spring frost, not on the same week.
When to Sow Autumn Spinach in Mississippi
Autumn spinach in Mississippi goes into the ground once the soil cools below 80°F, typically mid-September through early October, so the crop has 50 to…
Will Spinach Bolt Early in Mississippi?
Yes. Spinach bolts early almost everywhere in Mississippi, and the reason has less to do with heat than most gardeners assume.
Will Mississippi Soil Hold an Asparagus Bed for Fifteen Years?
Mississippi’s state soil, the Natchez series, is officially well drained, which happens to be the only soil requirement an asparagus bed has according to…
When to Plant Asparagus Crowns in Mississippi
Set asparagus crowns into 8-inch furrows in early spring, timed around Mississippi’s average last frost window of March 6 to March 22.