What to Plant in Mississippi in August
August in Mississippi is fall-garden month. The state sits in USDA hardiness zones 7b to 9a, and the first fall frost lands somewhere between November 7…
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.
What to Plant in Mississippi in April
By April, Mississippi’s last frost window has already closed across most of the state, which means this is one of the busiest planting months of the year.
Growing Peppers in Mississippi: Fruit Set, Heat and Timing
Jackson averages 71.1 days a year at or above 90 F, and pepper flowers abort when daytime heat sits in that zone for long stretches.
Growing Potatoes in Mississippi: Dates, Varieties and Summer Heat
In Mississippi, potatoes go in the ground as a spring crop, not a summer one.
Pepper Varieties That Ripen in a Mississippi Season
Mississippi gardeners get one climate lever working against them at the top end of summer and a second one that doesn’t show up in any weather almanac…
Watering Through a Dry Spell in Mississippi
Mississippi gardens don’t run dry from lack of rain alone. The state’s driest summer month, June, still delivers 4.43 inches on average, and the year…
Watering Pots and Containers in Mississippi
In Mississippi, a container garden needs watering roughly every one to three days through summer, because heat drives evaporation faster than rain can…
Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors in Mississippi
Mississippi’s mild winters rarely deliver the sustained chill that tulips, hyacinths, and crocus need to bloom.
Growing Spring Bulbs in Containers in Mississippi
In containers, bulbs in Mississippi almost always need help from the gardener rather than help from the calendar.
Canning at Altitude in Mississippi: What Your Elevation Changes
Jackson sits at 279 feet, where published boiling points run between 208°F and 212°F.