Getting your green thumb on

Why are my tomato plants wilting? Should my plants get lots of sun, or shade? What on earth is bokchoi? 

David Nagel will answer these questions and others Tuesday during a lecture on fall vegetable gardening. 

The lecture is presented by the Lafayette County Master Gardeners and will feature time for the doctor to diagnose any problem plants the audience presents.

Nagel is a professor in the Plant and Soil Sciences department at Mississippi State University and specializes in horticulture, especially vegetables. 

He has spent years learning the most efficient ways to cultivate a healthy, balanced garden. 

Oddly enough, as a child, gardening was one of his least favorite hobbies. 

Susan Boehm of the Lafayette County Master Gardeners said that fall in the South is a good time to grow vegetables. That’s why the group is hosting the lecture.

With school beginning and the days getting shorter, it is often difficult to fit exercise and family time into the daily schedule. Gardening can provide the perfect opportunity to bond with friends or family, putting their hands in the dirt together. This takes care of exercise too, as gardeners tug on stubborn weeds and move from stooping to standing. 

Often when people participate in growing their own food they are more likely to eat more healthy foods and spend less time indoors. That’s not all it does for the soul, though: Seeing the results of one’s own labor can inspire pride and better attitudes towards life in general.

Even before the economic downturn people were saving money by planting their own gardens. There is now a huge push for families to look to local markets and their own backyards to save some much-needed dollars. 

The benefits of at-home gardening don’t stop at a fatter wallet. Homegrown vegetables lack the mystery chemicals of supermarket produce, and they taste much better. People can grow exactly what they want instead of having to settle for what falls to the bottom of the bin.

A ideal fall vegetables for Mississippi are cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and greens (collards, mustard, chard), Nagel said. 

Nagel also said he recognizes the interest in unusual plants, so he suggests trying out some oriental greens, such as bokchoi, pakchoi and petsai (Napa cabbage). Serious gardeners and weekend green thumbs alike will surely enjoy Nagel’s fall gardening lecture. 

The event is at 11:00 a.m. and is free to the public at the Lafayette-Oxford Public Library.