STARKVILLE — Greg’s Produce Barn is a colorful little place on Highway 12, just west of Starkville in the Longview community.

The tomatoes are big and red; the plums are a deep purple, and countless other fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables line the tables.

Watching over the produce is owner Greg Bollinger, who looks proudly at his selection of everything from apples, oranges and cantaloupes to cayenne peppers, sweet potatoes and cucumbers. He also has zucchini, watermelon, peas and bell peppers, among other things. And a steady stream of customers pick through his wares every Thursday, Friday and Saturday — the only days the business is open, though he keeps an “honor box” out on days the stand is closed.

“During the week I’ll have a few tomatoes out here and a few watermelons. People can put their money in the milk jug if I’m not around. ... I can’t put everything out there, but I put a little bit of stuff out for them.”

Bolliger’s produce stand is open year-round, and when he’s not planting or preparing to plant something, he often can be found fishing or hunting.

How long you’ve been around, and how did this whole thing come about?

Well, I believe it was 2004 I started it. It was a farmers’ market here at the barn, but the farmers’ market turned into a yard sale. There wasn’t enough farmers to go around, produce-wise. So I ended up making a stand out of that, which was my original plan to begin with, on top of the farmers’ market. The farmers’ market failed, so this is what’s left right here. I sell homegrown, fresh local produce and all sorts of stuff that I have to go get — the stuff I can’t grow on my own.

How much do you grow on your own?

Well, right now it’s kind of slim, but there’s squash, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. That’s about it. A few watermelons. I don’t grow a whole bunch of them. I got a few growing right now. It’s mostly all local stuff.

What’s the most popular item you sell?

Probably tomatoes. A lot of peaches, too. A little bit of everything. Cantaloupes. Watermelons.

Has business been good this summer?

It was running a little late, about a month and a half late, because of all the rain and everything, but it’s picking up now.

How has the weather impacted the crops this year?

It’s terrible. Everybody who has gardens, almost all of them are messed up. There’s a couple that are doing pretty good. We have one major, big one between here and Louisville that’s doing real good. It’s a real nice garden, loaded down with corn and tomatoes. Well, the corn’s all sold now, but we’re going to have some more corn coming in from another guy and some more from Macon, hopefully.

Do you ever sell stuff at the Starkville Community Market on Saturdays?

Nope. Never been there. I’m here Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Been that way for the last five years. Like I said, we tried the farmers’ market, and it didn’t work here. I don’t know what’s going on up there, but it would be more of a hassle for me to try get the stuff up there than to just sell it from here.

Are you originally from this area?

I’m from California. I was born and raised in California, but I moved to Colorado. I lived in Colorado and spent about eight years up in the Rockies. Steamboat Springs. I worked up there, not on the big mountain, but on the Olympic ski training facility. You know, for ski jumpers and all that. I ran that mountain up there for about seven years, I think. We took care of the mountain. We cut trails and made snow and ran the lifts. Whatever needed to be done.

What brought you here?

My mother’s uncle and aunt lived here forever, and my mother was born in Starkville and she wanted to retire out here. So, technically, I’m out here to be around them and help when they can’t help themselves. I try to do what I can. They’re pretty able-bodied right now, though.

I saw the pictures of these fish on your shelf here. Are you a big fisherman?

Yeah. I fish and I hunt. I like to fish two or three times a week if I can, but I can’t do it during the summer once it gets busy. There’s too much to do. You’re gathering and running back and forth, doing this and doing that. By the time you get your lawn mowed and your yard work done at your house, there just ain’t no time.

I fish Tibbee Creek, the Tenn-Tom, Bluff Lake, Choctaw Lake, some creeks, you know. Different places like that.