Master Gardeners from Oktibbeha County recently enjoyed a leisurely outing at the country home of Bobby and Martha Watkins. The Watkins are Master Gardeners. They live in Starkville but are spending more time on their 200-acre farm near Aberdeen.
A legacy from his great-grandfather, Watkins developed the farm as a model for conservation and preservation of the past, as well as a nod to contemporary living. The couple plants and cultivates extensive beds of a variety of vegetables and has modernized the homestead with the addition of porches, a guest house and a storage building fashioned from a large, repurposed shipping container. Watkins’ hallmark is reclaimed and repurposed items used liberally throughout the landscape.
Speakers from the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service explained the latest methods of tree maintenance and bee-keeping and answered questions.
“In order to maintain their master gardener status, members are required to participate in educational programs throughout the year to stay on top of new developments. This outing has become a favorite combination of pleasure and education,” said Linda Morse, a three-year member of Master Gardeners, a nationwide organization of people with a common goal of promoting sound cultivation practices and assisting in community projects.
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