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I wake up at the most in- sane times of the morning. Not be- cause I must do something normal like, you know, visit the lady’s room, but because I can’t sleep more than 6 hours most nights of the week. Fortunately, or unfortu- nately, there’s high-speed internet and YouTube! Thus, how I was re-introduced to the rewarding hobby of GAR- DENING ! Now, prior to Covid, I would watch the news, an occasional Netflix or just read a book. The only positive aspect that I can find with the pandemic is my return to gardening and my subsequent obsession with all things VEGETABLE . I also discovered that I may have ADGD (Attention Deficit Gardening Disorder). I’m beginning my fourth growing season this fall. I’ve gone from a small 30-foot x 50-foot row style garden area to two 30-foot x 50-foot row style plots to containers and now raised beds. To add more assuredly to my sus- picions, I’m on about my third rendition of a custom raised bed structure that I’ve been designing and building my- self. I have bounced from one potting soil medium to an- other. I have gone from store-bought in bags to bulk purchased from soil farms to personally devised mixtures of the above. I won’t bore you with my combinations of fertilizers, fertigation and other feeding habits for my veg- gies, nor will I scare you with my personal concoctions produced to kill the parasites that stalk my charges. I will own some of my scatter-shot approaches and rabbit-hole visiting. However, a good many of my adventures come from the hundreds of videos I watched and the myriad of opinions I considered from very well meaning and enthu- siastic gardeners on YouTube. To save those of you who might relate to my pain, let me let you in on a secret I have found to solve 99% of my “trial by error” and organizational short comings: The Mississippi State Extension Service’s website. I will even drill down a bit further: THE SEARCH BOX in this site! This is a wonderful place to start if you have a sin- gle question, are new to gardening, an old pro or just someone who enjoys a beautiful lawn, majestic tree, or an abundant garden…and want one. Across the Missis- sippi State University Extension Service website are ar- ticles on every conceivable question about a garden, a lawn, or a tree from 50,000 foot overviews to a micro- scopic pathogen blowing up your prized heirloom tomato. Information is available in formats ranging from video to PDF. These materials are fact based from scientist not your amateur “YouTuber” looking for a thumbs up. Here are a few examples: It’s December and you may or may not have a garden in production. What do you need to be doing in your yard, your flower beds or in your languish- ing vegetable plots? Check out “Calendar of Home Gar- dening Chores in Mississippi” (P3437). Your pruners and loppers are stacked in the shed so dull they couldn’t cut butter in the middle of August. Check out the video ““Sharpening Your Garden Tools.” Want to plant some of your own Blueberry bushes, a Citrus Orchard, or a Pecan Grove? There is an entire library of information contained in the “Fruits and Nuts” publication and blog. To conclude, save yourself a ton of confusion. Avoid the unnecessary stress of knowing what informa- tion is accurate and what is just show-biz. Look to the pros to optimize success, to save valuable time, conserve treasure and for many of us, stay organized. Gardening requires persistence; but gardening is so much fun, and it is so personally rewarding to see or taste your hard- earned labors. Avoid circling the global information su- perhighway for knowledge that is super easy to access right here in your own backyard. If you enjoy gardening and the company of oth- ers who also enjoy gardening, check with your local county Extension Service office about the Master Gar- dener classes that are offered by MSU. By: Betsy Burk, MSU Pearl River County Extension Service Master Gardener Intern S ADGD: Attention Deficit Gardening Disorder By: Betsy Burk 6 SOUTHERN SENIOR MAGAZINE | Spring 2022

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