Jackson, MS (Mississippi Free Press)

JACKSON, Miss. -- Standing in the middle of an M-shaped garden beside Midtown Public Charter Primary School, Midtown Partners Urban Farm Consultant Matt Casteel reaches for a pink and white bloom on a pineapple guava plant. Farm to Community Garden Coordinator Dewaski Davis's face lights up. It's his first time seeing the plant's first bloom.

"What is that on there?" Davis asks.

"That is its first flower," Casteel says, as Davis reaches for the colorful bloom.

"Once this tree gets mature, which is probably at the end of this season or early next season, it'll pop, and it'll have those everywhere," Casteel continues. "It's gonna be awesome."

It's April 24, 2025, and the area around the pair is covered in plants and flowers. On the other side of the

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