Welcome! My name is Niklas Klei, but you can just call me Nik.

Growing up in Germany, I look back at some of the fondest childhood memories spent in the strawberry field with my mom, filling up my stomach with delicious red fruits, or heading to the fruit trees with my Opa (see picture) and canning tons of cherries and apples. You could say that dirt has been in my DNA from the time that I was born.

Due to a Track and Field scholarship, I was able to attend University in the US, where I received my bachelor's- and master's degree in biology (2022 & 2024). Mesmerized by the southern climate, having a veggie-garden of my own was a must.

After completing 2 internships as a greenhouse caretaker and a gardener plus conducting cancer research with Aloe vera's, I have come across all kinds of different plants. However, there was always something freeing about growing your own food to me.

3 years of gardening later, I have learned a lot from my mistakes and after completing my professional gardener certificate I was happy to open Southern Cultivation for business. Sharing my passion for growing plants with my fellow Mississippians and people around the globe.