Central Texas Horticulture

This Saturday: (Free) Backyard Basics!

2013-05-06T08:41:00.003-05:00

Backyard Basics
Saturday, May 11, 2013, 9am-1pm
Travis County AgriLife Extension Office
1600 B Smith Rd., Austin TX 78721

Backyard Basics is a free, family-friendly, gardening topic open house event! Hands on kids’ activities are available the entire time. Stroll the garden and ask questions. Experts available for one-on-one discussion on composting, vegetable gardening, wicking beds, installing drip irrigation, raising chickens, identifying good/bad bugs and permaculture. Plus learn about good practices, white fly tomato trial bed, and common mistakes. In-depth talks offered every hour starting at 9:30. Summer Vegetable Gardening includes basics of vegetable gardening, vegetables which can be planted now and thrive in the heat and how to protect other vegetables from summer’s heat. Preserving Your Summer Harvest covers the basics of canning, freezing, dehydrating and fermentation of vegetables and how to bring the vegetables back to life. Backyard Chickens is an introduction to what is required to progress from baby chicks to egg producing hens. Shelter, food, breeds will be a part of talk.

Backyard Basics is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County. www.tcmastergardeners.org. For information, call (512)854-9600.

Learn to install your own drip irrigation!

2013-04-29T22:25:00.003-05:00

How to Build a Home Drip Irrigation System

Thursday, May 9, 2013, 10am-12pm

Travis County AgriLife Extension Office

1600 B Smith Rd., Austin TX 78721

Can you conserve water and still keep your plants happy? Yes! Drip irrigation slowly distributes water and reduces evaporation and run-off, allowing your soil to absorb the maximum amount of water. Learn about the different types of drip irrigation systems and spray heads which are available to determine the system which will best solve your irrigation needs. Gain firsthand knowledge of how to plan and assemble a drip irrigation system. This will include a discussion on layout, parts, tools and specifics on assembly.

This class is part of the Green Thumb series. Registration required at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or by phone 979-845-2604. Keyword Search: Green Thumb. One class is $15, with price discounts for signing up for 3 or more classes at the same time. Class is limited to 40 people. It is presented by the Travis CountyMaster Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County.

Get Water Wise with Extension! May 4th, 10 AM to 2 PM, at St Edward's University

2013-04-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County will present a Water Wi$e Workshop from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. May 4 at Ragsdale Center, St. Edward’s University, 3001 S. Congress Ave. in Austin.

The building is located near the center of the St. Edward’s campus, adjacent to the bookstore. Parking is free and will be clearly marked.

“The workshop is for anyone who would benefit from information and guidance related to plant selection to conserve water, rainwater harvesting, efficient home irrigation systems, converting landscapes from lawn to ornamental plants and water quality,” said Julie Ansley, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resource agent for Travis County and program coordinator.

Because water conservation is the central topic of the program, many workshop topics will address how attendees can get a “bigger bang for their buck” from their water bill, Ansley said.

Cost is $25 for adults and $15 for youth ages 8-12, including lunch, which provides a vegetarian option. There also will be water conservation-related giveaways.

Ansley said the program also will offer many fun and educational activities and games for youth related to water conservation.

“At the event, kids can learn about area aquifers, rainwater simulation and water conservation at home and school during the program,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for the whole family to learn more about being ‘water wise’ while having fun together.”

Attendees may register online at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu. Enter “water” into the keyword field.

Speakers include:

Dr. Meng Meng Gu, Extension Earth Kind Specialist, College Station

Wizzie Brown, Travis County Integrated Pest Management Agent

Daphne Richards, Travis County Horticulture Agent

Jerry Naiser and Sheryl Williams, Travis County Master Gardeners

Three CEUs available for TDA pesticide license holders

Four CEUs available for Master Gardeners

Questions? Contact Travis County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, Julie Ansley

jzansley@ag.tamu.edu

New event announcement: Composting and Soil Health

2013-04-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

Composting and Soil Health

Saturday, June 15, 2013, 9:30am-3:40pm

Austin Community College, South Campus, Rm 1130

1820 Stassney Lane, Austin TX 78745

Learn about compost positive impact on soil health with an incredible program packed with information and how-to topics. This is everything you need to know to treat your garden by embracing composting.

Talks include:

Composting – Life After Death

Sheryl Williams, Travis County Master Gardener

Learn how to improve your soil no matter what kind or how much you have by composting kitchen and yard waste. Find out what compost is, how it fits into the Soil Food Web. Discover the needs of the microbes in your soil and how to feed and maintain them.

Some Like it Hot and Some Like it Cold

Acquire knowledge about hot and cold composting and how your plants should determine which type of compost you want to make. Discover the equipment or supplies needed for success.

Ground to Ground

Lindsay Razzaz, AgriLife Extension’s Horticulture Program Assistant, will tell you about participating in Ground to Ground. Ground to Ground is a city-wide campaign that diverts nutrient rich spent coffee grounds from landfills, and puts them back to work in our yard, farms, and garden. Ground to Ground businesses provide free grounds to customers in bags, buckets, or bins. Just ask how to get grounds at the counter. And take all you can carry!

Worms Gift to Mankind – Vermiculture

Some of the very best compost is created by worms! Clyde Adley, Travis and Williamson County Master Gardener, will share the secrets for success. All phases of vermiculture will be discussed including supplies, worm sources, moisture, heat, food, and harvesting.

Who would like a drink of Compost Tea

Stretch your gardening dollars! Produce your own “liquid gold”! Set up a home compost tea brewing system using a 5 gallon bucket equipped with an aquarium pump and air stones to produce 4 gallons of aerated compost tea. Learn how oxygen and an energy source can grow beneficial microbes to produce compost tea concentrate. Tommie Clayton, Travis County Master Gardener - Compost Specialist, will share brewing recipes and tips for using this valuable liquid compost as a starter solution, foliar spray and soil drench.

Zero Waste by 2040!

The City of Austin’s goal is to reach Zero Waste by 2040, which means reducing the amount of trash sent to landfills by 90 percent. Austin Resource Recovery has implemented multiple measures to achieve Zero Waste, including a home composting program and rebate. Learn more about what Austin Resource Recovery is doing and how you can qualify for a rebate on a composting system.

$35 registration fee includes box lunch, water, and snacks. Attendees must register at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu, keyword: soil or by phone at (979)845-2604. This event is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County. www.tcmastergardeners.org. For information, call (512)854-9600. It is not sponsored by Austin Community College.

"Get Up, Get Green!" East Austin Garden Fair Next Saturday!!

2013-04-12T10:54:00.002-05:00

The East Austin Garden Fair will be on April 20th, 9:30am – 1:30pm, at Parque Zaragoza (2608 Gonzales St., 78702). The fair is free and open to the public.

The 2013 fair,“Get Up, Get Green!", will feature numerous booths, activities, and classes under the areas of Horticulture, Family Health & Nutrition, and Kiddos. This fair will be very fun, hands-on and interactive. There will be an assortment of DIY and demonstration activities, including make your own container garden station, produce tastings, garden planning, cooking demonstrations, and free seedlings offered to participants. Mini-classes will also be held inside the Zaragosa community center throughout the day.

Do you want:

To learn (and see) how to build a rain barrel for under $20?
A free veggie or herb seedling (and to watch a cooking demo using this produce?)
To learn very inexpensive, innovative, and EASY (no power tools involved!) ways to create container and raised-bed gardens?
To learn about school gardening, beneficial insects, backyard chickens, organic veggie gardening, citrus, all manners of composting, butterfly gardens, or beekeeping, or get expert advice on many other topics?
To meet a SNAP registration counselor? and learn how to double your benefits at farmers markets?
Your kids to make cool outdoorsy crafts and have fun learning about the ecology and nutrition?

Then join Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Travis County Master Gardeners, Travis County Master Wellness Volunteers, and many community partners at the 2013 East Austin Garden Fair!

For more information, please email Lindsay Razzaz at lindsay.razzaz@ag.tamu.edu. Or, call 512-854-9600.

Mark Your Calendar! Backyard Basics Open House May 11

2013-04-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

Seminar Reminder: When and How to Fertilize

2013-04-03T20:41:00.001-05:00

Join us for our next seminar in our Green Thumb Series
.
When and How to Fertilize
Thursday, April 11, 2013, 10am-12pm
Travis County AgriLife Extension Office
1600 B Smith Rd., Austin TX 78721

Confused about how and when to fertilize? Learn how to select the correct fertilizer for your lawn, trees, bulbs, roses, or vegetables. This class will teach you how to conduct a soil test to get a clear picture of your fertilizer needs, read and interpret what a fertilizer contains, and determine how much you should apply. You’ll be taught how to fertilize and be a good steward to your land by avoiding fertilizer runoff. Please bring any soil test you have done in the past few years.

Registration required at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or by phone 979-845-2604. Keyword Search: Green Thumb. One class is $15, with price discounts for signing up for 3 or more classes at the same time. Class is limited to 40 people. The seminar is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County.

Registration Now Open for Upcoming EarthKind Training

2013-04-02T15:44:00.000-05:00

AUSTIN – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County will present an Earth-Kind Landscape training from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. April 16 at its offices at 1600 Smith Rd. in Austin.

“This program is a great opportunity for green industry professionals, especially those seeking continuing education units for their Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator’s license,” said Daphne Richards, AgriLife Extension agent for horticulture, Travis County. But the program is not limited to those in the green industry; anyone may attend.

Richards said the program will offer five Texas of Agriculture Department pesticide applicator continuing education units (3 General, 1 IPM, and 1 Laws & Regs) and also five CEUs for those with Texas Nursery and Landscape Association certification.

“The program focuses on AgriLife Extension’s Earth-Kind principles, which uses research-proven techniques to provide maximum garden and landscape enjoyment while preserving and protecting the environment,” Richards said. “The objective of Earth-Kind is to combine the best of organic and traditional gardening and landscaping principles to create a horticultural system that is effective and environmentally responsible.”

Agenda topics and presenters will be:

-- Protecting Water Resources from Pesticide Contamination, Dr. Fouad Jaber, AgriLife Extension specialist , biological and agricultural engineering, Dallas.

-- The Label is the Law, Richards

-- Landscape IPM: Nipping Problems in the Bud, Dr. Mengmeng Gu, AgriLife Extension specialist, horticultural sciences, College Station.

-- Plant Disease Updates: Rose Rosette, Impatiens Downy Mildew and Boxwood Blight, Dr. Kevin Ong, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab director, College Station.

Registration is $65 through April 9 ($75 after) and includes a boxed lunch and all educational materials.

Attendees should register online at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu using “Earth-Kind” as the keyword.

April 23rd: MarketReady Workshop for Farmers, Ranchers, and Food Producers

2013-04-01T08:56:00.001-05:00

AUSTIN – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present its MarketReady Training Program for area farmers, ranchers and food producers from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 23 at the AgriLife Extension office for Travis County, 1600 Smith Road, Austin.

“The MarketReady Training program addresses the market-development risks and relationships small farmers and ranchers must manage as they seek to develop supplier relationships with restaurants, grocery, wholesale and food-service buyers,” said Daphne Richards, AgriLife Extension agent for Travis County and program coordinator.

A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program to help South Central Texas area farmers and ranchers get ready to market their products to restaurants, grocery stores and other food-oriented businesses will be held April 23 at the AgriLife Extension office in southeast Austin.
(Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)

Richards said the training will address building communications and relationships packaging, labeling, pricing, supply, delivery, quality assurance, storage, invoicing, insurance, marketing and more.

“The morning portion for the training will focus on selling to restaurants,” said Francisco Abello, AgriLife Extension agricultural economist in College Station, one of the program presenters. “This will be followed by lunch, then afternoon sessions to focus on grocery and wholesale sales.”

Abello said the training would help small-scale and other food producers learn effective practices for approaching and selling to businesses such as restaurants, caterers and grocery stores or chains.

The $35 registration fee covers lunch, refreshments and all training materials.

Attendees should register online at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2604. On the registration site, use the keyword “market” and Austin for the location.

For more information about course content, contact Abello at 979-847-5805 or fabello@agecon.tamu.edu.

Helpful Publication on Soils

2013-03-14T15:57:00.000-05:00

If you were unable to attend our soils presentation today, you missed a great program! One of the bottom line points was that organic matter, most especially compost here in Central Texas, is the best possible amendment for our garden and vegetable beds. So I wanted to share with you a good publication from Oregon State University Extension Service:

Improving Soils with Organic Matter

And I'll also share a tip with you that I shared in this morning's class: anytime you are doing an internet search for gardening/horticulture information (and many other topics too), use the word "Extension" as part of your search ("Extension soil compaction," Extension roses," etc.). That will ensure that most of the information that comes up is from a land-grant university, which means that the information will be based on research and written by degreed specialists in their field.

Happy gardening!

ISA CEUs Being Offered for Tree Care Workshop

2013-03-13T15:52:00.003-05:00

We have just received approval from the International Society of Arboriculture to offer continuing education units for certified arborists who attend the oak wilt/tree care workshop on Saturday, April 13th.

ISA CEUs offered

Certified Arborist: 3.5

BCMA - Science: 3.5

Utility Specialist: 3.5

Municipal Specialist: 3.5

As a reminder, 2 TDA pesticide applicator CEUs are also being offered for this program. And the program details are posted here: Oak Wilt/Tree Care workshop

Organic Pest Control Options Seminar

2013-03-08T12:27:00.002-06:00

Friday, March 15, 2013, 9:00 to 11:00 AM

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

1600 Smith Rd, Austin TX

Dr. Joe Masabni, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service vegetable specialist, will present a 2 hour webinar on organic product options for controlling garden pests. Many organic products are not as effective as others. Also, organic products are not necessarily safer to use than synthetic options and should be handled and used with care. With the need to control pollution and other harmful effects of over-use of pesticides, learning which organic products actually work, and how to use them, is crucial.

2 TDA Ag pesticide recertification CEUs will be offered.

Class is limited to 25 participants. Please register at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu keyword: Organic. Or register by phone (979) 845-2604. If space is available, onsite registration will be offered at 8:00 AM on the morning of the program. Class fee is $10.

Aphids actively feeding on plant juices.

Change of date for Ornamental Trees seminar

2013-03-06T14:58:00.004-06:00

Please note a date change for one of our upcoming seminars. The seminar on ornamental trees has been changed from March 30 to April 13.

Care of Ornamental Trees

Saturday, April 13, 2013, 9am-1pm

Austin Community College, South Campus, rm 1130

1820 W Stassney Lane, Austin TX

Oak wilt, one of the most destructive tree diseases in the United States, is killing oak trees in central Texas at epidemic proportions. Dr. David Appel, professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at Texas A&M, will teach which trees are affected by oak wilt, how to identify the disease, how it is spread, and how it can be managed. We will discuss preventative measures that can help you avoid this devastating disease.

Please register at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu keyword: Trees, or by phone (979)845-2604. Class fee is $25 (water and snacks provided). Free parking available. Sign-in at the security desk with your vehicle license number. This class is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County.
2 TDA pesticide applicator CEUs (general) offered.

March 14 seminar: Understanding Your Soil

2013-03-04T08:10:00.002-06:00

Your soil is the foundation of your garden and it can make your plants survive and thrive or bring them down. So understanding how to make your soil the best it can be should be at the top of your gardening priority list.

Understanding Soil and Soil Amendments

Thursday, March 14, 2013, 10am-12pm

Travis County AgriLife Extension Office

1600 B Smith Rd., Austin TX 78721

Get to know your soil so you can improve its ability to retain moisture and improve plant growth. Your soil may be blocking vital elements your plants need to grow. Ascertain how and when to add missing elements to improve plant health and production. Learn the type of soil on your property and its corresponding strengths and weakness. (Bring a cup of your soil in a plastic bag and a glass jar with lid.) Discover changes you can make to improve the soil structure and water storage capacity. Organic matter, cover crops, soil microorganism and mulching will be discussed.

This class is part of The Green Thumb series. Registration required at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or by phone 979-845-2604. Keyword Search: Green Thumb. One class is $15, with price discounts for signing up for 3 or more classes at the same time. Class is limited to 40 people. It is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, the volunteer arm of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County.

"Get Up, Get Green!" 2013 East Austin Garden Fair

2013-02-26T16:32:00.002-06:00

The East Austin Garden Fair will be on April 20th, 9:30am – 1:30pm, at Parque Zaragoza (2608 Gonzales St., 78702). The fair is free and open to the public.

The 2013 fair,“Get Up, Get Green!", will feature numerous booths, activities, and classes under the areas of Horticulture, Family Health & Nutrition, Greening Your Home, and Kiddos. This fair will be very fun, hands-on and interactive. There will be an assortment of DIY and demonstration activities, including make your own container garden station, produce tastings, garden planning, theatrical skits, cooking demonstrations, and free seedlings offered to participants. Mini-classes will also be held inside the Zaragosa community center throughout the day.

Do you want:

To learn (and see) how to build a rain barrel for under $20?
A free veggie or herb seedling (and to watch a cooking demo using this produce?)
Easy steps for greening your home, and how to get partially reimbursed for doing so?
To watch a 101- level pickling / food preservation demonstration that you can repeat at home?
To learn very inexpensive, innovative, and EASY (no power tools involved!) ways to create container and raised-bed gardens?
To learn about school gardening, beneficial insects, backyard chickens, organic veggie gardening, citrus, all manners of composting, butterfly gardens, or beekeeping, or get expert advice on many other topics?
To meet a SNAP registration counselor? and learn how to double your benefits at farmers markets?
Your kids to make cool outdoorsy crafts and have fun learning about the ecology and nutrition?

Then join Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Travis County Master Gardeners, Travis County Master Wellness Volunteers, and many community partners at the 2013 East Austin Garden Fair!

For more information, please email Lindsay Razzaz at lindsay.razzaz@ag.tamu.edu. Or, call 512-854-9616.

Green Thumb Series: What's Eating My Plants seminar

2013-02-18T08:08:00.004-06:00

Announcing another class in the Green Thumb Series presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners and Travis County AgriLife Extension:

What's Eating My Plants
Thursday, June 13, 2013, 10am-12pm
Travis County AgriLife Extension Office
1600 B Smith Rd., Austin TX 78721

Yikes! What is eating my plant? Wizzie Brown, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist, will teach you detective skills needed for correctly identifying insects. Knowing exactly who are the “good bugs” and the “bad bugs” is important because the majority of insects are not “bad”!

Armed with knowledge of insect mouthparts and biology, you can figure out what may be causing damage to plants even when there is not an insect in sight. Think about what kind of mouth part could have done the damage? Are there holes in the plant? Are the holes small or are entire leaves eaten? Does the plant have yellowing and curling on the foliage? Knowing the types of damage insects can cause to plants can help reveal what pest you are dealing with and help to make management decision. Identification of common insects will also be covered along with integrated pest management practices to help reduce pesticide use. Integrated pest management programs start with non-chemical approaches first and while chemicals are included in the program, they are a last resort strategy.

This class is part of The Green Thumb series. Must register at: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or by phone 979-845-2604. Keyword Search: Green Thumb. One class is $15, with price discounts for signing up for 3 or more classes at the same time. Class is limited to 40 people.

The Green Thumb series concentrates on providing information on gardening tasks which ideally are completed in late winter through early summer. Remaining classes in the series include:

March 14, 2013 - Soils & Soil Amendments
April 11, 2013 - When & How to Fertilize
May 9, 2013 - How to Build a Home Drip Irrigation System
June 13, 2013 - What's Eating My Plants

$15 (1-2 workshops), $40 (3 workshops), $65 (all workshops)

Event announcment: Home Drip Irrigation seminar

2013-02-11T07:24:00.002-06:00

The Travis County Master Gardeners announce an upcoming seminar:

How to Build a Home Drip Irrigation System

Thursday, May 9, 2013, 10am-12pm

Travis County AgriLife Extension Office

1600 B Smith Rd., Austin TX 78721

Can you conserve water and still keep your plants happy? Yes! Drip irrigation slowly distributes water and reduces evaporation and run-off, allowing your soil to absorb the maximum amount of water. Learn about the different types of drip irrigations systems and spray heads which are available to determine the system which will best solve your irrigation needs. Gain firsthand knowledge of how to plan and assemble a drip irrigation system. This will include a discussion on layout, parts, tools and specifics on assembly.

This class is part of the Green Thumb series. Registration required at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or by phone 979-845-2604. Keyword Search: Green Thumb. One class is $15, with price discounts for signing up for 3 or more classes at the same time. Class is limited to 40 people. It is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County.

Attention Farmers: Workshop on USDA's New Microloan Program

2013-02-07T11:01:00.003-06:00

Farmers' Workshop on USDA's Microloan Program with Central Texas' FSA Loan Manager

Tuesday, March 5th (10am - Noon)

Travis County's East Service Center ("Blue Bluff"): 6011 Blue Bluff Rd. Austin TX

Register at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu, keyword "loan"

Registration is $15; light refreshments served.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency are working together to inform Central Texas urban farmers about the new USDA Microloan program.

A joint Microloan Workshop will be presented from 10 a.m.-noon March 5 at Travis County's East Service Center, located at 6011 Blue Bluff Rd. in Austin.

Coordinators said the new USDA Microloan program was designed with small-scale producers in mind and may be an excellent fit for urban farmers needing capital to launch or expand their operations.

The new Microloan program is administered through the Farm Services Agency and provides various low-interest credit options for small agricultural producers, according to USDA officials. The simplified loan application process and modified eligibility requirements are well-suited to beginning farmers, ranchers, and CSA operators, and for farmers wanting to grow “niche crops” to sell to ethnic markets or farmers markets, it may also provide a means of financing.

“Last fall, beginning urban farmers came from 11 Central Texas counties to Extension’s three-week Strong Starts: Urban Farming 101 series,” said Daphne Richards, AgriLife Extension agent for horticulture in Travis County. “Extension specialists traveled from across the state to teach everything from farm business planning and budgeting to crop selection and cultivation strategies.”

Richards said the series included presentations from county and state officials involved in food system policy development, as well as representatives of U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“At that program, USDA Farm Service Agency loan manager Terri Trevino was among the presenters. She informed beginning urban farmers about USDA’s financing options and began initial development of funder/farmer relationships.

“Feedback was overwhelmingly positive from both the farmer participants and presenters, so when the USDA initiated this Microloan program a month ago, Terri contacted us to see if our agency could help the USDA get the word out through our urban farming program and the Strong Starts initiative.”

Richards said AgriLife Extension coordinated with the local FSA office to help make Trevino’s presentation on Microloans available to the entire Central Texas farming community, so they decided on a larger venue for an inexpensive “stand-alone” workshop.

Qualifying farmers and ranchers may apply for a maximum of $35,000 to be used toward initial start-up expenses, USDA officials explained. And as their needs increase, they may apply for an additional operating loan of up to $300,000 -- or seek commercial-lender financing from an institution within its Guaranteed Loan Program.

Officials said farm loans can be used for a variety of purposes, including buying land, delivery vehicles, livestock, seed, feed and supplies, or for farm improvements such as wells, coolers, hoop houses, and irrigation systems.

“At this event, AgriLife Extension in Travis County also hopes to survey participants about their informational and educational needs, so that we may support their continued growth and success as urban farmers,” Richards noted.

The workshop cost is $15 and those interested may register online at the AgriLife Extension Conference Services website, https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu. Enter “loan” in the keyword search field or “Austin” in the location field.

Producers interested in applying for a microloan should contact their local Farm Service Agency office. For more information about the March 5 workshop, contact Trevino at Terri.Trevino@tx.usda.gov.

Seminar reminder: Easy Rose Gardening

2013-02-03T07:13:00.000-06:00

Always wanted to have roses but think you're not up to the hard work? Come find out just how easy roses can be with the right planning and choices.

Easy Rose Gardening

Saturday, February 9, 2013, 10am-12pm

Zilker Botanical Garden, Garden Center

2220 Barton Springs Rd., Austin TX 78746

Incorporate user friendly roses into your new or existing garden plans! Cher Groody is a master gardener with 30 years of experience in the use of roses in a landscape. She will teach you methods for proper selection of rose varieties, site prep and maintenance like pruning, pest control and fertilization. This session is excellent for newbies and experienced gardeners and questions are encouraged.

This seminar is free; Zilker park entrance fee is $2 per adult, $1 per child or senior. The seminar is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County. www.tcmastergardeners.org. For information, call (512)477-8672.

Join my colleague for a fabulous webinar on fire ants

2013-01-31T10:09:00.001-06:00

Join my colleague, Wizzie Brown from Urban IPM, for the first in a series of webinars, tomorrow afternoon at 1 PM central time. Wizzie's presentation will open your eyes to some of the snake oil out there. Future presentations are at the same time on the first Friday of every month, through November 2013. Registration and more info here. Each webinar will last only 30 to 45 minutes, and the best part is you can participate from the comfort of your very own computer.

New event announcement: Care of Ornamental Trees

2013-01-31T07:25:00.000-06:00

Care of Ornamental Trees

Saturday, March 30, 2013, 9am-1pm

Austin Community College, South Campus, rm 1130

1820 W Stassney Lane, Austin TX

New seminar announcement: Understanding Your Soil

2013-01-29T07:17:00.000-06:00

Understanding Soil and Soil Amendments

Thursday, March 14, 2013, 10am-12pm

Travis County AgriLife Extension Office

1600 B Smith Rd., Austin TX 78721

This class is part of The Green Thumb series. Registration required at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or by phone 979-845-2604. Keyword Search: Green Thumb. One class is $15, with price discounts for signing up for 3 or more classes at the same time. Class is limited to 40 people. It is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County.

Seminar reminder: Spring Vegetable Gardening

2013-01-28T10:23:00.000-06:00

Spring Vegetable Gardening

Thursday, February 7, 2013, 10am-12pm

Travis County AgriLife Extension Office

1600 B Smith Rd., Austin TX 78721

Now is the time to plan for Spring! Join Tommie Clayton, Master Gardener Vegetable Garden Specialist, for this fact-packed session. Increase your plant’s production by learning about soils and amendments. Discover how short- and long-term planning helps prevent diseases. Understand which varieties are recommended for this area and ideal planting time. Take the guess work out of choosing seed seeds or transplants. This is an excellent session for new and experienced gardeners.

This class is part of The Green Thumb series. Register required at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or by phone 979-845-2604. Keyword Search: Green Thumb. One class is $15, with price discounts for signing up for 3 or more classes at the same time. Class is limited to 40 people. It is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County.

New event announcement: Easy Rose Gardening seminar

2013-01-22T15:45:00.003-06:00

Easy Rose Gardening

Saturday, February 9, 2013, 10am-12pm

Zilker Botanical Garden, Garden Center

2220 Barton Springs Rd., Austin TX 78746

New event announcement: Spring Vegetable Gardening seminar

2013-01-14T11:52:00.000-06:00

Travis County Master Gardeners announce an upcoming event:

Spring Vegetable Gardening

Thursday, February 7, 2013, 10am-12pm

Travis County AgriLife Extension Office

1600 B Smith Rd., Austin TX 78721