We’ve assembled a list of our favorite gardening resources for Austin and Travis County. You’ll find information on:
- Monthly Gardening Checklists
- Austin Weather Resources
- Backyard Livestock
- Composting, Mulch, and Soils
- Container and Alternative Gardening Methods
- Earth-Kind Landscaping
- Firewise Landscaping
- General Gardening
- Greenhouses and Cold Frames
- Growing Your Own Food and Herbs
- Houseplants
- Insects
- Irrigation and Rainwater Harvesting
- Native Bee Habitats and Beekeeping
- Native Plants
- Texas Tough Plants, Tree Care, and Lawns
- Tool Care
- Vermicomposting
Other sites include the AgriLife Bookstore, the Grow Green program at the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department, and links to recorded Webinars or Facebook Live videos You are also welcome to contact us at the Travis County AgriLife Extension office.
Webinar Recordings
2024 Webinars
- Native & Adapted Plants with Skip Richter and Wild About Plants with Denise Delaney. Broadcast date 2/21/2024
- Native Landscapes for Wildlife with John Davis. Broadcast date 3/20/2024
- Trees: Your Landscape Legacy with Yvonne Schneider. Broadcast date 4/10/2024
- 6 D’s of Container Gardening with Kirk Walden. Broadcast date 5/8/2024
2022 Webinars
- A Lawn for All Seasons, Best Management Practices for a Happy Healthy Lawn with Dean Minchillo. Broadcast Date 4/20/2022
- Irrigation Smart Controllers with Charles Swanson. Broadcast Date 5/11/2022
- Water Conservation for Austin Home Landscapes, Today and Tomorrow with Kevin Kluge. Broadcast Date 6/8/2022
2021 Webinars
- Restore. Reimagine. Reinvent. Prairie Landscapes for Austin with John Hart. Broadcast Date 2/9/2021
- Homeowner Landscaping Plans: Site Documentation and Analysis with Sandy Stone. Broadcast Date 2/19/2021
- Homeowner Landscaping Plans Design & Construction with Sandy Stone. Broadcast Date 2/26/2021
- Soil Science Basics with Dr. Jake Mowrer. Broadcast Date 3/2/2021
- Practical Lawns – Turfgrass Management with Water In Mind with Dr. Chrissie Segars. Broadcast Date 4/8/2021
- Drought to Deluge: Water-wise Ways with Kirk Walden. Broadscast Date 5/25/2021
- Vegetable Gardening in Central Texas with Sheryl Williams. Broadcast Date 6/15/2021
- HOA Entrance Makeover with Jo Anne Hargraves. Broadcast Date 8/4/2021
- Home Fruit Production with Dr. Larry Stein. Broadcast Date 9/14/2021
Even More Videos
General Gardening
- Monthly Gardening Checklist
- Travis County Horticulture
- Garden Guide for Austin and Vicinity
- From Drought to Deluge: The Resilient Central Texas Garden
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Gardening Library
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension eLearn Courses
- Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture
- National Pesticide Information Center
- Extension.Org Search
- Ask Extension Search
Insects and Integrated Pest Management
General Entomology
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- Creating an insect friendly landscape
- Beneficials and Pests
- Control de Insectos (Insect Control) EHT-072S, see Easy Gardening Series
Bug and Insect ID
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- Texas Insect Identification
- AgriLife Extension Entomology Insect ID and Fact Sheets
- Texas AgriLife Extension Field Guide to Common Texas Insects
- Texas AgriLife Extension Ask An Entomologist
- University of Georgia Insect Images
- University of Georgia IPM Images (both pest and plant damage)
- Entomology Today
- BugGuide
- University of California IPM
Native Bee Habitats and Beekeeping
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- Central TX Bee Friendly Plants
- Selecting Plants for Pollinators
- Building and Managing Bee Hotels for Wild Bees
- How to Make and Use Bee Houses for Cavity-Nesting Bees
- Bee Guide, The Jha Lab, University of Texas
- About Native Bees, The Jha Lab, University of Texas
- Texas Native Bee Families, The Jha Lab, University of Texas
- Orchard Mason Bees
- Bees of Central Texas General Guide
- City of Austin Beekeeping Regulations
- Austin Area Beekeepers Association
Butterfly Gardening
Backyard Livestock
Chickens
Rabbits
Composting and Soils
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- Composting Tips
- Wood-and-Wire Three-Bin Turning Compost Bin
- Compost Trouble Shooting
- Composting 101
- Compost Brings Life
- The Real Dirt on Austin Area Soils
- Great Gardens Begin With Great Soil
- Calculate How Much Mulch, Soil, or Compost to Buy
- Compostaje (composting) EHT-069S, see Easy Gardening Series
- Sheet Mulching — aka Lasagna Gardening
- Mulching from the Easy Gardening Series
- Managing Soil Health
- Soil Health Assessment
- Soil Texture by Feel and Related Properties
- Travis County Soil Survey Map
- Texas A&M Soil, Water, and Forage Testing Laboratory
- Soil Myth Busting – Myth #1: “Amend soils with coarse inorganic material to improve water and air
movement before planting” (note, this includes whether you should add rocks to the bottom of a planting container), Myth #2: “Add organic amendments to backfill soil for better plant establishment and
growth”, Myth #3: “Soil conditioners will reduce soil compaction, improve drainage and aeration,
and bioactivate soils”, Myth #4: “Adding hydrogels to planting holes will improve water retention and improve
planting success”,
Vermicomposting
Earth-Kind Landscaping
Firewise Landscaping
Native Plants
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- Wildflower Center Native Plants of North America Database
- Wildflowers in Bloom – Texas A&M AgriLife extension information hub on wildflowers and seed sources
- Native Plant Society of Texas
- And for what threatens native plants: Texas Invasives.org CITY OF AUSTIN – TOP 24 INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES
- Wildflower Field Guides
- Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide by Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller
- Wildflowers of Texas by Geyata Ajilvsgi
- Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason
- Books
- Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife by Noreen Damude and Kelly Conrad Bender
Texas Tough Plants, Lawns, and Tree Care
Texas Tough Plants
Plant Diseases
Plant Identification Help
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- Texas A&M Department of Horticulture Plant Picturepages
- Trees of Texas – Texas A&M Forest Service Tree ID
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Plants of Texas Rangelands
- Mobile Phone Plant ID – there are many plant ID apps. Two free ones are Google Lens App (Android) or inside Google Photos App (iPhone)
Bulbs
Lawns and Turf
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- Lawns for Central Texas
- Mowing Recommendations for Warm-Season Lawns
- Grow Green Lawn Care Guide
- Grow Green Lawn Problems Guide
- Grow Green Weeds Fact Sheet
- Turfgrass Selection for Texas
- Texas A&M Aggie Turf
- Take-All Root Rot of Turfgrass
- Turfgrass Producers of Texas – a deep dive into Turfgrass Varieties and list of suppliers
- Research Study Report on Turfgrass Drought Survival
Tree Care
Grow Your Own Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs
Edible Gardens
Fruit/Citrus Growing
Herbs
Vegetable Gardening
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- 10 Tips for Successful Vegetable Gardening (Eng/Español)
- Vegetable Garden Planting Guide
- Vegetable Varieties for Central Texas
- Vegetable Seed Sources
- Easy Gardening Tomatoes EHT-043, see Easy Gardening Series
- Cornell University Vegetable MD
- Oklahoma State University Home Vegetable Garden Insect Pest Control
- Vegetable Rotations, Successions, and Intercropping
Food Preservation
Irrigation and Rainwater Harvesting
Irrigation
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- Low Volume Irrigation EarthKind
- Grow Green Irrigation Guide
- Complete Homeowner’s Irrigation Guide
- Cycle and Soak Irrigation Method
- TexasETNetwork – Contains weather information, current and average evapotranspiration data, and irrigation watering recommendations.
- Water My Yard – the city of Austin does not participate, but the data from the surrounding communities can be used instead. Pick a location closest to your garden.
- Water-Wise checklist for Texas Home Lawns
- Bermudagrass Lawn Management Calendar
- St. Augustinegrass Lawn Management Calendar
- Healthy Lawns Healthy Waters Lawn Resource Hub
Rainwater Harvesting
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- Making a Rain Barrel
- Build Your Own Rain Barrel
- Rainwater Harvesting System Sizing Calculator from the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA)
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Rainwater Harvesting information hub
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Rainwater Harvesting Calculator
- Licensed Water Treatment Specialists directory. Choose Water Treatment Specialist Licensing (WTSOL) in the program dropdown menu.
- Texas Well Owner Network Resource Hub and Fact Sheets library
- Healthy Lawns Healthy Waters Rainwater Harvesting Resource Hub
- Texas Water Development Board Rainwater information
- Cisterns, see Grow Green
- Mosquitoes, see Grow Green
- Rain Gardens, see Grow Green
- Texas Sales & Use Tax Exemption Certificate
(Per the State of Texas tax code, equipment and supplies purchased solely for capturing and storing rainwater are exempt from sales tax; present the Tax Exemption Certificate to merchants to receive the sales tax exemption)
Container and Alternative Gardening Methods
Raised Garden Beds
Grow Boxes and Containers
Straw-bale Gardening
Keyhole and Other Alternative Gardens
Greenhouses and Cold Frames
Houseplants
Tool Care
Austin Weather Resources
Austin’s weather is a challenge for most gardeners. Here are some online resources to help explain and track local conditions.
- CoCoRaHS – Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network. Volunteers report their local rainfall conditions. Members receive weather summaries for their area
- USDA Hardiness Zone Map. This map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. It’s based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones and further divided into 5-degree F half-zones
- USDA Climate Hubs. Provides tools and information by region for the agricultural industry. Hosted by the Agricultural Research Service and Forest Service located at ten regional locations, with contributions from many agencies and universities.
- Future Cold Hardiness Zones model. Input your zip code to see how climate models forecast changes in the USDA Hardiness Zones.
- World Microclimates
- U.S. Drought Monitor
- Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) Lake Levels
- Weather Strategies for Austin Gardens
AgriLife Extension’s Online Bookstore
The online bookstore has even MORE gardening resources, Get Growing with educational information and resources related to our many areas of expertise and programming; from agriculture, horticulture, and natural resources to nutrition, wellness for families and youth, and much more.
Grow Green
Learn sustainable landscaping practices through the Grow Green program. It addresses water quality and conservation, recycling, encourages using the right plant in the right place and the least impact-related way to address pest issues. There are several FAQ sheets and a searchable plant database just to mention a few of the gardening resources. It is a partnership between the Austin Watershed Protection Department and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
