We’ve assembled a list of our favorite gardening resources for Austin and Travis County. You’ll find information on Monthly Gardening Checklists and General Gardening, Insects, Backyard Livestock, Composting and Soils, Vermicomposting, Earth-Kind Landscaping, Native Plants, Texas Tough Plants and Lawns, Growing Your Own Food and Herbs, Irrigation and Rainwater Harvesting, Container and Alternative Gardening Methods, Greenhouses and Cold Frames, Houseplants, Native Bee Habitats and Beekeeping, Tool Care, a link out to 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
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 Nutrient Management 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 – Updated for 2020!
- 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
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
- Managing Soil Health
- Soil Health Assessment
- Travis County Soil Survey Map
- Texas A&M Soil, Water, and Forage Testing Laboratory
Vermicomposting
Earth-Kind Landscaping
Firewise
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
Tree Care
Grow Your Own Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs
Edible Gardens
Fruit/Citrus Growing
Herbs
Vegetable Gardening
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- Path to the Plate information hub connecting agriculture, the food we eat, and our health
- 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
Rainwater Harvesting
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- Making a Rain Barrel
- Build Your Own Rain Barrel
- 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
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.
