Our Favorite Gardening Resources for Austin and Travis County -

A sturdy plastic bin, gardening books, ergonomic hand tools, metal plant stakes and other tools

We’ve assembled a list of our favorite gardening resources for Austin and Travis County. You’ll find information on:

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

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

Aggie Horticulture YouTube Channel

General Gardening

Insects and Integrated Pest Management

General Entomology

- Creating an insect friendly landscape
- Beneficials and Pests
- Control de Insectos (Insect Control) EHT-072S, see Easy Gardening Series

Bug and Insect ID

Native Bee Habitats and Beekeeping

- 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

- Backyard Chickens and City of Austin Regulation
- Poultry Q&A

Rabbits

- Rabbit Resources

Composting and Soils

Vermicomposting

Earth-Kind Landscaping

Firewise Landscaping

- Firewise Preparedness Tool Kit
- Firewise Landscaping

Native Plants

- 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

Tree Care

Grow Your Own Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs

Fruit/Citrus Growing

Herbs

Vegetable Gardening

- 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

Irrigation and Rainwater Harvesting

Irrigation

- 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

- 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

- 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.

Our Favorite Gardening Resources for Austin and Travis County