Texas A&M AgriLife hosts Monthly Open Houses in 2024
Join Us in the Texas A&M AgriLife Demo Garden for our monthly Open House!
The first Friday morning of every month is designated as a FREE open house for the Texas A&M AgriLife Earth-Kind Demonstration Garden at 1600 Smith Road, Austin. You’ll be able to visit the garden and speak with the Travis County Master Gardener volunteers who maintain it as well as get your gardening questions answered by the Plant Clinic staff. Each month will also feature some sort of demonstration or workshop that deep dive into subject areas. See monthly topics below.
Monthly Topics
- January 5th – Tree Trimming
- February 2nd – Houseplant University
- March 1st – Rose Pruning
- April 5th – Spring Vegetable Gardening
- May 3rd – Mulch 101
- June 7th – IPM Insect Management
- July 5th – Shade Cloth
- August 2nd – Solarization
- August 16th – Light Requirements
- September 6th – Soil Texture and Composting
- September 20th – Landscape Design Site Analysis
- October 4th –Entomology and Plant Pathology Scavenger Hunt
- November 1st – Vegetable Garden layout and rotation
- December 6th – Tool Care
What’s Growing in the Garden?
The Earth-Kind® demonstration gardens have plants for different needs, including drought tolerance, color, full sun, and shade. There are ornamental trees, flowering shrubs, perennial flowers, Earth-Kind® roses, vines, and groundcovers. A separate section features a working vegetable garden and composting station.
The Earth-Kind® approach stipulates that chemical products are a last, not first, resort. The best practice is to use well-adapted, disease resistant plants and cultural practices like Integrated Pest Management (IPM). One component of IPM is to install plants that attract beneficial insects throughout the garden to reduce the need for chemical pesticide sprays. Take some time to see how many beneficial creatures you can find in the garden!
Regular applications of mulch and compost provide plant nutrients. A 3-bin system produces all compost on site. Stop by and learn how the Master Gardener volunteers keep the system going while attending the open house.
New Plants Added for Testing
The garden constantly evolves with new plants or planting beds added for testing. We encourage you to attend the Earth-Kind® Demonstration Gardens open houses multiple times to see the changing features through the seasons.
For more information, visit https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/events
