Good morning all! I just thought I would post a couple of the resources I really like to access in case they may be of help to other gardeners.
Before I get to the good stuff I feel compelled to give you an insight into my gardening style. I’ve basically been around gardens my whole life, I think of a garden as a place to grow vegetables, and while in graduate school I did research on the reasons people garden. At one point I had my Master Gardener Certification, I have been involved in multiple school gardens, and I teach continuing education classes related to gardening activities.
You might think this would make me a capable, knowledge, “expert” on things garden related. However, I freely admit that I am an opportunistic gardener, I have lots of experience, and I give advice based on that experience. There are many people who are going to be able to give direct advice to questions, that is not me! (see below for an example of what I grow)
As you can see- I grow kids, and fit the garden in when I can. This means that while I know where to go to find out information and the correct way to research it and find a scientific answer, that is rarely what I do.
My fallback method is -GOOGLE! I usually find an {.edu} site and a blog, read them both and then draw a conclusion on how to proceed based on what I learned and what I feel capable of. I also know one of the basic rules of gardening: It might not work.
If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always gotten. If you never try, you never know. If you don’t try, you’ve already failed. Give it your best shot, and enjoy the ride. Learn from your mistakes. We could go on and on, but I won’t so: here are some of my go to resources!
McLennan County Master Gardener Hotline: Tuesday & Thursday Afternoons
1:30 to 4:30 pm (254)-757-5180
McLennan County Master Gardener Website– news, updates, and many other resource links!
The Natural Gardener in Austin: Monthly To Do Lists ~ Tips & Tricks
Agrilife Extension: Easy Vegetables to Grow ~ Vegetable Resources ~ Bookstore/Downloads
Sustainable Agriculture Education and Research (SARE) Learning Center
ATTRA/NCAT: Urban Agriculture ~ Publications
Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (TOFGA) Resources for Farmers
Blogs: Melody’s Gardening in Central Texas ~ Central Texas Gardener ~ Central Texas Horticulture
This is by no means all of the awesome sites out there so if you have favorites send me the link and tell me why: [email protected] ATTN: Resource Links. I’ll be working to put together a page on the main website of these resources. Thanks and have a great day in the garden!
Aime
