The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Travis County Master Gardeners will host the Spring 2023 Earth-Kind Gardening Field Day on March 25. The theme of the field day is Container Gardening 101 and will cover both indoor and outdoor gardening.
The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the AgriLife Extension office in Travis County, 1600 Smith Road, Austin. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available along Smith Road.
The first 100 attendees will receive a free 5.5 inch eco-container and saucer to start their growing journeys courtesy of Gardenio, a garden club app for food growers.
Workshops will teach participants about houseplant care, growing ornamentals or vegetables in pots and create a composting system. Other activities will focus on vermicomposting, irrigation, rainwater harvesting and entomology.
“We’ve got several informational exhibits and demonstrations featuring our best Master Gardener experts,” said Daphne Richards, AgriLife Extension horticulturist for Travis County.
Kids’ activities will include a fairy garden display, insect scavenger hunt and making a leaf crown to take home.
A limited supply of Earth-Kind plants and the popular Travis County Master Gardener publications Garden Guide for Austin and Vicinity and From Drought to Deluge: The Resilient Central Texas Garden will be available for purchase.
Wizzie Brown, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist, Travis County, will also be on hand and displaying her extensive bug collection, Richards said.
Container gardening workshops and field day events
The field day schedule includes:
- Compost Workshop. Learn how to turn everyday waste from your home or garden into beneficial compost.
- Houseplant University. Get tips on plant selection, watering and light to help successfully grow indoor plants. A demonstration on repotting and dividing is included. Attendees will also learn how to manage pests, including soil gnats.
- The 6D’s of Container Gardening. Watch a demonstration on planting a container garden for your outdoor living spaces. Advice on types of soil, pot size, drainage and light will be shared.
- Dedication Ceremony. Ribbon cutting for the new educational greenhouse donated to Travis County Master Gardeners by EXACO’s Kim Tyson Cook, president and CEO, and Andrew Cook, vice president of sales and marketing, Pflugerville.
For more information, visit the AgriLife Extension office in Travis County website or contact Sheryl Williams, AgriLife Extension horticultural program assistant, at sheryl.williams@ag.tamu.edu or by calling 512-854-9616.
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