04 Sep Fall Food & Planting Resources

It's time (actually, it's getting to be a little past time!) to plant your fall food gardens. Fall is the absolute best time to plant almost everything here. You can likely get one last harvest of summer crops before the first freeze if you plant them from large transplants, or you can go right for cool season crops from seed or transplants.

You can grow food nearly year-round in Austin, but you need to know about our climate and seasons to really be successful. A local, reliable "what to plant when" guide is a must-have tool. One of my favorites is the Garden Guide for Austin and Vicinity by the Travis County Master Gardeners. It has to-do lists and planting lists by month as well as lots of tips and tricks specific to Central Texas. You can also get good info from the folks at any of our excellent local nurseries (and pick up the guide there). The Travis County Recommended Planting Schedule is also available online.

Another great way to learn is by volunteering to help local farmers get their fall crops planted. You'll make some great connections, learn a lot even if you're a seasoned gardener, and have the satisfaction of helping to grow healthy food. Two of our partners, Urban Patchwork Neighborhood Farms and 5-Mile Farms, would cheerfully welcome your help and your questions.

Urban Patchwork is a non-profit urban farming network that specializes in teaching neighbors and volunteers how to grow food together. Check out one of their newest farm plots (including models of hugelculture and sub-irrigated planters) at the now open in.gredients, or find a regular volunteer day on the EcoCalendar.

5-Mile Farms is a for-profit urban farm that sells produce locally at markets and at Wheatsville, As well as thier own farm stand at Waterluu Farm near Burnet and North Loop. They also have a wonderful service called Resolution Gardens that you can hire to help you get some vegetables growing in your own yard. They provide any level of service you like from a consultation to an installed raised-bed garden. As their slogan says, "Grow food. We'll help."

If you're interested in classes to deepen your knowledge about growing food and urban farming, check out a Citizen Gardener course for hands-on, practical lessons that will send you home ready to plant your first vegetable garden after just two Saturday mornings and an optional Wednesday evening session. This program that I started with Dick Pierce (he was the gardening brains of it), has been adopted by the Sustainable Food Center. Note: the EcoCalendar lists a course with Dick this weekend but it's the continuation of course #34 that is already half over. You DO, however have the opportunity to study under some gardening masters such as:

Citizen Gardener #35 with Paige Hill and (AEN's own) Anne Woods, Saturday, September 15th and Saturday, September 22nd

Citizen Gardener #36 with Sandy Braswell
Saturday, September 29th and Saturday, October 6th

Also, the aforementioned Resolution Gardens/5 Mile Farms is hosting two planting classes (FALL PLANTING DEMO and BUILD YOUR OWN SALAD GARDEN WORKSHOP) as a part of their Fall Equinox Scarecrow events.
See details here.

The Austin Permaculture Guild and Austin Community College offer Permaculture Design Courses – however, both are full for fall. We'll update you when Spring registration opens up.

Finally, learn from the experts by asking questions while buying some fresh produce directly from farmers at any of Austin's farmers' markets, farm stands. It's a great means of supporting our local farmers. New produce from tomatoes to broccoli will start to appear in abundance over the next weeks and months:

Wednesdays at The Triangle, 4:00pm – 8:00pm

Last, but not least, for those REALLY interested in local agriculture, the 6th Annual Farm and Food Leadership Conference takes place next Monday, September 10th
and Tuesday, September 11th.

However you decide to get involved with Austin's local food movement, there's no better time than Fall in Central Texas to dive in. Enjoy!

by Brandi Clark Burton and Anne Woods