05 Aug Natural Gardener Free Classes for August 2015

Changes are afoot! Since we've closed down our soil yard and the landscapers aren't coming in the early morning hour for their dirt anymore, we are changing our store hours.

Starting this September, our store will open at 9 am Monday through Saturday! That means that our start time for free classes will change too.

ALL FREE CLASSES BEGIN AT 10 AM, STARTING IN SEPTEMBER!

Check out the newly revised schedule, reflecting the new start times, and all the opportunities for fun and edification in August and September. Notice especially this Saturday's class "Healthy Soil – Healthy Body" led by renowned local cattle ranchers and holistic dentist! What? Yes, you read correctly. Read on…

Upcoming Free Classes at the Natural Gardener

8648 Old Bee Cave Road | Austin, Texas 78735 | Phone (512) 288-6113  www.naturalgardeneraustin.com

            All classes are about 1 hour long, except where noted. Classes are subject to change.  Please call first to confirm. Classes are held outdoors under an open air canopy – The Revival Tent  – please dress for the weather. Arrive early for best seating. You are welcome to bring your own chair. If possible, please park on Bell Drive, adjacent to the Tent.

            If you would like sign language interpretation, please contact rosina@naturalgardeneraustin.com at least one week in advance. Volunteer interpretation provided courtesy of ACC students and others.

Saturday, August 8 at 9 am – “Healthy Soil – Healthy Body” – Dr. Stuart Nunnally, D.D.S., M.S., N.M.D. (nutrition and biological dentistry guru at healthysmilesforlife.com) joins returning presenters Betsy Ross and JR Builta of Sustainable Growth Texas (soil gurus at sustainablegrowthtexas.com) in a lively discussion of how soil impacts our bodies. They will be discussing the relationship of soil microbes with the microbes in the human microbiome. What is in our soil affects what is in our bodies! At this newly expanded Soil Life class, we will find out just what that connection is. Betsy has been a certified Soil Foodweb Advisor since 2004, and is one of our region’s authorities in compost tea and soil biology. (soilfoodweb.com) With her family, she operates a 530-acre ranch (rossfarm.com) in Williamson County. “Betsy Ross Grass-fed Beef” is sold through Whole Foods, Peoples Pharmacy, and Greenling Organic Food Delivery, & on the farm. Through Sustainable Growth Texas, she and JR manufacture and apply biologically active compost tea to pastures, prairies, orchards, lawns, revegetation sites, and farms. JR oversees the lawn and commercial customers in Austin and Houston. He has a clear approach to solving problems often faced by homeowners in their quest to work with natural and organic systems. Whether we have a suburban home or acres in the country, this class will provide us with a deeper understanding of soil health and now – how it affects our bodies.

Saturday, August 15 at 9am – Lorig Hawkins, Farm Manager at Farmshare Austin, presents “Fungi – What Are They and How Can We Get More of Them?” With all of the rain this past spring, we have seen a huge number and variety of mushrooms in our gardens and landscapes. Are they good or bad? We are fortunate to have Lorig Hawkins here just in time to answer our questions! Lorig has developed a passion – and somewhat of an obsession – over fungi, and how important they are to soil ecosystems. For years people have looked at fungi as something to get rid of and not something we want in our garden. We will learn how fascinating and important these organisms are for our soil, and why we want more of them. Farmshare Austin is a non-profit organization dedicated to growing more farmers for Central Texas. They run a farmer training program called Farmer Starter, where students engage in a 4.5 month intensive educational experience to learn – in the field and in the classroom – how to farm in Central Texas.

Saturday, August 22 at 9 am **AT ST. CHRISTOPHER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH**

Monika Maeckle, of the Texas Butterfly Ranch (TexasButterflyRanch.com), presents

“The Monarch Butterfly: Pollinator Poster Child.” Monika comes from San Antonio today to attempt to answer the question: WHY are we all so smitten with this magical creature? She’ll give us an overview of the amazing Monarch butterfly migration and life cycle. We will get an update on their population status, President Obama's recent Pollinator Strategy announcement, and predictions about their fall migration. She will also guide us in creating our own successful pollinator garden – just in time for their migration – and answer questions on raising Monarchs and other butterflies. Monika Maeckle is a pollinator advocate, caterpillar wrangler, Master Gardener, Monarch tagger, and curious student of nature who loves the whole life cycle. She works as a communications consultant for The Arsenal Group, and writes for the Texas Butterfly Ranch blog, the Rivard Report, and her communications consulting clients. She raises butterflies for fun in her Mariposario and urban garden as well as at her Llano River ranch, and has tagged more than 2500 Monarch butterflies.Twenty-eight of her tagged Monarchs have been recovered from the floors of the forests in Michoacán, Mexico. This class will be held indoors at the Parish Hall of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church at 8724 Travis Hills Dr. Please arrive early for best seating; space is limited.

ATTENTION! ALL CLASSES BEGIN AT 10 AM STARTING IN SEPTEMBER!

Saturday, September 12 at 10 am – Kelly Conrad Simon, Urban Wildlife Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, presents “Gardening for Wildlife.” Would you like a more lively landscape? A yard with butterflies, birds, frogs, and lizards is much more interesting, fun, and healthier than a sterile one. The Texas Wildscapes program was developed by Texas Parks and Wildlife in 1995 to assist Texans in creating landscapes that are both visually appealing and attractive to appropriate wildlife. By providing the elements of habitat (food, shelter, and water) in their gardens, Texans can attract an exciting variety of benign and beneficial critters, and bring the beauty and vitality of nature home. This program is appropriate for any audience. Having survived the Bastrop Complex fire along with her family and friends, Kelly also provides unique insight into landscaping in the burn zone and creating Wildscape landscapes that are also Fire Wise. She has been with Texas Parks and Wildlife since 1995 and is the author of Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife. She earned her MS degree in 1995 at Emporia State University in Kansas, and her BA in 1992 at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

Saturday, September 19 at 10 am – Forrest Arnold, Hays County Master Gardener and former president of Austin Organic Gardeners, presents “Meet Your Beneficial Insects.” How can I tell the difference between a “good” bug and a “bad” one? Most people recognize a ladybug as a “good guy,” but what are the others? This morning we’ll learn how to identify the most common beneficial insects in our garden. Once we know them, we can enjoy watching them in action, and – most importantly – avoid harming them. If we kill a beneficial insect, we inherit their job. Beneficials are absolutely essential for successful organic garden production and health. And if garden pests do get out of control, we’ll also learn how to use certain least toxic controls while minimizing harm to the beneficials. Forrest Arnold is a former president of the Austin Organic Gardeners and a Hays County Master Gardener. He has published articles on organic gardening, appeared on Central Texas Gardener (KLRU), and on local gardening radio shows. He has been gardening organically since 1972 and gardening in the Austin area since 1983.

Saturday, September 26 at 10 am – Adams Kirkpatrick, designer at Sunflower Design (SunflowerDESIGN.net) and associate of CMPBS (cmpbs.org), presents “Managing Water Wisely.” Water is a very powerful force. Many beautiful landscapes are challenged or even ruined by drainage issues: erosion, runoff, and flooding, for example. Even if these are not a problem for homeowners, many would like to learn how to harvest and use more free rainwater for their landscapes. This talk will cover different types of water management solutions for any landscape. Learn how to create “Zero Runoff” during droughts, minimize flooding during normal heavy rains, evacuate water to a safe distance during Toad Stranglers, and catch silt. Adams Kirkpatrick has been designing and installing sustainable landscapes for 15 years. His work economically and artfully regenerates land. Adams is also an associate of The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems (CMPBS). The Center is one of the oldest organizations in the world promoting affordable, regenerative design.

Saturday, October 3 at 10 am – Mark Klym, Coordinator of Texas Wildscapes & Texas Hummingbird Roundup programs of the Texas Parks and Wildlife department, presents “Hummingbird Gardens – Myths And Mysteries.” The program will look at commonly held beliefs about what hummingbirds look for in a landscape – and then explore facts. Learn how to attract these jewels to your yard, using plants and feeders. Find out things you never knew about hummingbirds and their habits. Discover what it takes to create a beautiful fall hummingbird garden (which can double as a butterfly garden)!  Mark Klym is the Coordinator of the Texas Hummingbird Roundup, and coauthor of the beautiful book, Hummingbirds of Texas.

Saturday, October 10 at 9 am – George Cates of Native American Seed Company (seedsource.com) presents “Native Texas Wildflowers, Lawns, and Ornamental Grasses.” Are you looking for beautiful and sustainable landscape solutions to the challenges of living in the hot and dry Central Texas climate? Would you like to create a piece of authentic Texas in your yard, but don’t know where to begin? Have you ever planted Texas wildflower seeds, only to find that nothing happened? George Cates will tell us just how to successfully prepare, plant, and maintain our beautiful native wildflowers & grasses – and why it is important. We are privileged to have George, from the most well-respected native seed company, coming at just the right time for planting the perfect wildflower garden.

Saturday, October 24 at 10 am – Tanya Phillips, beekeeper with Bee Friendly Austin (BeeFriendlyAustin.com), presents “Honey Bees & Beekeeping.” Are you curious about beekeeping? Would you like to know what the average person can do to protect and attract honey bees? Bee at The Natural Gardener this morning to find out more about the honey bees’ job as pollinator, the causes of colony collapse disorder, and several ways we can help bees and other pollinators. Tanya Phillips is a beekeeper and owner of a registered and Certified Naturally Grown apiary in southwest Austin. She teaches beginning and hands-on natural beekeeping classes and sells raw honey and other bee products. She and her husband make and sell both Langstroth and Top Bar style beehives. She started a non-profit, BeeFriendlyFoundation.org, and the annual Tour de Hives (AustinTourDeHives.weebly.com) to further help out our little flying friends. She is currently in the Master’s Beekeeper program at Montana State University and loves sharing her passion and fascination of bees with everyone.Changes are afoot! Since we've closed down our soil yard and the landscapers aren't coming in the early morning hour for their dirt anymore, we are changing our store hours.