Writer: Susan Himes, 325-657-7315, Susan.Himes@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Allison Watkins, 325-659-6522, aewatkins@ag.tamu.edu
SAN ANGELO— The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Beautiful, Edible Earth-Kind Landscapes workshop is set for March 16 in San Angelo. This is a new workshop which will run from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Tom Green County 4-H Center, 3168 N. U.S. Highway 67.
“We decided to create this program after working with Dr. Steve George in Dallas, who initiated the concept of an Earth-Kind designation,” said Allison Watkins, AgriLife Extension horticulture agent for Tom Green County.
George is the AgriLife Extension landscape horticulture specialist who created the Earth-Kind Environmental Landscape Management System and serves as national coordinator for the Earth-Kind Rose Program.
There will be both a morning and afternoon workshop session and participants may take part in one or both. The cost is $20 for one session, or $30 for both. Preregistration is required by calling 325-659-6522 by March 13. Morning and full-day session registration will be onsite at 8:30 a.m. For the afternoon session, registration will be at 11:30 a.m.
“We know there’s a growing interest in edible landscaping. It’s great to grow stuff in your own yard that you can eat, because you know what went into that soil,” Watkins said. “We aim to teach people what can be grown, how to grow it, and show how those herbs, fruits and vegetables can then be utilized in recipes.”
Watkins said that through the workshop she is hoping to change what people think an edible garden needs to look like.
“It doesn’t have to be straight rows of fruits or vegetables,” she said. “People can incorporate edible plants into their regular landscaping. You don’t need a separate garden to enjoy growing some of your own food.”
There will be four breaks with recipe demonstrations and tastings over the course of the day. Lunch will be sponsored by Farmer’s Daughter Landscapes and will include an AgriLife Extension Dinner Tonight recipe featuring plants easily grown in the garden. All participants will receive plants to take home courtesy of Scherz Landscapes and Concho Natives.
Morning session topics will include:
- Why people enjoy such great success with the Earth-Kind approach.
- Earth-Kind environmental soil management.
- Growing healthy and delicious Earth-Kind/Texas Superstar vegetables.
- Growing our most popular herbs the Earth-Kind way.
Afternoon session topics will include:
- Earth-Kind/Texas Superstar fruits to complete your edible garden.
- The beauty of Earth-Kind/Texas Superstar flowers.
- Edible landscaping: Bringing it all together.
- Incorporating your new Earth-Kind garden into your overall landscape design: The beauty and appeal of destination gardens.
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