There can’t be enough said about the Master Gardener Association here in Texas.
This organization is a gold mine of garden knowledge at the ready. They teach classes year around, put on clinics, and operate demonstration gardens. The story below shows one of their Master Gardeners, Loretta Bailey, teaching an hour-long class on composting. In Tarrant County, the Master Gardener Program from Texas A&M Agrilife Extension has an army of over 400 volunteers (Master Gardeners) that spread the gardening gospel. When I first moved to North Texas, their website was my go-to source of what to plant and when.
Each year, a new class of Master Gardeners is trained. This year there are 22 in the class. There are dozens of specialties the Gardeners can get additional certification in. The learning, and teaching, goes on a lifetime.
Their website, along with the website of Texas A&M, contains everything you need to know to have a successful garden here in north Texas. I follow their planting guide, read up on specific crops, and have landscaped my entire yard with almost nothing but Earth-Kind recommendations. If you have questions, the master garden program even has a hotline you can call for help.
I do this weekly series of Gardening 101 to help inspire North Texans to get their hands in the dirt like I have. The Master Gardener Program and Texas A&M Agrilife will make you help that effort be a success.