The class will cover basic herb growing in the Houston area. Students will learn best practices for soil preparation, growing from seed or transplants, seasonality of various types of herbs, growing in containers vs. garden beds and dealing with our unique climate conditions. Time permitting, we will cover best harvesting practices and easy ways to use herbs in everyday food and beverages.

Instructor: Cindy Meredith is the owner of The Herb Cottage, a rural nursery in Lavaca County, Texas. In business since 1998, Cindy has a wide range of knowledge about gardening. Her favorite topics include growing herbs and heirloom vegetables, and using herbs in the kitchen and landscape. Her website www.TheHerbCottage.com is a handy source for growing information for Texans and other folks who live in hot, humid climates like ours.

Monday Morning Gardening in the Park

with Park Steward & Senior Naturalist Mary Ann Beauchemin

Adults – interested in gardening? Want to learn more about native plant gardening, non-native invasive species and help care for a local park at the same time?

Join Nature Discovery Center Park Steward Mary Ann Beauchemin on (typically) the first Monday of the month while the weather is cooler for some light gardening and help her care for Russ Pitman Park, the Center’s outdoor classroom. Volunteers will be removing some invasive species, growing out and planting natives, trimming the Pocket Prairie, watering recently transplanted plants and more.

• No experience necessary. Experienced staff will work with you and guide you through projects.
• Come dressed for the weather and be prepared to get dirty.
• Bring your own gloves and gardening gear or use ours.

Please contact Park Steward Mary Ann Beauchemin in advance if you are interested in coming or have any questions. mbeauch@naturediscoverycenter.org

Note: If you are interested in volunteer gardening, but cannot make it on the dates below, contact Mary Ann. Perhaps you can help on another day!

Test your wits and knowledge against your colleagues while making a meaningful contribution to your profession. Join the Texas Architects Commitee (TAC) as an individual or come as a team. If you’re registering as a team, only 1 team member needs to register per team. Teams of 4-6 will compete for prizes in various trivia categories. A $25/participant contribution to TAC paid at the event gains entry and three raffle tickets. Light food and drinks are provided. Lodge 88 has a BYOB policy (one bottle per person limit) — wine and spirits of 750ml or larger allowed as long as not pre-mixed. For more information, visit aiahouston.org.

Habitat Restoration

Our volunteer group meets the second and fourth Thursday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon at the HPARD Greenhouse.

We propagate plants from locally collected native seed. A typical workday may include seeding pots, bumping up trays into 1-gallon containers, separating seedlings, and weeding pots. We will also have special seed collecting trips, invasive species removal workdays, and planting events in our restored prairies!

We are also beginning to conduct semi-annual vegetation transects and monthly bird surveys at our current and future restoration sites. If you’re good at identifying plants or birds or if you would like to learn more about them, come join us!

If you’re interested in volunteering for the NRMP, email kelli.ondracek@houstontx.gov.

In a total of 10 classes (25 hours of instruction), this series covers everything you want to know about growing vegetables. Topics include the advantages of organic and ecological approaches over chemicals; vegetable garden design; irrigation and drainage; soil fertility, mulches and composts; organic pest control; seeds, transplants, where to get them and how to plant them. The last half is a detailed discussion of selecting, growing and using the many varieties of vegetables, annual herbs, and melons.

Those who complete the class will become certified Organic Vegetable Specialists.

This is a series of ten classes and may not be taken individually. Assignments for the class include the reading of Dr. Bob Randall’s book, Year Round Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers for Metro-Houston. Cost of the book is $45.

SCHEDULE

Thursdays, 2018 from 6:30pm to 9pm

Class 1 – January 18

Class 2 – January 25

Class 3 – February 8

Class 4 – February 22

Class 5 – March 8

Class 6 – March 22

Class 7 – April 5

Class 8 – April 19

Class 9 – May 3

Class 10 – May 17

For an in-depth schedule, go to Spring 2018 class schedule and description.

DIRECTIONS AND PARKING

I-45 S, exit Cullen, go south, enter University of Houston campus, proceed through Elgin, Holman, Entrance 14 and Entrance 13, Cougar Place, turn left at Wheeler, take first right into driveway – park to the left of Lot 9C(although it says permit required, we have permission) Follow Urban Harvest signs back to Wheeler at Cullen. Walk north along Cullen, pass entrance 13 Cougar Village and follow the Urban Harvest signs to the classroom

For more classes by Urban Harvest, view their Upcoming Classes.

Garden members get together to garden, perform maintenance and share information. A brief talk or program is usually included. If you are interested in joining, stop by and see what it’s all about.

Join us Sunday, April 8, for a special birthday party benefit at The Heights Theater.  Get tickets or a VIP table now at theheightstheater.com – proceeds benefit your community radio station, KPFT Houston!  VIP Suites for 8 are also available – to reserve a VIP suite, call KPFT’s membership department at 713-526-4000 X314 during business hours M-F.  Doors: 11 AM; Show: 12 noon-6 PM.

Featured performers include:  – Ruthie Foster – Award-winning singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster brings a mix of soul, blues, rock, folk and gospel; – Kevin Russell – beloved singer-songwriter and guitar/mandolin/ukulele player behind the group Shinyribs;
– Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines – independent Texas songwriter Terri Hendrix, joined by legendary producer/musician Lloyd Maines; – Lisa Morales – singer-songwriter Lisa Morales crafts songs with beautiful lyrics in English and Spanish; – The Peterson Brothers – The Peterson Brothers combine old-school blues, soul and funk, plus not-to-be-missed jam-band inspirations; – Folk Family Revival – Roots-rock band Folk Family Revival are local favorites.  Get there early – when the doors open at 11 AM, GenerAsian Radio will be in the house laying down a great set of world beats!

Many thanks to The Heights Theater and all the musicIans for their generous support of KPFT in making this benefit possible.

1. On April 8, 2018, at 2:30 p.m., the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston invites you to learn how you and/or your house of worship can go solar for less by leveraging Solarize Houston, a program of the Houston Renewable Energy Group, a local nonprofit dedicated to promoting renewable energy solutions and businesses. PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy), a very attractive financing option for houses of worship and other commercial properties, will also be covered. You may attend this event in person or online via web meeting. Please register for this event at eventbrite.com. For more information, please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.

Workdays are held once a month, October through March on the second Saturday of the month. We start work around 8:30 AM and work until about noon, when we break for lunch, provided by Houston Audubon and prepared by the lunch crew. Lunch at the picnic area of Boy Scout Woods is a good chance to visit with other volunteers and recharge from a morning of exercise and work. After lunch, we take about an hour to tie up any loose ends and clean up.

Come be a part of sanctuary maintenance, habitat restoration, and Houston Audubon’s amazing volunteer workforce. Email Pete Deichmann at pdeichmann@houstonaudubon.org for more information or to be put on the email list.

• November 10
• December 8
• January 12
• February 9
• March 9

Habitat Restoration

Our volunteer group meets the second and fourth Thursday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon at the HPARD Greenhouse.

We propagate plants from locally collected native seed. A typical workday may include seeding pots, bumping up trays into 1-gallon containers, separating seedlings, and weeding pots. We will also have special seed collecting trips, invasive species removal workdays, and planting events in our restored prairies!

We are also beginning to conduct semi-annual vegetation transects and monthly bird surveys at our current and future restoration sites. If you’re good at identifying plants or birds or if you would like to learn more about them, come join us!

If you’re interested in volunteering for the NRMP, email kelli.ondracek@houstontx.gov.