HOT Urban Gardening Coalition

Do you know of more resources in the Heart of Texas area – for free/barter/sale – not listed?  Please contribute your thoughts, skills, and resources – using the comment section at the bottom of the page.  UGC is always looking for folks willing to donate tools and tillers and all other sorts of garden goodness.

General Garden

• Edible Lawns – Lucas Land, former WHRI Farm intern now Waco City’s gardener for hire.  Will edible-ly landscape your yard, or build you a chicken coop – and much much more.
• McLennan County Master Gardeners.  MCMG hosts membership classes every other year so that folks like you can become the more knowledge-able in the art of pruning, propogating, composting, and just generally planting.
• HOT Master Naturalists.  A corps of trained volunteers who provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within Central Texas.
• World Hunger Relief, Inc.  a Christian organization committed to: training individuals to work with communities in developing sustainable farming technique; educating people to conserve and share resources; and participating in local and international sustainable development programs
• Homestead Heritage is just north of Waco that operates a bakery and deli for delicious food, general store for seed and tool buying needs, pottery studio, blacksmithery, wood-carving and woodworking workshop, and offers other information on general homesteading.  Available for tours and workshops throughout the year.

Mulch and Compost

• Keep Waco Beautiful offers a variety of bagged gardening and yard organics – including compost, cedar mulch, humus, topsoil and potting soil.  Available seasonally.
• HOT Master Composters offers worms for starting your own vermicompost, as well as workshops and monthly meetings throughout the year for becoming a better composter.  They meet on the 2nd Saturday of the month at the World Hunger Relief Farm.

Freecycling and Bartering

• Waco Craigslist.  Find resources for the farm and garden and beyond, all in the Waco area.  Everything from livestock to rabbit manure to free toilets.
• Heart of Texas Freecycle.  Connect with other freegans in the Heart of Texas and trade your unwanted items for things you’re looking for – for free.

Recommended Seed Distributors (not Texas – either free or heirloom or just awesome):

• America the Beautiful – free seeds (for the price of S&H through Operation Green Plant Program.
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds – free catalog, beautiful photos.  Petaluma, CA.
• Seeds of Change – certified organic seeds.  Donation seed program starting in January every year.
• Seed Savers – saving and sharing heirloom seeds.  Decorah, IA.

Waco Garden Centers, Nurseries, and Resources