Bell County Master Gardener Association

09/03/2026

What do YOU want to learn about gardening in 2027?

We're planning next year's Bell County Master Gardener educational programs, and we want your ideas!

Vegetables? Native plants? Better soil? Fruit trees? Pollinators? Pruning? Deer-resistant landscaping? Something we haven't even thought of yet?

We also want to know where you'd attend, when programs work best for you, and what gardening challenges you're dealing with in your part of Bell County.

📍 Temple, Killeen, Belton, Salado, Nolanville, Harker Heights, Troy, Bartlett, Morgan's Point Resort and beyond — we want to hear from gardeners across Bell County.

The survey takes just 5–7 minutes, and your answers will help us decide what we offer in 2027.

📱 Scan the QR code or take the survey here:
2027 Bell County Gardening Education Survey

🌱 Tell us what you want to learn — then help us bring it to your community.

09/01/2026

September in the Central Texas Garden

September may still feel like summer in Bell County, but the garden is beginning to shift toward fall! This is a great month to get cool-season vegetables started, give established plants a little attention, and prepare your landscape for the cooler months ahead.

🥕 In the vegetable garden, September is prime time for many fall crops. Transplant broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, kohlrabi, and artichokes, and direct sow beets, carrots, Swiss chard, and peas. Perennial herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano can also be added to the garden.

🌸 Around the landscape, ease up on fertilizing, prune roses lightly, sow wildflower seeds, and divide or transplant clumping perennials as temperatures and conditions allow. As always in Central Texas, keep an eye on the weather—September can still bring plenty of heat!

🌱 For lawns and garden beds, mow a little higher, mulch around trees, and continue watching for insect and disease problems. September is also a good time to begin thinking about cool-season cover crops such as annual rye, buckwheat, and oats.

And remember: our planting calendar doesn't always match the calendar on the wall. 🌡️ Soil moisture, temperatures, and weather conditions matter, so adjust your gardening activities accordingly.

Save our Central Texas September Garden Guide so you'll have it handy all month! And share it with a Bell County gardener who is ready for fall!

09/01/2026

Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is a tough, Texas-native groundcover that deserves a place in more landscapes. It forms a low-growing mat, making it an excellent living mulch that helps cover bare soil, suppress weeds, and retain moisture. It tolerates heat and drought once established while providing valuable habitat and nectar for pollinators.

08/31/2026

08/31/2026

Happening this Wednesday in Nolanville!

You may have heard the word permaculture without being quite sure what it means. At its heart, permaculture is an approach to designing gardens and landscapes by observing nature and creating spaces in which plants, water, soil, wildlife, and people work together.

It doesn’t require a large property or a complete landscape makeover. Permaculture principles can inspire practical, sustainable choices anywhere—from a small patio or established flower bed to a large garden.

Join Bell County Master Gardener Shirley Carey for Principles of Permaculture and explore ways to create a landscape that is more productive, resilient, and beautiful by working with nature instead of against it.

📅 Wednesday, September 2
🕕 6:00 p.m.
📍 SMART Museum, Nolanville

This seminar is free and open to the public. Registration is requested:

https://forms.gle/ZhYuwp7SVxPmgGDk6

Come discover how nature can help guide the way you design and care for your growing space—and please share this invitation with a gardening friend!

08/28/2026

OUR INVENTORY IS 5 ...FIRST COME FIRST SERVE .... CASH OR CHECK ONLY
PURCHASE YOUR BARREL & KIT --- MONDAY 9-NOON, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY NOON-4. 1605 N. Main St., Ste. 105, Belton TX.

If you’ve been thinking about adding rainwater harvesting to your garden, this is a great opportunity!
Bell County Master Gardeners have 19 rainwater harvesting kits available for $67 each. Each kit includes a 55-gallon food-grade barrel, brass faucet, insect screen, overflow ni**le, bulkhead fittings, ZipTie, sandpaper, and instructions.
It’s a simple way to capture rainwater and put it to work in your landscape instead of letting it run off.
Only 19 kits are currently in stock, so don’t wait if you’re interested in the comments below!

08/26/2026

What if your landscape could become more productive, resilient, and beautiful by working with nature instead of against it?

Join Bell County Master Gardener Shirley Carey for Principles of Permaculture and discover practical, sustainable design ideas you can use anywhere from a small patio to a large garden with nature as your guide.

📅 Wednesday, September 2
🕕 6:00 p.m.
📍 SMART Museum, Nolanville

This seminar is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.

Register here:
https://forms.gle/ZhYuwp7SVxPmgGDk

08/25/2026

Our Fall 2026 Seminar Series is underway, and there is plenty more to learn!

From herbal mocktails and permaculture to migrating Monarchs, native landscapes, biological control, waterwise gardening and plant propagation, this season’s lineup offers practical, research-based information for gardeners throughout Bell County.

Seminars will be held in Belton, Nolanville and Temple. Most begin at 6:00 p.m., with our October 10 seminar beginning at 10:00 a.m.

📌 Save this schedule, share it with a gardening friend, and watch our page for individual seminar details and registration links.

All seminars are free and open to the public.

08/23/2026

Herbal Mocktails: From the Garden to the Glass

Beat the Texas heat with something fresh from the garden!

Join Bell County Master Gardener Stephanie Preciado for a refreshing evening all about turning garden-grown herbs into flavorful, alcohol-free drinks. Learn which culinary herbs thrive in our summer heat, when and how to harvest them for the best flavor, and how to pair herbs with citrus, berries, and other seasonal ingredients.

Stephanie will also demonstrate simple techniques for muddling, infusing, and combining garden-fresh flavors with plenty of ideas and recipes you can recreate at home.

📅 Thursday, August 27
🕕 6:00 PM
📍 SMART Museum, 408 10th St., Nolanville

🌱 Seating is limited to about 20 participants, so register early to reserve your spot!

Register here:
https://forms.gle/tPFubb2i4zEp6vg26

Come see what happens when the herb garden meets the glass!

08/18/2026

TOMORROW NIGHT IN SALADO!

Have a few extra seeds? Garden supplies you’re not using? Or maybe you just want to see what other local gardeners have to share?

Come out for Seeds & Garden Things: Open House & Garden Swap at the Salado Public Library!

We already know there will be plants looking for new homes, and we can’t wait to see what else gardeners bring to swap and share.

Bring along extra seeds, plants, supports, netting, shade cloth, ties, soil amendments, twine, tools or other useful garden odds and ends. No need to bring something to participate — stop by, meet fellow gardeners, browse what’s available and pick up some gardening information while you’re there.

📅 Wednesday, August 19
⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 Salado Public Library
💚 FREE — all experience levels welcome

It’s a great chance to declutter, restock, and connect just in time for fall planting!

Hosted by the Friends of the Salado Public Library with the Native Plant Society of Texas and Bell County Master Gardeners.

🌱 Give what you can. Take what you can use. Come talk gardening with us!