Listed below are some of our favorite web resources. Please visit them and see what they have to say.

Clicking these links will open a Tab in your browser.

• South Plains Food Bank – GRUB Farm CSA
  • In south Lubbock, just outside Loop 289 and East of the Tahoka Highway is 5.5 acres that I consider to be one of the undiscovered jewels in the Local Food Network.  Sitting on that 5.5 acres are four high tunnels, a small greenhouse, an office, a classroom/kitchen/preparation facility and 3.5 acres of vegetable production.   The Carolyn Lanier Youth Farm was established in 1988 to help feed the hungry in Lubbock County.  It has grown to be much more than just a farm.  With the implementation of the GRUB program (Growing Recruits for Urban Businesses), the farm became a haven teaching job and life skills to young adults age 14 to 21. The GRUB program uses the concepts of working with the soil to teach job skills, work ethics and life skills.  Some participants are also eligible for summer employment at the farm. The farm has transitioned from sending most of their production to the food bank to supporting a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  The proceeds from the CSA sales go to support the summer GRUB program. 

• South Plains Hunger Solutions
  • South Plains Hunger Solutions is a local group which works to make sure that all South Plains residents have access to nutritious food. South Plains Hunger Solutions is a coalition of other local organizations and individuals who support a wide range of projects and causes, that address food and nutrition across this region. Among the many projects that they support are school gardens, community gardens, and awareness programs to help people source locally grown food. If you have an interest in becoming part of a school garden program, participating in a community garden or would like to help with their efforts to build the Local Food Network, you can find more information about South Plains Hunger Solutions by following the link to their website above

• Kiss The Ground
  • Kiss the Ground is a worldwide collaborative effort to educate people about soil health and regeneration. Not only are they about educating people about soil health practices, but they also train volunteers to become soil advocates.
• Rodale Institute
  • Rodale Institute is doing pioneering research in organic agricultural practices and systems. Their goal is to educate both farmers and consumers about the importance of organic practices to the health of people and to the sustainment of agriculture around the world.
• Savory Institute
  • With a goal of the large scale regeneration of range grasslands, the Savory Institute works with landowners to employ holistic land use and grazing systems to bring grasslands back into healthy sustainable landscapes.
• Understanding Ag, LLC
  • Their website states ” Our mission is to teach and apply time-tested, ecological principles and bio-mimicry to help others regenerate this living and life-giving ecosystem. In restoring the health of our soil, we can restore the health of our bodies, our farms, our communities, and our planet. “

• The Dirt Doctor
  • Howard Garrett, aka “The Dirt Doctor”, is a Dallas Texas-based landscape architect and organic gardening guru. He is the founder of the Texas Organic Research Center, lecturer, teacher and mentor to thousands of fans and devoted followers.

• Robert Kourik
  • I recently purchased something that I believe every gardener should have in their library. If you are a believer in companion planting and in using plants that attract pollinators and beneficial insects to your garden, this is a must-have. Robert Kourik is a horticulturist, gardener, landscape designer, and author. He has a number of good books available on a variety of gardening and organic topics. I purchased an electronic copy of his publication ” The Biggest and Best Insectary Plant List in North America”. This is a great tool. It is the most exhaustive list of flowering plants with their bloom dates, the insects they attract, the botanical name and other information that I have found. All of this is documented and supported with a complete bibliography. The one downside is that the dates are set against a California planting zone. This is easy to adjust by looking at the California zones and adjusting for your own zone on the spreadsheet. I suggest that everyone take a look at this document and add it to your garden collection.
• US Citrus
  • US Citrus is a Texas company located in the RIO Grand valley near Harlingen. Their website is entertaining, informative and fact-filled. The founder of the company is a plant pathologist who has been working in the citrus industry for many years and has been at the forefront of citrus research and development. If you are wanting to grow your own citrus, US Citrus can help you get started and be successful.
• Native Bees by Heather Holm
  • We hear a lot in the media about bees. The decline in the bee population and the threats that bees are encountering in larger numbers every day. Mostly these articles reference honey bees which are a huge player in the food production industry. However, there are many more players in this game. Our native bees are just as important to our ecology as the honey bee. You probably have native bees in your garden and haven’t recognized them. Part of the organic system is to understand and recognize the beneficial insects that inhabit our biome and make sure that we are not doing anything harmful to them or their habitat. Heather Holm has prepared a powerpoint presentation that is an excellent tool. I encourage you to work through these slides and learn a bit more about native bees.