We’re all about the positive here. Instead of a list of "do's" and "do not's," this is a list with double with amount of do’s. Because while no one can guarantee your garden’s success, a little extra knowledge can help you fail a lot less.
1. Do start small. All plants need extra attention when first started. It’s more work than you think it is. I love these planters, because they’re easy to move around for optimal sunlight and protection from frost.
2. Do be water-wise. Collect rainwater, use soaker hoses, consider plants that can tolerate drought. Check out the rebates offered by the city of Austin for installing rain barrels or improving irrigation systems.
3. Do pay attention to a plants light requirements. The wrong location can make a plant go all mutant in ways you won't like. Regardless of which part of your yard/patio gets sun vs which part is shady — there’s a plant that loves exactly that. Match ‘em up.
4. Do buy local. National chains push the plants they want to sell you, not the ones which are best for our peculiar climate. Locals knows what works. Tap into that knowledge base.
5. Do compost. Go as big or as little as you want. Add just leaves or all yard waste or kitchen scraps, too. Everyone has an opinion about the right way. Don’t worry about it, just do what works for you. This short video will get you started with a super simple trash bin composter.
6. Do make life easier with raised garden beds. Starting from scratch planting directly into hard-packed clay that dominates most of our yards isn’t for beginners. That way lies heartache.
7. Do get the city’s Garden Guide. This is your bible for DIY gardening in Austin.
8. Do play romantic music in the garden to induce pollination. Just kidding.
9. Do keep the soil moist when adding new plants. Yes, even if it means watering everyday. After about two weeks, you can back off with the water.
10. Perhaps most important of all, create a garden you actually enjoy, not the one others tell you to create. It's your space -- own it.
Flip out!
Simone Biles-led Gold Over America Tour lands in Austin following 2024 Olympics
Austin-area fans of gymnastics icon Simone Biles will get to see her high-flying routines in fall 2024, when a national tour of champions comes to the Moody Center. The Gold Over America Tour Starring Simone Biles will land in Austin on Friday, October 18, according to the tour website.
Official ticket information had not yet been announced as of early April, but the tour website says tickets will go on sale May 17 via Ticketmaster. It'll will hit Houston's Toyota Center on October 19 and Fort Worth's Dickies Arena on October 20.
"Join the excitement at The Gold Over America Tour, starring Simone Biles and featuring squad members Shilese Jones, Fred Richard, Mélanie Johanna De Jesus Dos Santos, and more," says the website. "This celebration of world-class gymnastics is designed to inspire the next generation of champions."
The tour, presented by Athleta, will hit 30 arenas nationwide, "delivering a high-octane, action-packed experience" in a pop concert-style setting, the site promises. "Following the success of the 2021 tour, the 2024 edition will embody hope, strength, resilience, and determination."
The Gold Over America Tour (abbreviated by organizers, appropriately, as G.O.A.T.) will take place just months after the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, at which Biles is expected to contend.
That "road to Paris" will run through Texas at the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships, taking place May 30 through June 2 at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena. Tickets are now on sale. The four-day men's and women's competition will crown national champions and determine the members of the U.S. National Team who will then compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Minneapolis, June 27-30, 2024.
The first Gold Over America Tour took place following the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Despite Biles' withdrawal from much of the Olympic competition due to mental health challenges, she headlined the G.O.A.T. tour and performed alongside a "supersquad" of gymnasts — Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum, MyKayla Skinner, and more. They performed for full, exuberant crowds inside several Texas arenas in October 2021.
Watch the G.O.A.T. tour website for more information, full schedule, and tickets, organizers say.