My Top 3 Austin Nurseries:
3. Tillery Street Plants - The staff here is always friendly, but some of them seem to not be very knowledgeable about their products. The selection is pretty small. But for the East Austin gardener, it's extremely convenient, and that's why it's in my top 3.
2. Great Outdoors - Knowledgeable staff. Big selection. Fun to look around. Bigger selection of planters and pots than Tillery Street. They also carry a lot of soil, mulch etc. that I'm not sure Tillery Street carries.
1. Barton Springs Nursery - THE BEST DAMN NURSERY IN AUSTIN. Super knowledgeable staff. They sell all kinds of native plants. They sell tons of different trees. I bought 1 gallon trees here for $3! Decent selection of planters and pots. Good indoor section where they sell gloves and that kind of paraphernalia. My mom educated me on the fact that this is the place to buy plants in Austin, and I'm a believer.
SIDE NOTE: Natural Gardener - Okay, so you can't have a blog post on Austin nurseries without mentioning the Natural Gardener. I do enjoy the Natural Gardener. I love all the information John Dromgoole puts out (whether on the radio, on KLRU's Central Texas Gardener, or on their website). The staff at the Natural Gardener is knowledgeable. It has a huge selection. Big soil yard with lots of choices. Yada yada yada. It's the grandaddy of them all. But it's a hike to get out there, when you're there you have to fight the crowds. It's fun to go every once in a while, but it just generally ain't my scene.
How about Veggies?
Veggies - This year I went to the Sunshine Gardens spring plant sale. Damn that was awesome. I was amazed by the variety of different kinds of veggies and herbs. That is now my go-to source for veggie transplants.
How about Trees?
Ted's Trees is in East Austin, and since this is an East Austin gardening blog, I should mention Ted's Trees. Ted's a nice guy and very helpful. He's got a bunch of different trees for sale. It's really fun to go walk around on his property. But here's the deal. I'm not really interested in what Ted sells. He sells bigger trees. They are expensive, and that makes them riskier to plant. I think that might interest a house builder or someone who needs to make something look good quickly. But as a gardener, I want to buy a small 1-5 gallon tree and then let it grow into something large. Because it didn't spend so much time in a pot, it will be a healthier tree (and less expensive). I heard on Central Texas Gardener that if you plant a 5 gallon and a 30 gallon tree next to each other, in 5 years they'll be the same size. So why spend money on the 30 gallon? I perfer the tree selection at Barton Springs Nursery and at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center plant sales, where they sell them younger in smaller pots.
How about soils?
I bought my veggie patch soil from Organics By Gosh. I did a 50/50 soil/compost mix. I can't really speak to quality yet (we'll see how the spring garden goes). But I bought on the recommendation of my next door neighbor, who says quality is decent, it's closer to us (in East Austin), and the price better than the places out west. To save a little extra cash and effort, don't get it delivered, instead hire some high school kids off Craigslist to pick it up for you in their pickup truck and wheel barrow to your veggie patch or yard.
I've also bought rocks from Whittesley soil and stone yard by the airport. They have a huge operation there, so I bet the quality of their soil and compost is just fine. The guy working there has also been really friendly and helpful to me.
It's good to know about these choices as a gardener in East Austin, because you shouldn't need to drive all the way out to SW Austin or Dripping Springs to get your soil and compost. We have sources close by.
Callahans?
As an East Austin gardener, it's good to keep Callahan's in mind as a nearby source for tools and garden supplies that's not Home Depot. People don't know this, but they have a gigantic warehouse in back with tons of garden stuff: tools, rain barrels, etc. I bought my ollas there. Prices can be high here, but I don't mind paying a few extra bucks to keep those dollars local.
Special Mention: Brite Ideas
This place is in South Austin. They are a hydroponics store with a split personality between veggie growers and marijuana growers (although I guess you could be both). The staff here is really nice and helpful. I mention this place because they sell recycled rain barrels for $30!!!! That's a great deal, and I don't think many people are aware they sell those. It's important to me to get my rain barrels recycled, because it takes a lot hydrocarbons to make that big piece of plastic. I feel that I'm lowering my impact on the planet by using a recycled barrel. They also give away compost tea. So kudos to Brite Ideas.
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