November 6-8, 2026

@theintrepidgardener

Building Plant Guilds with Native Plants

11/7  4pm 

Martha Whitehouse has been an avid organic gardener, writer, and gardening educator ever since she planted her first home garden in 1985. She is a member of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT), North Central Chapter, and under their auspices she is a certified native plant specialist who now teaches the Level I class for NPSOT’s NLCP certification program. Martha is also a member of NPSOT’s Speakers Bureau and regularly gives public presentations on landscaping with native plants. Martha writes on garden topics having published recent articles on combining mixed plantings (native plants & food crops) in the 2025 Summer and Fall issues of Texas Native Plants magazine. Martha runs the Instagram channel @intrepidurbangardener, where she shares organic gardening tips from her home gardens and does permaculture and organic gardening consulting for Urban Garden Partners LLc, a business formed to support and educate urban gardeners on sustainable & water saving gardening techniques and promoting better health through gardening. Before retirement Martha’s professional career spanned three decades in public speaking and marketing. She spent the bulk of her professional career with Apple Computer as a Market Development Executive and served as the producer of an award-winning medical education video series for the UNT Health Science Center where she was also awarded the 2005 President’s Award. She is also a graduate of Leadership Arlington and has served on the boards of many non-profit organizations. Martha’s organic gardening motto is: “If I can’t eat it, I don’t feed it to my garden!”

@marshillfarm

 The Family Milk Cow: A Homestead Workhorse

11/7 8am 

Jonathan Herb is the managing member of Mars Hill Farm, a 100-acre diversified farm south of Dallas, Texas. His work focuses on exploring how farms can become more than places of production by serving as spaces for education, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and community connection. Through Mars Hill Farm, Jonathan has developed direct-to-consumer food and flower programs, agricultural experiences, events, and other ventures designed to bridge the growing divide between agriculture and the communities it serves. He brings a practical, entrepreneurial perspective to the question of how agriculture can remain economically viable while creating meaningful community impact.

Natures Embrace 

Co-existing with Reptiles, A primer on identification, and safe management.

11/8 10:15 am

My lifelong passion for reptiles began as a young child, and by my early teens I could identify and safely catch venomous species of snakes. Early on witnessing the negative aspects of the pet trade, coupled with seeing so many reptiles killed, due to ignorance and fear I shifted my focus to conservation and education, attempting to educate others in my community about the importance of all our native reptiles and amphibian species especially the venomous snakes that seem to evoke so much fear for simply being able to defend themselves. I have travelled across the United States, and several other countries finding and photographing these amazing creatures, even catching some of the world's most dangerous species. I have bred multiple species, fostered rescued species that could not be returned to the wild, and given presentations to the public about how important these animals are, as well as tools for managing interactions safely, tips on how to safely coexist with our native reptile species, and how to identify species within whatever region we are in. 

@fionakeyholegardens

Get Your Hands Dirty: Let's Build a Keyhole Garden!

11/7 2:00 pm

​Fiona is an amateur backyard keyhole garden enthusiast!  She discovered composting during the pandemic's lockdown after a friend sent her an article about the African keyhole garden, encouraging her to build one in Texas where it was hot and dry. Since then, keyhole gardening has become Fiona’s favorite way to garden and compost. She gravitates towards garden practices that are accessible and restorative, which reminds her of God’s life-giving ways. In April 2020, Fiona built her first suburban keyhole garden where it quickly became a backyard family science experiment. She built another one in the jungles of Panama for a sleep-away camp workshop in 2022, and her latest one was built this Mother’s Day at her new home.  She is hooked on the keyhole garden, discovering so many wonderful creatures God has created: from black soldier fly larvae (composting heroes!) to mycorrhizal fungi and right down to the mighty unseen world of the soil food web brimming with microbes. In 2024, she completed the City of Plano’s Master Composter Program and is most recently dreaming up ways to bring keyhole gardening to her kids’ schools so future generations can learn to connect their food waste to garden gold. You can find her on Instagram @fionakeyholegardens. 

@BreathebodyJess

Herbs for Mental Health

11/8 9:15 am

Jessica Lewis is a teacher, musician, nature lover, and longtime practitioner of mindfulness and breathwork. With over 16 years of experience guiding others through movement, breath, and mindfulness, Jessica is passionate about helping people reconnect with themselves through the natural world. She believes nature can be a powerful tool for supporting our mental and emotional well-being and enjoys exploring the ways herbs, breathwork, and time outdoors can help us slow down, regulate, and reconnect.

@CuriousCultivator

Growing Edible Mushrooms

11/6 4:00 pm

Garrett’s journey into the fascinating world of mushrooms began as the manager of a commercial mushroom farm. There, he learned that mushrooms are more than just a crop—they are connectors within our entire ecosystem.

He is the creator of The Curious Cultivator, where he hosts events and workshops focused on growing your own food. By blending his professional farming experience with a passion for permaculture and regenerative gardening, Garrett teaches others how to integrate mycology into their own backyards and everyday lives.

Garrett also brings a background in graphic design, adding a creative lens to the way he shares knowledge and builds community.

He believes that understanding fungal networks is key to improving soil health and is passionate about sharing both the practical “how-to” and the deeper “why” behind the systems that support what we grow.

Fruit tree Propagation Methods, Cold Hardy Citrus and Rare Fruit Trees

11/7 7:00 pm

My interest in growing vegetables and herbs started over 30 years ago but my focus on growing fruit took center stage almost 2 decades ago. It started with a kumquat tree and that’s where my passion for citrus began along with growing all sorts of fruit trees. The valentines freeze of 2021 gave new meaning to my pursuit after losing much of my citrus stock. From there, I learned about cold hardy varieties that can withstand our zone 8. Thereafter, I joined a some truly amazing gardening groups in Houston & became aware of more rare and exotic types, some of which I already was growing and others I’d never heard of before. From there I’ve expanded my knowledge on propagation methods, thanks to all of the incredibly knowledgeable and seasoned gardeners and backyard orchardists in those groups. Although I’m no expert by any stretch, my desire is to share everything I have learned, in hopes to help those interested to enjoy and explore this new world of opportunity with me!

Nature Journaling Hike

11/8 11:15 am

Robin Swindle is a dedicated Texas Master Naturalist with a deep passion for all things nature. Her interests encompass gardening, birding, nature journaling, mycology, and studying aquatic macroinvertebrates. Robin's commitment to the environment extends to her role on the board of the Learning Gardens, where she actively promotes environmental education and sustainable practices.