Episode Transcript
[00:00:06] Speaker A: Welcome.
[00:00:06] Speaker B: Thank you for joining us for this new series on conservation stories. I'm Tillery Timmins Sims, and I'm the director of operations here for the Sandhill Area Research Association. I hope you will enjoy this series as we follow people who align with our values and our mission here of stewarding our land and our water. Thanks for joining us.
Hey, friends, welcome back to conservation stories. I'm excited today to have a new friend with me, Christina Reed. Christina, thanks for dropping by. I know you are with agri life, and a lot of our listeners may not know what that is, but let's start with first just giving us a little bit of personal history about you. Tell me about where you grew up and your family and your family. Now, if you got kids.
[00:00:55] Speaker C: Sure. Yeah. Thanks for having me.
So originally, I'm from Rockwall, Texas. That's a suburb in the Dallas area.
I came to Lubbock for school. I'm a Texas tech grad and graduated. I have a degree in landscape architecture with a minor in horticulture.
[00:01:13] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:01:14] Speaker C: I met my husband here while I was at school. And common story. Yes. Except he is born and raised in Lubbock and from Lubbock.
[00:01:24] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:01:25] Speaker C: And so after I graduated, we moved away to Austin for a little while and then moved up to Oklahoma City and were there for several years and loved it. We had my son in Oklahoma City, and when he was just about to turn two, my in laws could not stand that we lived so far away. So they helped us move back to Lubbock, and we've been here ever since.
[00:01:48] Speaker B: That is cool. That's great.
[00:01:49] Speaker C: So I'm married and have a nine year old son.
[00:01:52] Speaker B: A nine year old son. Okay. That's awesome. It is important for kids to be around their grandparents, and it doesn't happen as often as it used to.
[00:01:59] Speaker C: Yeah, it's been really great.
[00:02:01] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: My kids grew up within 35 miles of four great grandmothers. Wow.
[00:02:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:02:07] Speaker B: So it was extremely rare. Yes, extremely rare. Just a huge blessing.
[00:02:12] Speaker A: So.
[00:02:13] Speaker B: Well, I know you work for agrilife.
[00:02:15] Speaker A: Yes, I do.
[00:02:16] Speaker B: And can you kind of give us, I think in another podcast we'll cover some more, like, details about the history of agrilife and what they do. And. But tell us a little bit, just kind of about your position. You're an agent. So what does that mean with agri life?
[00:02:32] Speaker C: So. And let me back up just a little bit. The most frequent question I get is why do you work for Texas A and M and not Texas Tech? You're here in Lubbock, right?
[00:02:41] Speaker A: Right.
[00:02:41] Speaker C: The extension service is housed within land grant university systems in every state across the nation. And Texas, that is Texas A and M. So even though I'm a red raider, let me make that very clear. I do not wear maroon, ever. In fact, this color coral is as.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: Close as I get.
[00:02:59] Speaker C: I am a red raider at heart. I just happen to work for a and M, but at my specific position, I'm a county extension horticulture agent here in Lubbock county. And what that means is it is my mission to disseminate research based information coming out of Texas A and M to the residents in my county.
[00:03:18] Speaker B: So, Lubbock county in horticulture.
[00:03:20] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:03:21] Speaker C: Unfortunately, there is only one of me, and there are 300,000 of you all.
[00:03:26] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:03:26] Speaker C: And I am the only horticulture agent in west Texas. We have a part time gig up in Randall county, that's in Amarillo, and we have a brand new agent in Midland, Odessa, and Ector county. So I am the only one between those two. And I get lots of questions from all over.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: I bet you do.
[00:03:46] Speaker C: I bet you do.
[00:03:46] Speaker B: So I know just for you, you know, people just kind of giving them a frame of reference. The extension service is like. I don't really know for sure why we call it extension. In my mind, it's always been because it's an extension of USDA's work or providing some type of education to, at that time, mostly rural people. And so I know I grew up, if you needed to know anything about anything, from sewing to canning anything to growing anything to. I can't even imagine that there's, like, a topic that isn't covered. You could find an extension agent that was educated and you had. In the smaller counties, when I grew up, we didn't have, you know, like, a lot of them. You know, so you might have, like, two or three. So they were really versatile and, you know, really well rounded educationally, you know, wise. And so now, are y'all more specific? Yes.
[00:04:48] Speaker C: So, and again, the mission of extension, why it's called extension. It is literally an extension of the land grant universities.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: The land grant universities.
[00:04:54] Speaker C: We are getting out the information that they're researching.
[00:04:57] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:04:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:04:58] Speaker B: So. And those. Those land grant universities, that's a whole nother topic. So, anyway. Okay, so I'm kind of tracking with you better.
[00:05:07] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And you're right. In larger counties, we do have more agents. And so more specific, like, in Lubbock county, again, I mentioned I'm the only horticulture agent out this way. And that's because Lubbock county is such a large, diverse county.
We have lots of ag folks. We have lots of city folks. We have natural resource conservation issues, aka water. Yes. So again, that's why my position is here. And again, in bigger counties, we have a very diversified staff. So here in Lubbock county, we're also very fortunate to have our very own four h agent.
[00:05:44] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:05:45] Speaker C: That is her only job responsibility that's part of extension is the four h program.
We have an ag agent, which is pretty typical.
Well, we actually have two ag agents.
[00:05:55] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:05:56] Speaker C: We have one that works more with small landowners and livestock.
[00:05:59] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:06:00] Speaker C: And then we have one ag agent who works more with larger landowners and row crops.
[00:06:05] Speaker B: Okay, so that makes sense.
[00:06:08] Speaker C: And then we've got an urban youth and development agent as well. And. Okay, I didn't know that. So she does all of our youth programming except for H. Because, again, there's a diverse population here.
[00:06:23] Speaker B: Right.
[00:06:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:24] Speaker C: And then we also have our FCH family consumer health agent as well.
[00:06:29] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:06:29] Speaker C: And then we have a slew of interns and assistant agents. So we're a really big office for extension.
[00:06:35] Speaker B: And where is that office?
[00:06:38] Speaker C: It's actually downtown here in Lubbock. It's in the federal bank building, which is the actual address is 916 Maine. But it's the tall skyscraper downtown that has the sky bridge attached to the county courthouse.
[00:06:49] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:06:49] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:06:50] Speaker C: We are both county and state employees, so it is very, very much a blessing that our county allows us to have the office space that they do.
[00:07:00] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:00] Speaker B: That is really nice.
[00:07:01] Speaker C: Shout out to Lubbock county.
[00:07:02] Speaker A: Excellent.
[00:07:03] Speaker B: Yes, that's really great.
The extension office has just a long history of helping people. And I heard through the grapevine that you were working on some Levitt county fair stuff, which is really exciting to me because fairs have just kind of gone the way of. I don't know, no one does them much anymore. But I do see people like, there's such a revival interest in making your own bread, grinding your own wheat, growing your own flowers and vegetables, and making, you know, even sewing.
[00:07:41] Speaker C: Yeah. Well, and again, here in west Texas and Lubbock specifically, we have such a creative minded population, such a creative group, and also, we're all very resourceful. We kind of have to be. Right. Um, and so, yes, part, like I said, my job is to try to stress and get out research based educational information on horticulture. And again, as I mentioned, there's only.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: One of me, right.
[00:08:07] Speaker C: 300,000 of y'all. And so I try to do small programs where I do one on one things. But I also tried to get large programs out, and this year, the South Plains fair allowed me to take on a new project and a new exhibit. This will be the biggest new program they've had in 20 something years.
They're allowing me to start a horticulture show, and I'm so excited about it.
[00:08:34] Speaker B: That is great.
[00:08:35] Speaker C: So imagine all kinds of plant competitions. So, from flower arranging, to propagation stations, to orchid collectors, to cactus and succulents, to house plants, to indoor plants, to native plants, to seed starting.
[00:08:52] Speaker B: Oh, my.
[00:08:53] Speaker C: Those are just the competitions. I think I've got over 80 different classes you can enter, including a horticulture innovation class.
So if you are an inventor or have a really neat idea, please enter. Also, garden journaling, garden art. Again, all the goodness and so. And like I said, those are just the competitions. But throughout the fair, which is always in the September.
[00:09:18] Speaker B: Right.
[00:09:19] Speaker C: We'll have free classes going on, and we'll have different displays. And I'm trying to bring all the different horticulturally based or associated organizations in West Texas together. So if you're a plant person, I want you to be able to come see that we have some really great nurseries in town. We have some really great nonprofits. Hey, there's probably somebody just like you that also loves that pothos, Ivy, and y'all can be friends. You just have to, like, know each other exists.
[00:09:49] Speaker B: So.
Yeah.
[00:09:51] Speaker C: So, anyway, so that's what I'm doing this fall.
And the fair provides a huge audience, which is great.
[00:09:58] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:10:00] Speaker C: And also, I hope. My hope for them is that this brings a new educational platform and also attracts some new audience for the fairy, because, as you've said in years past, while they do a really great job, I see the popularity of the fair being in the midway and the games.
[00:10:19] Speaker B: And our fair is just so great.
[00:10:20] Speaker C: There's so much more.
[00:10:21] Speaker B: So, yes, there really is. And it's such a great opportunity for rural and urban people because of Lubbock county, the way Lubbock county is for, you know, for people that, you know, are more on the farm folks to really provide a connection to help people in Lubbock understand.
Here's what. Here's where your food is coming from. Maybe not necessarily from us, but here's what the supply chain of agriculture is. And.
[00:10:52] Speaker A: And.
[00:10:52] Speaker C: And it's happening in your own backyard.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: It's happening in your own backyard. That's exactly right.
[00:10:57] Speaker C: I will tell you. So the fair has had an open crops exhibit for years and years and years.
And so when I was approaching the fair, and we were kind of working all of this out. One of the farmers that typically participates in the open crops exhibit said, you mean my wife can show off her flowers? And I was like, you both can show off what you grow, because they're both plants, whether it's ag or whether it's flowers. You're both growing something. There's a spot for both of you here. And he just got so excited, and it, like, it made my heart happy that he realized that he's one in the same.
[00:11:32] Speaker B: Yes, that's just so. I love that. And I just think that there is. I think that the desire for that, and I think it's probably something good that's come out of COVID is that people had time. They needed something to do. And so there was kind of this revival of people across the whole world willing to teach other people how to do things that they might not have ever, you know, had the time or inclination to try or the want to. Yeah, you're right.
[00:12:02] Speaker C: Because with COVID a lot of people found themselves with free time on their hands and wondered, you know, what to do. But they also found themselves with a whole host of problems that they wouldn't have typically had before that. Supply chain issues, food scarcity issues, resource scarcity, that kind of thing. And so not just growing food, but mental health problems that surfaced. And so just frankly, getting outdoors helps with that. You know, there's. There's a whole host and slew of things that gardening helps with.
[00:12:36] Speaker B: Well, and there's. There's some pretty good research out there, too, on, like, just the microbial impact, digging in the dirt and then how that impacts the gut and then that impacts your mental health.
[00:12:49] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:12:49] Speaker B: Because the gut and brain are connected.
[00:12:51] Speaker C: Which is a whole nother thing, but literally mind blowing. It is.
[00:12:55] Speaker B: I know. It's amazing what all we're learning.
[00:12:58] Speaker C: Well, in one of the other programs I do here in town is I work with different school gardens across the county, and one in particular I am very involved in. And I also do an after school gardening club there twice a month. And I really have started to. I've done this long enough, this program long enough that I have seen the difference and the kids mental strength, if you will, at the beginning of the program that particular day. And kind of where they are, they're scattered. They've just finished school.
[00:13:31] Speaker B: They're ready to plug out.
[00:13:33] Speaker C: And then at the end of our gardening program, they're dialed back in, but not in a school tough type of way. They're calmer. They seem more just grounded in general. And so in an hour and a half, twice a month, the fact that you can see that in elementary age.
[00:13:51] Speaker B: Kids is super cool.
[00:13:52] Speaker C: So imagine what that could do for everybody else.
[00:13:55] Speaker B: Right. And we all kind of live in, we all have access to city water and a backyard, and so it's. Or you're even a patio.
[00:14:05] Speaker C: Yes. Or there are different community gardens around town. If you don't have a growing space like the lupic Memorial arboretum. And I shameless plug here, I serve as their vice president. But we have a community garden that folks can actually rent community plots. It's a $100 for the year, and we provide the soil, the space and the water.
You just supply your own.
[00:14:29] Speaker B: Oh, I saw some plans and then.
[00:14:31] Speaker C: Take care of it.
[00:14:31] Speaker B: I saw something about it, but I didn't see any details. That's amazing. So do you work often with growing together? Texas?
[00:14:38] Speaker C: Yes. I love Jessica.
[00:14:40] Speaker B: Wonderful.
[00:14:40] Speaker C: She's fabulous.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: Yeah, we interviewed her and I'm excited about what and for her like to be in, you know, an epidemiologist.
[00:14:49] Speaker A: Right.
[00:14:49] Speaker B: I mean, like, and now she's doing that great public health, and it's. It is really great to see her work there.
[00:14:55] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:14:56] Speaker B: And I'm excited that you are working together.
[00:14:57] Speaker C: Oh, yes. We've been working together for years.
[00:14:59] Speaker B: So would you, have you seen an increase interest in those neighborhood gardens? Are you kind of, is it the same people every year, or do you have new people coming and going or.
[00:15:10] Speaker C: Well, like everything, community gardens do have their challenges. And so I do see that it's kind of the same folks that are taking defunct gardens over and kind of managing them and keeping them alive, giving them a life support, if you will, until a new organization or new neighbor or whoever can come in and take it back. But that's a good sign that there are people taking them back.
[00:15:37] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:15:38] Speaker C: Right. Because again, if they weren't wanted or needed, then nobody would ever show up.
[00:15:43] Speaker B: Right. So, I mean, I see them in, like, heart of Lubbock tech terrace area.
[00:15:48] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:15:50] Speaker B: What about south, like, where all this new development is and is there the interest there, or are people just too busy or. I mean, what, what is that? Like, are y'all doing some things there in South Lubbock?
[00:16:01] Speaker C: Specifically? I work in a lot of the different school gardens.
[00:16:04] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:16:05] Speaker C: I don't know of any currently growing community gardens in South Lubbock, but I know of several, like I said, in North Lubbock and East Lubbock and central Lubbock. I know there's several coming in West Lubbock I don't know that we necessarily in South Lubbock have the space or have somebody willing to donate the space.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: Right.
[00:16:28] Speaker C: But I do see a lot of backyard gardens and that kind of thing. I even see some in folks front yards.
[00:16:33] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:16:34] Speaker C: But so not quite there yet in South Lubbock with a neighborhood type garden. But, you know, the one in central Lubbock, the heart of Lubbock, is actually managed by Texas tech.
[00:16:43] Speaker B: Oh, I didn't know that.
[00:16:44] Speaker C: Okay. Again, there's lots all around town. I just don't know of any specifically in South Lubbock just yet.
[00:16:49] Speaker B: But there should be. There's some really interesting areas. I was at a conference in Amarillo that was hosted by Ogallala Commons, which.
[00:16:58] Speaker C: Is a great organization.
[00:17:00] Speaker B: Right. And they had a guy there talking about beavers, which was, you know, you're kind of like, why beavers? You know, because. But then I realized there's people that have watersheds. We don't have watersheds. Right. They have watersheds even in MRlo.
But we do have. There was a professor there from tech that was talking about the fact that we have had some beaver. We do have some beaver.
[00:17:23] Speaker C: We do.
[00:17:24] Speaker B: And so I'm like, that's interesting. And the guy said that pretty much there's beaver. If there's water at all, there will be beaver.
[00:17:31] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:17:32] Speaker B: So they very, very good at getting around.
[00:17:35] Speaker C: Very much so. Well, and with some of the school gardens and some of the community gardens around town, what I have noticed is they do attract wildlife that you wouldn't otherwise see. So one of the schools in South Lubbock, that takes up an entire city block. And so it's not like it's heavily treed. It's all grass. Right, right. Children, hundreds of children running around playgrounds, that kind of thing.
[00:17:58] Speaker B: We have bats.
Really?
[00:18:01] Speaker C: We have bats that visit the garden in the evening. Don't worry, your children are not going to get rabies. No, please don't hear me say bats and think that. No, they're there eating the insects, the mosquitoes and other insects right at dusk.
[00:18:15] Speaker B: Fascinating.
[00:18:16] Speaker C: Super cool. And I've heard other reports from all around town, like up at Lubbock Lake landmark. That's something that they see in the summer.
[00:18:22] Speaker B: Oh, wow.
[00:18:22] Speaker C: But again, without those gardens, without those pollinators and all the kind of the space that's there, we wouldn't see that.
[00:18:31] Speaker B: So these diverse ecosystems inside of urban areas, what is the value? Like, how do you help people to understand it's more than a place to put a swing you know, and why should we care about that? I know that there's some research from a and m from the forestry service they've done in Houston that shows the more diverse the tree population is. It really correlates to health in that neighborhood.
[00:19:05] Speaker C: Absolutely. So, I mean, talking big scale. Cause I can talk community wide, and I can talk all the way down to, like, us personally, how that would impact us. But community wide, you know, Lubbock has air quality issues for a multitude of different reasons, one being that eastern New Mexico is lacking vegetation. And so just like a couple weeks ago, we have sandstorms that come through big haboops. If a. If eastern New Mexico and farther, western Texas were more diverse, diversely planted, that would keep all that soil in place, so that wouldn't be happening as much.
Also, different plants filter the air, just in general. So the fact that we have trees and shrubs and grasses, it helps the small debris particles in our air that we are breathing every day settle.
[00:19:57] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:19:58] Speaker C: But also, again, plants of all different kinds, including turf grasses, tree roots, that kind of thing, they help filter our water as it enters our aquifers. So again, you know, shout out to water. We all need that, too, just like we need clean air.
But again, also down to you and me.
Having seeing green again brightens moods, seeing pollinators, seeing different colors, it can, you know, enhance your creativity. It can enhance your imagination and can enhance your mood.
There's all different kinds of benefits there just to having plants around.
[00:20:37] Speaker B: So how do we balance. We're in a semi arid region that, you know, was uninhabitable in the tur, you know, in the view of some folks. And how do we balance diversity with what was originally here and what's invasive? And because I hear. I've heard this spring, so many people on the Internet, you know, complaining about the pear trees, and not necessarily people in Lubbock, but just in general that they're invasive and they shouldn't be planted. And I'm like, yes, they don't smell great, but they have these beautiful blooms and they turn green. Like, how do we balance?
[00:21:19] Speaker C: Okay, that. I have to full disclosure, I am not a pear fan. Yes, but I'm not a pear fan for those reasons that you mentioned.
[00:21:25] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:21:26] Speaker C: A, here in Lubbock, we just don't have enough moisture for them to be invasive. So in other places where it rains periodically, you know, again, what a concept. Yes, they can be invasive. We just don't have enough.
[00:21:38] Speaker B: That's not going to be a problem here.
[00:21:39] Speaker C: No.
[00:21:39] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:21:40] Speaker C: Unless we continue getting major climate change, and then we turn into a tropical region with that.
[00:21:48] Speaker B: It doesn't look like that's the way we would go.
[00:21:50] Speaker C: No, but again, pear trees in general are really weak wooded, and they have really bad crotch angles, so where the trunks meet the branches. And so in our high wind storms, they tend to break. So that's why they are not my favorite.
[00:22:05] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:22:06] Speaker C: They are accidents waiting to happen, property damage, people get hurt, that kind of thing.
[00:22:10] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:22:11] Speaker C: But neither here nor there. Back to your original.
[00:22:14] Speaker B: You wouldn't be like, cut those down, really? Oh, my goodness. I can't even imagine cutting down a tree.
[00:22:21] Speaker C: Cut it down and put something else that would be better for our area, better withstand our winds.
[00:22:27] Speaker B: But then you'll be dead by the time it's as big as that pear tree.
[00:22:30] Speaker A: I mean.
[00:22:30] Speaker C: No, my grandmother used to always say.
[00:22:32] Speaker B: You never plant a tree for yourself.
[00:22:34] Speaker C: That is correct. You never plant a tree for yourself. But you can do your sons and daughters a favor and take out the pears.
But planting diversity in our.
[00:22:45] Speaker B: I hope my neighbors are not listening to that. Please do not take out your pear trees.
[00:22:49] Speaker C: You know, our area was originally a grassland prairie.
[00:22:53] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:22:53] Speaker C: So again, blankets of grass holding the soil in place.
[00:22:57] Speaker B: Right.
[00:22:57] Speaker C: And so our air was actually fabulous because we had winds that would move any kind of allergens out of the area quickly. But instead, now we have bare ground and it just makes it worse. So if we were trying to go back to something that was more natively, what was here? With also keeping in mind our water resources being very scarce because a lot of turf grasses these days are very thirsty plants, the use of some artificial turf, some different mulches, some different planters. But I mean, I think it's just going to take a mix of everything.
And I use the word some artificial turf.
[00:23:40] Speaker B: Exactly right.
[00:23:42] Speaker C: A lot of times in big metropolitan areas, including Lubbock, you see a heat island effect because of all the concrete. And so it is pretty easy to see. I mentioned we lived in Oklahoma City.
[00:23:53] Speaker A: Yes, yes.
[00:23:54] Speaker C: It was very easy to see what were small thunderstorms coming across the prairie. And then the second they hit the metro area, they ramped up and turned into massive tornadoes because of the 15 to 20 degree warmer temperature shift because of the city. And so temperature really plays a big factor. And plant diversity and what we have around really plays a factor in that, too. So a mixture, a true diversity of our plant mediums, while keeping in mind our water resources is what it's going to take.
[00:24:47] Speaker B: This podcast is sponsored by Carter Key Farms with roots stretching back to 1887, Carter Key Farms is a great example of heritage and quality. The Vardaman family, now in their fifth generation on the cotton farm and 8th generation on the ranch, continues a legacy of producing some of the finest beef and pork in Texas. This is the place where history and modern practices blend to create a product that stands apart. The farm's dedication to quality is evident in every cut of meat. Experience the exceptional taste of Carter key farms, from succulent steaks to savory pork sausage. Order your meat online today for local delivery or shipping at Carter Key. Cotterkey farms.com so at this same Oglaw Commons meeting, there was a man that spoke from Tucson, Arizona, where they have developed cutouts in their streets and so that they can utilize the isn't that cool? Floodwater. And my street is a pathway for a what was once supply lake, which is now just a holding point for water to get gross and mosquito breeding grounds. Right. So I was so intrigued by that. And then we visited a home where they actually put in a underground tank. So it's like 9ft of it's underground and then 3ft above ground. And where the water would come down past their house between them and their neighbor. They're capturing that because it was get so much water that it would actually flood over the fence. So I wonder if you have like any thoughts on creative ways that we can be better at utilizing that water that goes straight to that lake and then it just evaporates if, I mean, like. And then it's just, you know, what can we do? Like, I'd love to be able to access that, you know, so at all.
[00:26:58] Speaker C: The school gardens where funding and other resources and administrative support is available, we actually have rainwater catchment systems. So where I have the after school garden program has an 1100 gallon tank that catches any drop of water that touches 2500 square feet of their roof. But the cool thing was, and we had to get creative here. And I'm talking elementary school student creative here.
[00:27:23] Speaker B: Oh, wow.
[00:27:24] Speaker C: The building, Lubbock ISD did not want their buildings touched because of the age of the building. And they're trying to maintain its integrity. So we had to install this system completely externally and it had to run off its own. So they don't have actual gutters. They've got internal gutters and downspouts that come in the building. So we attached there. But in order to pump then the water up into the tank, we had to install solar panels that generate its own electricity because again, we couldn't get into the building that send the electricity down to a massive battery tank that stores all the energy and then turns on the pumps whenever we have rain. And so where I'm going with all of this is this garden has its own irrigation system hooked up to regular city water.
[00:28:13] Speaker B: Right.
[00:28:14] Speaker C: But when there's enough water in the tank and I have it set, the city water turns off, and you then actually, the system turns on and uses the rainwater, and then once it hits a certain level again, it turns it back off and turns the city water back on.
[00:28:29] Speaker B: So do you have any numbers on, like how much, how many gallons per square foot of roof? Yes, I love these numbers.
[00:28:39] Speaker C: I do not have it on me.
[00:28:40] Speaker B: But, yes, I do have it. Yes, it's, it's kind of shocking. Yeah, it really is. And you can actually see a system, a rain catchment system, at the ranching heritage center. The Hank the cow dog exhibit has one on the shed, one of the sheds in Sallie Mae's house, her kitchen and things. And I. That's not awesome.
[00:29:01] Speaker C: The city of Lubbock Water utilities department.
[00:29:04] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:29:05] Speaker C: So it's also attached to lp and l just so you know. But the water department is fabulous. They have a rain water garden with a rainwater catchment system hooked up to it. So you can actually, it's designed to catch and pool all the water from the parking lot and from the building. And also high Plains Water District, which is over off of 29th NQ, also has a rainwater garden right off of Kew in an area where that typically floods. So if you look and if you, I mean, it's not like these guys have signage up, necessarily. And so that makes it hard for the general public to understand what they're looking at. But there is a lot of different organizations around town doing things like that. And I will also say that there are obviously, those folks are like minded and water conservation.
[00:29:55] Speaker B: Right, right.
[00:29:56] Speaker C: High Plains Water district and city of Lubbock water utilities department. But there are private organizations and companies around town that are also taking notice. There are a couple down 34th street, just where we are.
[00:30:10] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:30:10] Speaker C: I will not call out names, but.
[00:30:13] Speaker B: Maybe we should reward them. Yes.
[00:30:16] Speaker C: I also serve on the Keep Lubbock beautiful board. And we do. We hand out an annual landscape recognition award. And two of those businesses were recognized last year for their water. Conservative landscapes.
[00:30:29] Speaker B: Well, I know that there is a beautiful landscape next to Indiana and 34th.
[00:30:39] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:30:39] Speaker B: Just west of there, maybe it might be on the south side of the road.
So if you ever drive by. Okay. I mean, yeah, because they have a lot of I've noticed, like, when they planted that, I remember it was about ten years ago when I. The first time I noticed. And now, like, those desert willows are really big.
[00:31:04] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:05] Speaker B: So they planted a lot of natives there. Which was really intriguing at that time to me.
[00:31:09] Speaker C: Pretty cool.
[00:31:10] Speaker B: Yes, very cool.
[00:31:11] Speaker C: One other thing I think would be really helpful and that I've seen in other places across Texas, especially for not only beautifying our city, but helping with the heat island effect and pollinators. Just all the different things.
Planting Armenians instead of just having either empty sidewalks or whatever else is in the middle. And I know that down along 19th street, kind of in between university and Indiana, they've done a lot of construction. And that median is planted.
[00:31:45] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:31:46] Speaker C: And while I applaud the efforts and the forethought, I think with how it was done, you can spot every single weed and then it turns people off.
[00:31:57] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:31:58] Speaker C: There are other municipalities across Texas. Carrollton and Richardson come to mind. They actually market that. And they call it wildflower days, where they don't mow it and they let the flowers bloom. And, yes, here's a. And here, most of our wildflowers are weeds.
[00:32:19] Speaker A: Yes, they are.
[00:32:19] Speaker C: But if you don't mow them, they will then flower. And they're pretty. So imagine if we just kind of let that stuff go for a couple of weeks. And we marketed it properly and we told people, hey, we're enjoying the flowers, instead of, hey, look at our weeds.
[00:32:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:32:33] Speaker C: Right. And so that also might change people's mentalities as to what green open spaces or city maintained spaces should look like.
[00:32:43] Speaker A: So.
[00:32:43] Speaker C: And then it'll spill over into their yards as well. If you're using native wildflowers.
[00:32:47] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:32:48] Speaker C: They're adapted to our low water.
[00:32:49] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:32:50] Speaker C: Like, they're happy here.
[00:32:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:32:51] Speaker B: Well, and I have, I have a bed that I've been experimenting with for the last several years using seed from Bamart seed company and milshi and great.
[00:33:01] Speaker C: Guys, by the way.
[00:33:01] Speaker B: Oh, they. Yes, absolutely wonderful people. So I've had minimal success, I would say. And part of it is because shade, you know, but I have been. I'm not giving it any water just to see, you know. And so during the summer, I have to do some watering.
[00:33:21] Speaker A: You know what I mean?
[00:33:22] Speaker C: What seeds are talking about here?
[00:33:23] Speaker B: So they are a mix of native grasses and wildflower mix is what they are. And so, and it's been interesting to see, like, one year something comes up, then, like, the next year it doesn't come up. And then something else comes up and this year there's a whole lot of something I can't remember now what it is. I know what it is. I can't remember right off my head.
[00:33:45] Speaker C: But, but that's because they're adapted for this area and they know to only come up when their conditions are right. So there, something's not going to come up and be like, oh, it's too hot this year and die.
[00:33:57] Speaker B: Right.
[00:33:58] Speaker C: It already knows. Like, hey, the conditions last year, year, we're not great. And so I'm going to stay dormant and sit and wait for it or something has triggered me. Hey, I have had that temperature low that I needed in the winter to go ahead and germinate or, hey, I have met my threshold for moisture levels. So I'm going to go ahead and germinate and come up. And so, yes, with those types of mixes that are, again, natively correct, you're going to see diversity in different things.
[00:34:22] Speaker B: Every year, which is fabulous, which is how it should be.
[00:34:25] Speaker A: So.
[00:34:25] Speaker B: And I don't even, this is a silly question, but I don't even know if is there water available in those medians like on 19th or is, are they all going to be dependent on rainwater?
[00:34:36] Speaker C: I think it's site specific, obviously. And so I believe, don't quote me on this. I have seen guys out there like landscaper crew type guys or it could have been road guys because again, lots of construction all the time. I'm just trying to not hit anybody if I'm being completely, I'm just.
[00:34:54] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:34:54] Speaker C: Yeah. But I think they do have drip irrigation to those beds.
[00:34:58] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:34:59] Speaker C: But again, that's because they're trying to get new landscape materials established. Right.
[00:35:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:35:06] Speaker C: And again, while they've done a fabulous job picking out plants and that kind of thing, some of those plants are natively adapted and not true natives, which is fine. Which is fine. But it takes a lot more maintenance than it would be if you had just put while seeds down one of.
[00:35:22] Speaker B: The things that I was in South Dakota or North Dakota. North Dakota. Last year. I was in both last year. I remember which one was.
[00:35:31] Speaker A: So.
[00:35:32] Speaker B: And they do what they call beetle bumps. So they take native shrubs and grass and they group them in clusters of like five, three to five.
[00:35:44] Speaker C: Yeah. Always odd numbers.
[00:35:46] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:35:47] Speaker C: Design.
[00:35:48] Speaker B: Yes, exactly.
[00:35:49] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:35:49] Speaker B: So because they will attract beetles, which there's millions of kinds of beetles.
[00:35:55] Speaker A: So.
[00:35:55] Speaker B: And now they've gotten to where they will go a beetle bump to a beetle berm. And so farmers are actually putting these beetle because they're predator. They're predators to insects that would affect their crops.
[00:36:09] Speaker C: That's cool.
[00:36:09] Speaker B: So they're putting these beetle berms now, you know, encircling their crops basically with it.
[00:36:15] Speaker C: Huh.
[00:36:16] Speaker B: To attract. And it's, it's really fascinating. Really interesting, really cool.
[00:36:20] Speaker C: And I haven't heard of that term or that as a, an ag, technology advancement. Well, this area. But that's, I mean, local gardeners and gardeners in general already do some of that kind of. Right. Ladybugs?
[00:36:34] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:36:35] Speaker B: Right.
[00:36:35] Speaker C: And I know that everybody thinks they're polite and they're cute. Little lady. No, they are ferocious monster eaters. And so we do that, right. We bring ladybugs or we try to attract ladybugs to our gardens to eat aphids.
But I had never heard of, like, creating bumps or like.
[00:36:50] Speaker A: Yes, I know.
[00:36:51] Speaker B: It's interesting. I will look that up.
[00:36:52] Speaker C: Of course.
[00:36:52] Speaker B: I know that they, you know, they get, they have soil moisture that we don't have, you know, but, you know, it doesn't mean that we can't necessarily, you know, just another advantage for growing those things. So you're providing a habitat for predator insects.
[00:37:09] Speaker C: That's cool.
[00:37:09] Speaker B: I appreciate that. One more question about this. You know, we were talking about water conservation, and how do we, are we using in our homes, on our yards and these places, the medians that you're talking about, do we need to justify the use of the water? Or is it something that is kind of like an essential use for us? Does that make sense?
[00:37:36] Speaker C: Sure. Yeah. So I think what you're asking is, would it make a big enough impact to use the water to grow plants in areas where we're currently not growing plants?
[00:37:46] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:37:47] Speaker C: And my answer would be yes. So, a, we need everybody that is already using water to be using their water properly.
Again, the city of Lubbock updated their water rules. They went into effect on April 1 for springtime watering. Side note, and all of their restrictions or rules, nobody is supposed to be watering on Sundays. If you look at it, nobody. Nobody has permission to be watering on Sundays. And yet, when I'm on my way to church, I see water all over the place. So again, we just need folks to use the water they're using now, using properly.
But as I talked about the heat island effect, you know, lowering our air temperature lowers the chance of severe storms. It helps wildlife.
Nobody needs to live in 15 to 20 degree warmer environments than we have.
[00:38:43] Speaker B: To because we're already hot as it is.
[00:38:46] Speaker C: And plants, like I said, they help our air quality, they help on rental health. Just all the way around. So in my opinion.
[00:38:54] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:38:55] Speaker C: I would rather know that we're doing our best to reduce heat bouncing.
[00:39:04] Speaker B: Right.
[00:39:05] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:39:06] Speaker B: You know, one of the other things that, where I saw the demonstration of these beetle bumps, they was. It was a demonstration farm.
[00:39:13] Speaker C: That's cool.
[00:39:15] Speaker B: Well, their version of agri life. Right. And an extension farm. And they had all of the trees that their soil and water conservation district cells cool out.
Just they're growing out there so that people can see what they look like at different stages. Pretty cool in their environment, which I thought was a really great idea. Yes.
[00:39:35] Speaker C: Well, we have something very similar to that here. The Lubbock Memorial arboretum.
[00:39:40] Speaker B: Yes, that's right.
[00:39:41] Speaker C: There's tons of trees. Now, I will also add that over the years, because the arboretum has been there since the late fifties.
[00:39:49] Speaker B: Right.
[00:39:50] Speaker C: We have had some experiments, as you will. So there are some trees out there that you wouldn't think grow here, but you can. It's a great example to go see what to plant and what not to plant. The Lubbockmaster Gardener association also has their demonstration garden out there.
[00:40:06] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:40:07] Speaker C: It opened last summer, and currently they are on phase one. It is demonstrations of different kinds of themed raised beds.
[00:40:16] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:40:17] Speaker C: Super cool. And again, anywhere from pollinator gardens to vegetable gardens to flower gardens to hydroponic gardens. And phase two, fingers crossed, funding comes through, will be a big greenhouse propagation greenhouse as part of phase two of their demonstration garden.
Another spot, if folks are wanting to physically go see how things are growing around town, the Texas tech greenhouse and gardens on campus go on a weekend or during the summer when school is out because parking. But again, another great spot to go lay eyes and hands on trees, plants, flowers, see what they're looking like and how they're growing.
[00:41:00] Speaker B: Great idea.
[00:41:01] Speaker C: Yeah, there's, there's lots of different examples out there. But again, you just kind of have to know what you're looking at.
[00:41:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:41:06] Speaker C: So if anybody has any questions, they can always contact me.
[00:41:10] Speaker B: How would they get a hold of you?
[00:41:11] Speaker C: Sure. So my office phone number is 806-775-1740 that would be the best way. I'll give you my email off there because it's really long, and we'll put.
[00:41:24] Speaker B: That in the notes, the show notes and all that kind of stuff.
[00:41:26] Speaker C: Yeah, but if you call the office and say, hey, I need Christina reid's email, they'll give it to you.
[00:41:30] Speaker A: That's awesome.
[00:41:31] Speaker B: That's great. Well, I really appreciate you spending time with us today.
[00:41:34] Speaker C: Yeah, thanks for having me. This was fun.
[00:41:37] Speaker B: Just so excited about what you're doing at the fair, and I learned a ton.
[00:41:41] Speaker C: Yeah. Thank you.
[00:41:42] Speaker B: I just really appreciate your efforts.
[00:41:44] Speaker C: Yeah, well, there's a lot of folks, and so I try my best, and I think we're making a difference.
[00:41:50] Speaker B: So before we go, can you give us a list of, like, maybe your top five natives that you would, if you tell somebody, these are the five that I would get.
[00:42:00] Speaker C: Okay, so natives to lubbock, or can we just do, like, natives to the region?
[00:42:05] Speaker B: Natives to the region. Cool.
[00:42:07] Speaker C: So my first one would be an ocotillo cactus. They're beautiful, and I have seen them in full bloom after a light desert rainstorm down in Big Bend.
[00:42:18] Speaker B: And they are gorgeous.
[00:42:18] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:42:19] Speaker C: So ocotillos, black eyed susans, or rutabekia, and any of the different varieties that they have are great.
So that's number two. Number three would be flax. So there's a blue and a red flax that are gorgeous wildflowers.
Number four would be probably the mallow prairie wine cup, only because it is a beautiful fuchsia, and it plays really pretty against the evening primrose, which is the light pink. And so if you look at it.
[00:42:51] Speaker B: What'S coming up, major in mice, that is what is really all over my little experiment garden, although it's sick. Well, so we'll talk about that off camera.
[00:43:02] Speaker C: Yeah, off camera, yes.
But I think the purple wine cup, like I said, mallow, it plays really pretty up against the light pink primrose.
And that was number four. Number five. Let's see here. Blue grammagrass, just because.
[00:43:17] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:43:17] Speaker C: It's really.
[00:43:18] Speaker B: So people wanted to get away from Bermuda grass in their yard, what would you do?
Would you get away from Bermuda grass?
[00:43:24] Speaker C: Yes, absolutely. My answer is always, yes.
[00:43:26] Speaker A: Yeah. Yes. Fescue. Ooh.
[00:43:29] Speaker C: Well, so, fescue, you would only typically have in this area because you have.
[00:43:34] Speaker B: A lot of shade.
[00:43:35] Speaker C: And so people have a hard time having empty lawns. And I get that. I am one of those people. I have nine trees on my neighborhood lot. And so, anyway, it just is what it is. But if you're trying to get away from turf grass in general, the answer is always to add landscape beds with different kinds of mulches and different styles of plants, less to water.
[00:43:57] Speaker B: Right.
[00:43:58] Speaker C: Or again, if you're able, artificial turf is always a great alternative. If you absolutely have to have the green.
[00:44:05] Speaker A: Yeah, we.
[00:44:06] Speaker C: So here in west Texas, we have that mindset of, like, we have to have green light.
[00:44:10] Speaker A: So.
[00:44:10] Speaker B: But does that not add to the heat?
[00:44:12] Speaker C: It does, but it conserves water. So just depending on if you have a heavily shaded lot and you absolutely need to look out your law, your windows and see green artificial turf time.
[00:44:24] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:44:25] Speaker C: But way better than the water needed and the chemical outputs needed for fescue.
[00:44:30] Speaker B: Okay, well, this has triggered all of my add, and so now I'm ready to, like, hyper focus on doing something different with my lawn, so.
[00:44:37] Speaker C: Well, thank you for having me. This was super fun.
[00:44:39] Speaker A: Thanks.
[00:44:39] Speaker B: I appreciate it. And thank you, friends, for joining us again for conservation stories. We'll see you next time.
We had so much fun visiting today with Christina Reed and learned so much about what was happening that we decided to add another series in our podcast, episodes, which we are calling what's growing on. So be looking for those to be released in the coming weeks about all the events and things that are happening in the Lubbock region.
