Urban Horticulture Extension
Outreach and Educational Resources for Urban Producers in Many Production Environments
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Urban Horticulture program at Dallas serves urban growers with best practices and information on emerging science and technologies around growing vegetables, leafy greens, and herbs in a host of systems including:
- Hydroponics
- Aquaponics
- Indoor farms
- Open fields
Joe Masabni, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University Department of Horticultural Sciences
Our outreach includes developing online and printed materials for organic and conventional vegetable producers in controlled environments. We also host workshops and conferences, and we assist county extension agents in serving their clients across Texas.
The Vegetable Doctor on YouTube
Joe Masabni, Ph.D., shares his research-based expertise with more than 400 videos on gardening, hydroponics, aquaponics, and controlled environment agriculture.
Who Our Program Reaches
The AgriLife Extension Urban Horticulture program serves the needs of a diverse populace in North Texas and beyond. We focus on opportunities for reaching many people at once.
- Homeowners
- Beginner farmers
- AgriLife Extension county agents
- Master Gardeners
Annual Conference
Our program hosts an annual conference with our colleagues in controlled environment horticulture at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas. Each year, we welcome stakeholders, producers and community partners to learn about the latest research to emerge from our collective efforts at the center.
AgriLife Extension Urban Horticulture Program Goals
- Serve the broad and varying needs of Texas consumers and producers across our areas of expertise.
- Develop timely and relevant online and printed materials for organic and conventional vegetable producers in controlled environments and open fields.
- Provide timely educational and training opportunities.
- Remain at the forefront of producer and consumer education in our fields of expertise.
- Achieve national and international outreach online.
Research
The AgriLife Extension Urban Horticulture Program participates in applied and basic scientific research with our partner research programs at the center in Dallas.
Our current research involves recycling nutrients from fish waste in decoupled aquaponic production to reduce fertilizer demand in hydroponic systems, and evaluating production and profitability of various crops in different hydroponic systems for year-long production in a greenhouse.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
A full selection of peer-reviewed publications by Joe Masabni, Ph.D., is available at TAMU Scholars along with information about researchers and published research across The Texas A&M University System.
Explore Controlled ENvironment Horticulture at Dallas
The AgriLife Extension Urban Horticulture program is part of a comprehensive effort at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas to advance all aspects of crop production in controlled environments — delivering nutritious, delicious, and resilient food crops that are economically and environmentally sustainable.
