Maintain and Solve Problems
Garden Help Desk
What Does the Garden Help Desk Do?

Master Gardener volunteers answer local residents’ gardening questions using research-based evidence, training from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and their experience gardening in North Texas. The service is free, and we are happy to help. Please note that Garden Help Desk volunteers are unable to make on-site visits.
Where Can I Find Answers?
We can help you on your gardening journey. Check out our resources to find answers to your questions!
Plans & Designs
Accessible Gardens
Accessible Gardens (Gardening Basics Series)
Children & Gardening
A Child’s First Container Grown Vegetables (Gardening Basics Series)
Do You Believe in Faeries? Create a Garden They Will Love! (Gardening Basics Series)
Engaging Children in Herb Gardening (Gardening Basics Series)
Sensory Gardens (Gardening Basics Series)
Edible Gardens
Foodscaping: A Different Approach to Gardening (Gardening Basics Series)
Herbs for Partial Shade (Gardening Basics Series)
Planting Your First Herb Garden (Gardening Basics Series)
Fire-Wise Landscaping
Landscaping to Reduce Fire Risk (Gardening Basics Series)
Native Gardens
Native Plants for North Texas Landscape (Gardening Basics Series)
Pollinator Gardens
Building a Garden for Pollinators (Gardening Basics Series)
Small Space & Container Gardening
Container Gardening (Gardening Basics Series)
Water-Wise Landscaping
Rain Gardens for North Texas Landscapes (Gardening Basics Series)
Wildlife Gardens
Hummingbird Feeder Plants (Gardening Basics Series)
Landscape Maintenance Is for Living Things (Gardening Basics Series)
Plants That Bring Nature into Your Landscape (Gardening Basics Series)
Grow
Fruits
Fruit Trees for North Texas (Gardening Basics)
Trees & Shrubs
Fruit Trees for North Texas (Gardening Basics)
Growing Azaleas (Gardening Basics Series)
How to Plant a Tree (Gardening Basics Series)
Shrubs (Gardening Basics Series)
Trees – General Information (Garden Basics Series)
Vegetables
Growing Potatoes (Gardening Basics Series)
Vines & Groundcovers
Prepare
Compost and Mulch
All About Lasagna Gardening (Gardening Basics Series)
All About Mulch (Gardening Basics Series)
Composting (Gardening Basics Series)
Composting with Worms (Gardening Basics Series)
Leaves for Mulch and Compost (Gardening Basics Series)
Fertilizer
Understanding Fertilizer Labels (Gardening Basics Series)
Garden Beds
Raised Beds Materials: Galvanized Steel Tanks for Planting Beds
Pest Management (see also Solve Problems)
How to Identify Bugs (Gardening Basics Series)
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) (Gardening Basics Series)
Propagation
Growing Wildflowers from Seed (Gardening Basics Series)
Plant Propagation Introduction (Gardening Basics Series)
Seed Saving (Gardening Basics Series)
Soil
Gardening from the Ground Up (Gardening Basics Series)
Identifying Soil Draining Issues (Gardening Basics Series)
Soil Testing (Gardening Basics Series)
Sunlight
Understanding Sunlight Requirements (Gardening Basics Series)
Tools
Caring for Gardening Tools (Gardening Basics Series)
Gardening Gifts (Gardening Basics Series)
Water
Rainwater Harvesting Information Resources (Gardening Basics Series)
Making a Rain Barrel (AgriLife)
Solve Problems
Animal & Bird Pests
Preventing Bird Damage To Fruits (Garden Basics Series)
Grasses
Turf Inquiry (Gardening Basics Series)
Brown Patch in St. Augustine Grass (Gardening Basics Series)
Brown Patch in Zoysia Grass (Gardening Basics Series)
Insect Pests
Aphid Control in Vegetable Gardens (Gardening Basics Series)
Asian Giant Hornets or Cicada Killers? (Gardening Basics Series)
Bagworms (Gardening Basics Series)
Crapemyrtle Bark Scale (Gardening Basics Series)
Emerald Ash Borer (Gardening Basics Series)
Fall Armyworms (Gardening Basics Series)
Fire Ant Control (Gardening Basics Series)
Grubworks (Gardening Basics Series)
Insect Inquiry (Gardening Basics Series)
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) (Gardening Basics Series)
Oak Gall Insects (Gardening Basics Series)
Pine Bark Beetles (Gardening Basics Series)
Scorpions (Gardening Basics Series)
Spider Mites (Gardening Basics Series)
Twig Girdlers (Garden Basics Series)
Plant Diseases
Black Spot on Roses (Gardening Basics Series)
Blossom End Rot (Gardening Basics Series)
Boxwood Blight (Gardening Basics Series)
Brown Patch in St. Augustine Grass (Gardening Basics Series)
Brown Patch in Zoysia Grass (Gardening Basics Series)
Brown Rot in Plums (Gardening Basics Series)
Cotton Root Rot in Rose of Sharon (Gardening Basics Series)
Dormant Season Fruit & Nut Spraying (Gardening Basics Series)
Fairy Rings in Lawns (Gardening Basics Series)
Plant Identification
Poison Hemlock vs. Wild Carrot (Queen Anne’s Lace) (Gardening Basics Series)
Virginia Creeper vs. Poison Ivy (Gardening Basics Series)
Trees & Shrubs
Tree Inquiry (Gardening Basics Series)
What’s Wrong with My Tree? (Gardening Basics Series)
Weeds
Controlling Dallisgrass (Gardening Basics Series)
Pre-emergence Herbicide in an Established Rose Bed (Gardening Basics Series)
How Do I Get Gardening Help?
There are three ways to ask for help:
- Submit the Request Garden Help Form (preferred method)
- Email us at master.gardener@dentoncounty.gov
- Call 940-349-2892. In your message, please leave your name and email address and for clarity, please spell out both.
Describe the problem or challenge in detail and provide pictures. We will try to answer your questions within three business days by email or phone. Please help us help you by using the clarifying questions in the following documents as you prepare your request about Insects, Trees, and Grass:
Sign Up for Our E-Magazine
Grow Your Skills
Conquer your landscape! Start getting our best how-to advice today. Sign up for our free monthly e-magazine, The Root. Receive expert tips, easy-to-follow plans from experienced gardeners, and learn new techniques you can put into practice right away.