To Register Click HERE
The Organic Forecast
Forecasting seasonally relevant information to help you succeed in growing organically.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
2015 Urban & Small Farms Conference
Are you interested in learning more about growing organically in Utah? Do you have interest in selling items locally and need help marketing your products? If so, this is the place to be! This two day event will cover topics like commercial production, irrigation options, land leasing and agritourism. Early bird pricing is $30 dollars per day (or $50 for 2 days) if you sign up before Feb. 10th, 2015. For more information contact Salt Lake County Extension office at 385-468-4824.
To register please visit Eventbrite @ Urban and Small Farms Conference Registration
For a draft of the program visit: diverseag.org
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Viridian Event Center, West Jordan, UT, USA
Monday, November 17, 2014
Tip of the Week: Adding Organic Matter to Soil

"Organic matter is THE best amendment for any soil type. It increases soil moisture retention, improves soil structure and decreases soil compaction." -Katie Wagner, USU Extension
Over the winter months these materials will start to break down, and come early spring, decomposition will be well under way putting you lengths ahead of others who don't start adding these materials until right before they plant!
Remember decomposition often means a depletion of nitrogen in the soil, so it's best to get this process going BEFORE you start planting those nitrogen loving garden plants. "The addition of too much organic matter in one application can throw off the ratio between carbon and nitrogen (C:N ratio) in the soil. If the C:N ratio in the soil exceeds 25:1; soil microorganisms will scour the soil in search of nitrogen. Soil microorganisms need both carbon and nitrogen to survive. Therefore, if the soil carbon content greatly exceeds the soil nitrogen content, microbes will consume soil nitrogen causing plants to become deficient in nitrogen." -- A Guide to Common Organic Gardening Questions
So get a jump start on your spring garden before the snow falls. Because.......if you build it THEY will come!
For even more tips on improving your Garden Soil click HERE
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Solving Spooky Composting Mysteries
Monday, September 29, 2014
Winter Cover Crops

"Winter cover crops will not take any space out of production and should only be used in beds that will be planted with warm season crops. Ideally they should be seeded between August and early October, depending on location. If the cover crop is planted late the seedling rate should be increased. Most crops need about 30-40 days to germinate and grow before a frost." -Marion Murray, USU Extension IPM Project Leader.
Winter Annual Cover Crops to consider
- Hairy Vetch
- Winter Wheat
- Winter Rye
- Red Clover
- Austrian Winter Pea
- Pacific gold Mustard
- Forage Radish
For more information on seeding, managing and irrigating cover crops see these resources from USU Extension.
USU Fact sheet "Cover Crops for Utah Gardens"
USU Fact sheet "Using Winter Grain as a Cover Crop in the Home Garden"
2012 Utah Pests Newsletter "Winter Cover Crops for Plant & Soil Health"
USU Extension Book "A Guide to Common Organic Gardening Questions"
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Tip of the Week: 5 tips on Growing Garlic in the Garden

Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Attracting Lacewings to your garden.
We are loving the Natural Enemy Spotlight that has been showing up in our USU seasonal "Vegetable IPM Advisory" as of late! The most recent introduction is the Lacewing.
"Lacewings are generalist predators and are commonly found in agricultural, landscape, and garden habitats. Most species of lacewing adults are predaceous, while others feed strictly on honeydew, nectar, and pollen. Larvae prey upon a wide variety of small insects including mealybugs, psyllids, thrips, mites, whiteflies, aphids, small caterpillars, leafhoppers, and insect eggs."
Here are some tips on how to attract them to your landscape:
For the the full IPM Advisory click HERE
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Photo Credit: Ozan Uzel |
"Lacewings are generalist predators and are commonly found in agricultural, landscape, and garden habitats. Most species of lacewing adults are predaceous, while others feed strictly on honeydew, nectar, and pollen. Larvae prey upon a wide variety of small insects including mealybugs, psyllids, thrips, mites, whiteflies, aphids, small caterpillars, leafhoppers, and insect eggs."
Here are some tips on how to attract them to your landscape:
- Start with using as many different native plants as you can. Try to incorporate native flowering plants in addition to the fancy varieties
- Plan for nectar and pollen availability all summer long. Seek out plants that have long-lived blooms so that adult natural enemies always have access to food. Consider using flowers that bloom at different times of the year for continuous pollen production.
- Natural enemies might initially be attracted to an area because of the available pollen and nectar, but will not necessarily stay. In general, predatory insects like to reproduce and generate offspring near a generous food supply of other insects. For example, lacewings like to lay their eggs on plants that are infested with aphids because it ensures the offspring will have food to eat when they hatch into larvae.
- Avoid using broad spectrum insecticides whenever possible, because they can kill beneficial insects too. -Bonnie Bunn, Utah State University Extension, Vegetable IPM Associate
For the the full IPM Advisory click HERE
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Tip of the Week: Planning and Planting for Fall Harvest

Midsummer is the best time to start planting hardy vegetables for fall harvest. "Flavor-conscious gardeners will appreciate the exceptional quality of vegetables that ripen in the bright days and brisk nights of autumn. Vegetables that mature in the fall are typically milder and sweeter than those that mature in the heat of summer."-Dennis Worwood
Here are some of the recommended fall crops for our area:
- Beets
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Radish
- Peas
- Turnip
A gardeners work is never done, but it's always fun!
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