Tip of the Week: Adding Organic Matter to Soil

Fall is an excellent time to incorporate organic matter into your garden soil and can often come in the form of fallen leaves, which seem to be never ending this time of year. If leaves are not easily available to you, you may want to consider coffee grounds, wood chips/sawdust, your last grass clippings and/or manure.

"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

Solving Spooky Composting Mysteries

Don't let those frightening smells or creepy pests keep you from being a successful composting queen or king! Fall is the perfect time to start up a compost pile (or add to what you already have). The chart below offers up USU Extension's simple solutions to common compost problems.

Winter Cover Crops

Have you considered growing a winter cover crop? If so, now is the time to pull those dwindling warm season annuals out of your beds and start seeding. Cover crops can be very beneficial to an organic grower in a variety of ways: they provide year-round habitat for beneficial insects, added nutrients back to the soil when incorporated in the spring (green manure) & they keep those empty beds from becoming overgrown with weeds!


"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" 

Tip of the Week: 5 tips on Growing Garlic in the Garden

NOW is the time to start thinking about planting garlic in your garden. Garlic is a hardy perennial that prefers full sun and fertile, well drained soils with plenty of organic matter & it's tasty!

This Week: Fun fall classes.

Event Registration

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.

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 

Tip of the Week: Planning and Planting for Fall Harvest

The temperatures are high and the sweat beads up on your brow if you even think about your garden, but maybe planning for fall crops will help bring cooling thoughts!

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

For more information about correctly timing your seeding and transplants check out this Fact Sheet-"Planting Vegetables Midsummer for a Fall Harvest."

A gardeners work is never done, but it's always fun!

Tip of the Week: Powdery Mildew

The Utah Pest team is just released their latest "Vegetable IPM Advisory" which included some great information about Powdery Mildew. This foliar disease is very common in our area, but can be easily avoided with some simple irrigation changes.

What to look for: 

"Cucurbit powdery mildew is showing up on vine crops, especially where plants are crowded or running together. This foliar disease first appears as small circular lesions located randomly on the leaf surface or on petioles. As the infection continues, leaves turn yellow and become distorted. 

Fruits are usually not directly affected, but yield and flavor can be reduced.This disease thrives in humid and shady environments under moderate temperatures (up to 80o F)." -Utah Pest Team

"Severe powdery mildew infection can result in yield loss.  Both powdery mildews cause damage to the plants by reducing photosynthesis.  Once the leaves are covered with white mycelium, they absorb less sunlight and are not able to produce enough sugars to sustain plant and fruit growth.  In addition, heavily infected leaves become necrotic (turn brown and die) and fall off, which can result in sunburn of fruit. " -Claudia Nischwitz, USU Plant Pathologist

Gardening Practices:

"Powdery mildew is favored by dew, intermittent rain, or sprinkler irrigation. Maintaining conditions that favor rapid drying of foliage will help reduce the incidence of disease. Susceptible flowers should be planted in open areas where they will not be crowded and where they are exposed to the sun. Plants in shade are more prone to mildew than those growing in the sun. Prune during the summer to thin out any dense foliage. This will increase aeration within the plant canopy. Avoid sprinkling at night during the month of August and September. Instead, soak the soil under plants as needed." -Utah Pest Team

Chemical Options:

If you find that a fungicide is necessary to control your outbreak, here are some suggestions from the Vegetable Advisory: 

• Commercial growers: potassium bicarbonate (Kaligreen, Milstop), horticultural oil (Sporatec), sulfur (Cosavet, Kumulus, Microthiol Disperss), Bacillus subtilis (Serenade, Cease, Rhapsody)
• Residential growers: horticultural oil (Monterey Garden Spray), sulfur (Bayer Natria, Bonide), myclobutanil (Spectracide Immunox).
• Note: Do not use oil and sulfur within two weeks of each other, and do not spray when temperatures are over 90o F.

To read more click here

USU Salt Lake County Extension announcest Irrigation Workshop!

 

Tip of the Week: Cabbage Aphids

APHIDS. They suck. We all know they exist, but did you know there were so many different types? The one recently being reported on in the latest Utah Pest-Vegetable Advisory is the the CABBAGE APHID.

"Cabbage aphid are easy to identify as they have a white waxy coating. These aphids commonly occur in dense colonies, often covered with waxy droplets.

Aphid feeding causes a localized yellowing of the foliage, leaf cupping and stunting of smaller plants. They generally do not cause reductions in yield, but they tend to move deep into head-forming crucifers, thus making the harvested portion of the crop unmarketable." -Utah Pest Team

To manage the cabbage aphid, keep colonies of less than 100 aphids per plant up to heading. Check the youngest, highest and innermost leaves of young plants and pull back wrapper leaves of cabbage. Once heads begin to form you must control aphids! This can be achieved with an application of insecticidal soap. 

For more information on controlling cabbage aphids click here!

Tip of the Week: Flea Beetles

There are two common species of flea beetles (the tobacco flea beetle and the western flea beetle) that are now actively feeding now on a variety of crops including: cabbage, radishes, eggplant, melons, peppers, potatoes, spinach, rutabagas, parsnips, collards, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, beets tomatoes and turnips.


"Adult beetles, which produce most plant injuries, chew many small holes or pits in the leaves which produces a characteristic injury known as 'shotholing'. Young plans and seedlings are particularly susceptible to this type of injury; growth may be seriously retarded and plants may even die."

To manage flea beetles in your yard, a foliar spray may be applied. "Since plants produce continuous new growth and the highly mobile beetles can rapidly re-invade, insecticides usually have to be reapplied after a week."-Utah Pest Advisory

Residential growers: carbaryl (Sevin), spinosad (Green Light, Monterey Garden Spray), neem oil and diatomaceous earth.

To read more on the tobacco and western flea beetles click HERE

New 2014 Guide to Utah Vegetable Production by USU Extension

Utah Vegetable Production and Pest Management Guide 2014

This new guide includes organic techniques as well as conventional. Make sure to check out the biological and mechanical control options when dealing with weeds and garden pests!

The best part it that it's FREE to download!

Meals Plus coverage on Good 4 Utah

One more clip from the MealsPlus launch yesterday!

Meals Plus Garden

Meals Plus Garden out at Wheeler Historic Farm

We have had some exciting local media coverage this week! USU Extension-Salt Lake has teamed up with SLCO-Aging Services to help provide fresh fruits and vegetables to home-bound seniors through a new program called MealsPlus. This program supplements the already nutritious meals provided to seniors thorough the Meals on Wheels program.

Many community partners are what make this program a big success. From USU Extension's commitment to maintaining a garden at Wheeler Historic Farm, to local commercial growers donating produce to volunteers helping package shares this is truly a community effort!

Should I soil test? Yes!

Every spring the Extension office fills with gardeners bringing in samples of their problematic garden soil asking to have it tested. While we don't have a lab here in Salt Lake, we can easily assist them with sending the sample to the Utah State University Analytical Lab in Logan. Soil test are important in helping gardeners understand their soil and the impacts soil has on plant growth and health. This can be of even more value to organic growers because starting with a healthy soil can help you avoid a lot of other issues that can arise later in the season (often requiring chemical fixes).

Sampling soil can be as easy as 1, 2 3:

STEP 1. Download the form:

• http://www.usual.usu.edu/forms/soilform.pdf

STEP 2. Follow the instructions on how to collect your sample (on pg 2) and place 2 cups of soil in a ziplock bag. Next, place sample in a Priority Mail Flat Rate box addressed to USU Analytical Labs.

USU Analytical Labs

Soil Testing Lab

9400 Old Main Hill

Logan, UT 84322

STEP 3. Fill out the form with your information, include a check or cashier check in the amount stated on the form and place it in the mail!

If you need assistance in interpreting your soil test results please see the fact sheet below or drop by and talk to your County Extension Agent.

http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/AG_Soils_2008-01pr.pdf

Tip of the Week: Things to Consider When Using Organic Fertilizers.

Most fertilizers are labeled with a sequence of numbers detailing the percentage of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P2O5) and potash (K2O) they contain. For example, a complete inorganic fertilizer containing all three may be labeled 16-16-8, meaning it contains 16% nitrogen, 16% phosphate and 8% potash. 

Not all fertilizers are considered equal, especially when comparing inorganic and organic options. Some major things to remember when picking out an organic fertilizer are:

• Organic fertilizers are not typically synthesized and available for immediate uptake by plants.

• Organic fertilizers are usually dependent on microorganisms to break them down, so soil health and preparation are important.

• Manure alone will not provide plants all the nutrients they need. Sometimes it takes an entire season before the nutrients in manure are available for plant uptake. Plus manures are often high in salts!

• Most organic fertilizers have much lower analysis than the inorganic options so direct substitution is challenging. The amount of fertilizer you apply and how often you apply it will need to be correctly calculated!

For more information on:

How to pick out an ORGANIC fertilizer 

How to correctly calculate the application rate 

Average nutrient concentrations in organic materials 

Please visit this USU Extension FACTSHEET

For information on organic product availability and certification visit WWW.OMRI.ORG

Happy Gardening!

Pollinator Week

Limiting use of insecticides is a really important part of protecting our pollinators!

Happy #PollinatorWeek everyone.

A Guide for Growing Organic in Utah!

This new guide from Utah State University Extension is a compilation of information from specialist and faculty. It covers everything from soil preparation, fertilizer recommendations to weed and pest control! If you are gardening organically in Utah, you need this guide!

"A Guide to Common ORGANIC Gardening Questions" is now available for purchase online and in most county Extension offices. 

Tip of the Week: Peach Leaf Curl

This rainy weather that has parked over the Salt Lake Valley partnered with our cool temperatures has created the perfect conditions for the peach leaf curl disease to infect your peach trees.

"Peach leaf curl is a fungal-caused, sporadic disease that we typically only see in backyard trees or smaller orchards. It affects leaves as they are expanding, leading to puckering, distortion, and discoloration of the foliage.

The optimal conditions for infection are at least 12 hours of rain at temperatures below 61°F."

For more symptom descriptions see the latest Tree Fruit Advisory at .http://utahpests.usu.edu/IPM/files/uploads/AdvisoryUpdates/Advisory14/Fruit-IPM-04-26-14.pdf

"Unfortunately, there is nothing to do at this time of year to prevent or cure an infection, should it become apparent. Affected leaves can be removed from the area to reduce the presence of the fungus. The optimal time to treat for peach leaf curl is a single application of a fixed copper at leaf fall. This application should cover the entire tree, as the fungus survives as spores on the tree bark." -Marion Murray, Utah State University Extension, Utah Pest Team.

To find a fixed copper product that is USDA Certified Organic visit the Organic Materials Review Institute at OMRI