Blog - The Organic Forecast

July 14, 2019

Samurai Wasps Are Finally Here!!!

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as is the case with my 5 year old son. I recently asked him on a play-date with a classmate to name his favorite insect and his response surprised me – he said it was the Samurai wasp. The what you say??? His absorbent little ears heard…

Red, White and Blooms!

Those of you that follow our garden progress at Wheeler Historic Farm are bound to have noticed that the USU Extension Demonstration Teaching Garden is looking ‘bloomtastic’ these days! Flower gardens not only attract pollinators and beneficial insects, but also provide humankind eye-candy with firecrackers of color and texture. Here is a run-down of flowers…

June 30, 2019

It’s Time to Get to Squashing!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but they’re here!!! Pests, Disease and Weeds! The recent Utah Vegetable IPM Advisory covers some of the common actors, thrips, cabbage moths, powdery mildew, and squash bugs – ARGH! Ready the troops, it’s time for combat – see the advisory linked below. Vegetable IPM Pest Advisory

June 23, 2019

Look for Symptoms of Fire Blight in Apple and Pear Trees!!!

Okay, so I normally don’t post on the same blog topic twice in the same spring but we are seeing symptoms of fire blight showing up in pear and apple trees so it’s time to take a close look at your trees NOW!!! Carefully inspect if there is any evidence of browning (apple) or blackening…

June 16, 2019

A New Pest Is Coming – And It’s a Bad One Folks!!!

Last week we hosted the Utah Association of County Agriculture Agents summer meeting in Salt Lake City – at Wheeler Farm to be specific, and we learned about some new and emerging issues, and pests, to be on the look-out for – and this one is a doozy, the Spotted Lanternfly. Albeit beautiful, it is…

June 9, 2019

The New Utah’s Gardening Experts Facebook Group Has Launched!

I’d like to invite you to join our new Facebook Group, Utah’s Gardening Experts. We have nearly 400 members already! The goal of this group is to create a gardening community, provide research-based information, and share new gardening resources from Extension.

May 31, 2019

Fireblight Risk is Extreme!!!

It looks like our bizarre spring weather has thrown us for another loop – apple and pear trees might be exposed to perfect conditions for fireblight infection. Check out this recent notification from the Utah Pests Team – and be on the look-out this year for fireblight infections! Fire Blight Risk on Late Blossoms

May 26, 2019

Do Weeds Leave You Wondering?

The good news is drier, sunny weather is on it’s way. The bad news is, so is a surge in weed growth. Go ahead to block out your weekend calendar for hours spent in the garden pulling baby weed plants! Many gardeners struggle with identification of newly germinated weed plants – but when they are…

May 19, 2019

The New Dirt Diggers Digest Edition on Phosphorus!

It’s hot of the press folks, the most recent edition of Dirt Diggers Digest – and it’s a lot to absorb! Take it away Grant…… “In my last post I discussed the sources and processing of mineral Phosphorus (P) for the many fertilizers available for this critically important plant nutrient. In this post I want…

May 12, 2019

You’re Smart as a Wasp – Hey That’s a Compliment!

It’s hard to comprehend the extent of insect intellect – we certainly blog a lot about it around here! But here’s a new one, wasps, and it turns out wasps are smart, like really smart! Check out this recent story I found on CNN.com – it’s a buzzer! Wasps are smarter than we thought –…

May 3, 2019

May 4th, 2019 Classes at Jordan Valley Conservation Garden Park

Thank you everyone for attending the Organic Vegetable Gardening and/or Herb Gardening classes this past Saturday, May 4th, 2019 at Jordan Valley Conservation Garden Park. As promised, here are the class notes! Basic Organic Gardening Herb Container Gardens Fact Sheet: Herb Container Gardens Growing and Cooking With Herbs pdf

May 2, 2019

Ahhh, the Joys of Growing Fruit!

Coddling moth, gummosis, coryneum blight – what more do I have to say – well, there are updates for this year so if you grow fruit, make sure you read the most recent tree fruit IPM advisory! Tree Fruit IPM Advisory

May 2, 2019

April Showers Bring May Flowers – and Weeds!

Moisture, heat and sunshine cause garden plants to grow – but unfortunately the same is true for weeds! If you’re not careful, your garden might start looking more like an overgrown jungle and less like a properly tended and manicured garden! Early season weed control is really key, and most weeds are easier to extract…

April 20, 2019

2019 Urban Homestead Expo

Thank you to all of you that came and participated in this year’s Urban Homestead Expo! As promised, I uploaded my presentation notes for your reference. We hope you had a great time, learned something and plan to join us again next year! Organic Gardening 2019 Urban Homesteading Expo – Basic Organic Gardening [Compatibility Mode]…

April 15, 2019

Goodbye Winter…Hello Spring?

Let’s face it, the Wasatch Front does not have a terribly long growing season so its sometimes necessary to take advantage of every single possible growing day before harvest to ensure our garden plants are a successful investment of our blood, sweat and tears. I was reading the most recent Utah Pests IPM advisory which…

April 7, 2019

Have You Ever Wondered Where Fertilizer Comes From?….

Have you ever pondered the burning question of who makes or what makes the fertilizer we put on our garden plants? Well, Dr. Grant Cardon, our USU Extension Soil Specialist, has unlocked the mystery for us in his most recent edition of Dirt Digger’s Digest – take it away Grant! Where Does Mineral Fertilizer Phosphorus…

March 31, 2019

Threats to Winter Citrus May Test Acceptance of GMOs by Consumers

Do you love your clementines and cuties in the winter? Have you every heard of citrus greening disease? If you are like me, no winter time trip to the grocery store is absent the purchase of winter citrus – I just love it!!! And loving accessibility to wonderful winter citrus means I am deeply concerned…

March 29, 2019

The Grass is Always Greener – In Your Neighbor’s Yard!

I sincerely hope you have not gassed out on your grass problems – turfgrass is the number one topic of concern from clients who contact our Extension office with gardening inquiries!!! As promised, I provided my presentation slides from Saturday March 30th. Annual Turfgrass Maintenance – JV 2019.pdf Also, I really must stress that the USU…

March 21, 2019

Contain Yourself!

I recently taught a class at the Jordan Valley Conservation Garden Park on container gardening and raised bed gardening and, upon doing some research, rediscovered some really wonderful online resources that I want to make sure to share with everyone! I promised I would upload my slides so you can find them below. Container Gardening…

March 17, 2019

How to Grow Gorgeous Garden Onions!

Spring gardening fever has set in for thousands of gardeners along the Wasatch Front. I can hardly wait to share my own excitement over our newly delivered ‘babies’, also known as Walla Walla onion sets, destined to be planted at Wheeler Historic Farm for our 2019 Senior Center Farmers’ Markets! Onions can be grown from…

July 2019
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