Blog - The Organic Forecast

April 5, 2020

April Showers Bring May Flowers!

Spring is officially right around the corner and with Mother’s Day just shy of a month away, our last spring frost for 2018 is almost history! It’s time to hit the garden shoveling, pulling, planting, fertilizing, composting or whatever else lands you in your happy place. Personally, I’m excited about some new raised bed gardens…

March 29, 2020

A New Threat on the Horizon

I understand, the last thing you need is more bad news. But there is a new pest in town, and it is a bad one. This threat is not viral, its an insect – specifically a beetle. And it’s name…the Japanese Beetle. It’s time to educate ourselves on the Japanese Beetle. Check out these recent…

March 22, 2020

Your Corona Virus Checklist

USU Extension has put together a really helpful site on all things Coronavirus – from parenting to food to mental and emotional well being to finances. And remember, gardening is excellent therapy too! USU Extension COVID-19 Resources

March 8, 2020

Keeping Up With Coronavirus

This week has been chaotic to say the least! But the good news is with good food hygine, it is still safe to eat fresh produce and drink water from the tap. Check out this Washington Post article about food safety and coronavirus and relax, you’ve got this! Food Safety and Coronavirus

Snow Melt Reveals Hidden Garden Treasures

It may still be February, but it is not too early to investigate around the garden for early signs of growth! Honestly, one of the greatest joys of gardening is looking forward to something new all year long. Sometimes gardeners forget ‘year-round’ includes the winter months as well, and it is certainly fun to see…

February 29, 2020

Fruit Tree Pruning and Tree and Shrub Pruning Hand-outs

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February 23, 2020

The Garden Professors

If you have never visited the Garden Professors blog, you really should. I love their motto “advancing the science of gardening and other stuff since 2009”! The garden professors never shy away from a good garden controversy and are quick to help us all understand why some home garden remedies are just bad advice (scientifically…

February 14, 2020

Pruning Fruit Trees: Clip with Confidence!

Correctly pruning fruit trees can lead to healthier trees that produce more quality fruit! Who doesn’t want that? Here at the Organic Forecast we want share tips on how to correctly prune as far and wide as possible. We promise pruning doesn’t have to be complicated! You can clip with confidence with some simple resources…

February 9, 2020

Garden Safe De-icing Products for Sidewalks and Driveways

Wow, what a wet, wonderful winter we have had so far in the Salt Lake Valley! Skiers and snowboarders love it, but homeowners sometimes loathe it – shovel after shovel load of winter wonderland! Streets can be difficult to maintain and driving/walking conditions slippery which brings up a concern for gardeners – deicing salts. Salts…

February 2, 2020

It’s All About Soil Structure!

We have started our 2020 Master Gardener training in Salt Lake County and the class just got done talking about soil science. I was reminded of the important relationship between organic matter and soil structure and thought it might be a good idea to re-visit and re-share Dr. Grant Cardon’s Dirt Diggers Digest post on…

text over image of seedlings in seed starting tray

January 26, 2020

Gear-up for the Growing Season – Disease Free!

It is certainly easy to get excited about the up-coming growing season, and indoor seed starting and greenhouse production provides real relief for the wintertime blues. But before you let the intoxication of seed starting mixes and seedling heat mats cloud your better judgement, make sure you take time to practice proper sanitation methods. Nick…

January 19, 2020

The Secret to Immortality is to Keep Growing – It’s Champion, the Gingko Biloba

If you are not familiar with the Gingko biloba, or Maidenhair tree, you are missing out! For starters, scientist have found fossils of the species dating back to the time of dinosaurs – Say What??? I found this recent article on CNN.com very interesting. Researchers are beginning to understand how some tree species can live so…

January 12, 2020

Be Legit-Get Equipped! Start Garden Seedlings Indoors

One of the best ways to beat the winter time blues is to start your own garden seedlings indoors. Nothing screams spring like watching your garden plants germinate and grow! Starting seedlings indoors is not hard and does not need to be expensive, but there are some necessary equipment purchases you need to make to…

January 5, 2020

My Heart’s A Flutter

Butterflies are always a delight to spot in the garden and one common Utah visitor is the painted lady butterfly. I thought it might be appropriate to take moment to pause and pay tribute to my lady, the painted lady butterfly. I pulled this segment from the broader June 29, 2019 Utah Pests Landscape IPM…

December 29, 2019

A Giant New Pest of Honeybees

Does a massive 2 inch long hornet sound scary? How about if you were a honeybee? I found this recent article on CNN.com about the Asian giant hornet that has been found hunting honeybees in Washington State. Yikes, watch out honeybees!

December 22, 2019

The Force Be With Yule!

December 15, 2019

Quiz – What Does Air Pollution Have To Do With Bee Foraging?

Well poor air quality days are certainly rough on my lungs but what about the bees? Food for thought – does poor air quality have any effect on bee foraging? According to researchers at Penn State University, the answer is maybe yes – read more in this Fisher Science Education article.

December 8, 2019

Hey Santa, I Want Cosmic Crisp Apples in My Stocking This Year!

I am completely intrigued about a new apple hybrid developed by plant breeders at Washington State University called ‘Cosmic Crisp’! I has a refrigerated shelf life of up to one year and high sugar and acid content. Proponents of the new apple variety at Washington State University are calling it the ‘Queen Bey of apples’! …

December 1, 2019

Utah Pests Quarterly Newsletter

Now that a nice white blanket of snow has covered up all our yard and garden problems, it’s time to catch up on some reading! Enjoy the fall 2019 Utah Pests Quarterly Newsletter – I guarantee you will learn something new! Quiz question, what is push-pull trap cropping? Read to find out!

November 24, 2019

Is the Insect Apocalypse Really Coming?

Okay sure, the media has a tendency to blow things out of proportion sometimes but I found this recent news story from CNN really interesting. Furthermore, it discusses things backyard gardeners – like you – can do to help some insect populations. Enjoy the story and check out this picture of a beneficial insect hotel one of…

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