Blog - The Organic Forecast

August 13, 2017

That’s a Wrap – National Farmer’s Market Week

With National Farmer’s Market Week in our rear-view mirror we felt it appropriate to share some pictures from our Pop-Up Farmer’s Markets last week! We launched the Pop-Up Farmer’s Market program in 2016 and introduced it to you, our readers, last August in a blog post titled “Farmer’s Markets are Popping Up Everywhere”. We expanded…

books with the words summer reading over top

August 6, 2017

Summer Reading List – Utah Pests Summer Newsletter

Congratulations on surviving the hottest July on record for the Salt Lake area, now may we hope that trend does not continue through August making this the hottest summer on record for this area. Perhaps I can provide an alternative to sweating in the garden with a little summer time reading indoors under air conditioning…

View from top of Albion Basin Road with wildflowers in colorful bloom

July 30, 2017

Explosions of Color!

Now that festivities with fireworks have concluded for the year, it is time to enjoy a different kind of explosive color – wildflower blooms! One of my favorite things to do, period, is to see the wildflower super blooms in the mountains. Right now, Albion Basin is in full splendor and the sea of colors…

Garden at Wheeler Farm - a stop on urban farm tour

July 23, 2017

Inspiration from the NACAA Urban Farming Tour

So, to tell you the truth, I’m still recovering from the 2017 National Association of County Agriculture Agents (NACAA) Conference held July 9th – 13th in Salt Lake City. Personally I had a large planning role with the conference and now that it is over, I am reconnecting with normal work life – whew, feels…

July 16, 2017

New News on Neonicotinoids

The news has been buzzing with stories about possible impacts of neonicotinoids on bees. A new study recently published in Science explores the topic and brings come clarity to the complexity of the issue. Turns out healthy bees fare best, so plant pollinator gardens and feed the bees! Here is a link to a NPR…

July 9, 2017

Walnut Husk Fly

We seriously can’t help ourselves – the Utah Pests team has managed to do it yet again! Check out their latest advisory for information on managing coddling moth, peach twig borer, walnut husk fly and more. As we rapidly approach harvest season, they want to make sure you reap the rewards of all your hard work…

July 2, 2017

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 25, 2017

Watering Woes? Garden Hydration Tips from our Expert!

June has turned out to be HOT, HOT, HOT which means gardeners have to be in tune with the weather to ensure their growing garden plants are well hydrated. Dr. Niel Allen is our irrigation specialist for USU Extension and has the following garden watering guidance for Utah gardens – now Grow Tomatoes Grow! CLICK…

June 18, 2017

This the Season for Pests!

Warm weather brings about bounty in our vegetable gardens and fruit trees which in turn attracts garden pests – lots and lots of garden pests! Successful pest control relies on early detection and proper control methods if necessary. Check out the latest tree fruit and vegetable pest advisories for pests currently on the ‘most wanted’…

June 11, 2017

Top 3 Fun Summer Activities for Gardeners

It’s official, summer is upon us! Here at the Salt Lake County Extension office we recognize the summer season not only from hot temperatures and the last day of school, but by the increased visitors and everyday hustle and bustle that fills our office. We have been busy maintaining gardens, keeping up with pest alerts…

June 4, 2017

The Pests Have Descended Upon Us!

Check out the latest Utah pest advisory for pest management tips for tree fruit. Peach Twig Borer, Backyard Orchard Irrigation Topics covered in this advisory: Woolly apple aphid Peach twig borer Western cherry fruit fly Backyard Orchard Irrigation

May 28, 2017

Showing Gratitude to Salt Lake County Seniors

We are gearing up our garden to grow fresh produce again for Salt Lake County seniors who visit our pop-up farmer’s markets at senior centers this summer. Salt Lake County Master Gardeners are hard at working prepping, planning, and planting our Meals Plus Harvest Garden located at Wheeler Historic Farm. Many thanks to Mountain Valley…

May 21, 2017

Average Last Frost Means Just That – Average!

Okay, so let’s step back for a second and consider what happened this past week – 2 inches of snow on the ground after Mother’s Day? Yep it happened and although atypical for most recent years, snow in May is a real possibility for the Wasatch Front. Hopefully you held off planting your warm season…

May 14, 2017

USU Extension – Hot Topics

Utah State University Extension programming is in full boom! Below you will find information on upcoming events with cutting-edge topics. Biochar According to the USDA ARS website, biochar is “black carbon produced from biomass sources (wood chips, plant residues, manure or other agricultural waste products) for the purpose of transforming the biomass carbon into a more stable form…

May 7, 2017

The Big Day Has Arrived!

You’ve had it marked on the calendar for months, maybe even a whole year. You’ve spent hours planning the details. You’ve estimated the budget, mapped how to get to the venue and charted exactly where everything is to be placed. Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for– time to buy those plants! Spring weddings might…

Flowers with blog entry title- gardening

April 30, 2017

Calling All Gardening Enthusiasts!

If you have ever wanted to be informed, up-to-date, and covered on the latest and greatest gardening info, then this post is for you! Check out the latest pest advisories from the Utah Pests Team and this announcement on an upcoming high tunnel field day in Logan – here at USU Extension, we have you…

April 23, 2017

Make your Own Black Gold at Home – 5 tips for starting a backyard compost pile.

Backyard composting can be an extremely gratifying experience for gardeners – beginning or advanced. Backyard composting provides a means for recycling kitchen and yard waste with an end benefit of a dark brown, humus-rich soil amendment for your garden. Here are 5 tips for successful composting at home! Get going in the spring. Rapid breakdown…

April 16, 2017

Talk About Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

We all know that fresh fruits and vegetables tend to hold a higher price tag then processed food, but can you imagine paying almost $4,400 for one strawberry? Luxury fruits, like strawberries the size of tennis balls or grapes the size of ping pong balls, are making a statement in Japan and CNN’s Georgia McCafferty…

April 9, 2017

The Ultimate (Utah) Gardening Guide

Modern technology makes it so easy to Google a gardening question and quickly receive an abundance of answers from online websites or social media, but have you ever stopped to see where that information is coming from? While we love to hear how gardener’s are growing successfully across the nation, or even around the world,…

April 2, 2017

Winter Webinar Series

In order to help commercial vegetable producers better manage pests in their operations, Utah State University Extension developed four “IPM Winter Webinars”. We thought these would be useful and interesting for hobby gardeners and dedicated followers of the ‘Organic Forecast’ as well, so we have decided to share! We announced the first webinar in this series,…

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