Blog - The Organic Forecast

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…

March 10, 2019

Time to Get “Grafty”!

Do you have a favorite fruit tree that you would like to clone? Do you have a favorite tomato you can no longer grow because it is not disease tolerant? Or do you think it might be neat to brag to your family and friends that you grafted your own fruit trees in your yard? …

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 24, 2019

New USU Fact sheet About Managing Morning Glory (Field Bindweed)

We just got back from the Urban and Small Farms Conference this week which got me thinking about weed management for this coming year. In searching for responses to some really good questions, I stumbled across two facts, one old and one new, I wanted to make sure to share. The first is a oldie…

February 17, 2019

‘Days to Harvest’ Demystified

As you flip through seed catalogs or look at the growing requirements on the back of a seed packet, you will see a number (typically in parenthesis). This number, called ‘days to harvest’ or ‘days to maturity’ tells gardeners how many days it takes for a germinated seed or transplanted start (small plant) to produce…

February 10, 2019

Teaching Bees to Do Math – No Kidding!!!

I’m always amazed by science surrounding bees, but to be honest, this recent story ‘buzzed’ me away with amazement. Scientists can teach bees to add and subtract – seriously?! Check out a link to the story below and note the research article is linked at the very end of the story in case you want…

February 3, 2019

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…

Starting seeds in doors can relieve cabin fever

January 27, 2019

Cabin Fever Reliever

Here in Utah we’ve recently experienced a small bout of warm weather inspiring many to get outside, breathe some fresh air and look for signs of spring. Unfortunately it’s still only February and if you believe the theory of the groundhog, we have a few more weeks of winter before we can seriously consider getting…

January 13, 2019

The Utah Pests 2019 Quarterly Newsletter is Here!

Oh joy is abound – the 2019 Utah Pests Winter Quarterly Newsletter is here!!! Smoggy Days are Happy Days with such informative reading material! Here it is, enjoy! 2019 Winter Newsletter

May 2019
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Apr
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31