Wasatch Community Gardens Blog

Like many, I blame my mother for starting me on gardening when I was only eight when she gave me some popcorn seeds and a spot in the yard. After gardening almost every year for the past 40 I now consider vegetable gardening to be my best skill. During that time that skill improved the most during the two years I lived in South America as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I worked hard to apply those newly acquired intensive gardening skills during the subsequent five years that my wife and I lived in Alabama for my graduate degree in fish. Just after my return home I helped to start up Wasatch Fish and Gardens which was later renamed Wasatch Community Gardens. Although I represented the "fish" in the original Fish and Gardens because of my nine years in college and two more abroad working in aquaculture, my true passions with Wasatch Community Gardens have always been with vegetable gardening. Since I eight have always focused on growing...

I want it all.  I’m not ashamed to admit that.  I want the sweet taste of fruit in the winter, and I love the crunch of crisp greens when the earth is soggy and the sky is gray. The last two weeks have been consumed with various methods of preparing and canning apricots, so the sweet taste of local fruit in the winter can be checked off my list.  But what to do about my need for crunchy, nutrient rich greens? Pete Rasmussen, from Sandhill Farms, had all the answers at the WCG Fall Planting Workshop this weekend.   Fall is the perfect time for working in the garden.  It’s cooler, the days are beautiful, and – as it turns out – there are many plants that thrive in Utah’s fall.  With a little work and creativity, it’s possible to create microclimates within the garden and produce yummies year-round in the Salt Lake Valley....

Is your garden bursting with corn? Are you overwhelmed with zucchini? Getting buried by your tomatoes? Tired of all that fruit dropping on your lawn and making a mess?  Is your produce going to waste and ending up in your compost pile? If so, we have a solution to all of your garden woes. Donate! In partnership with Utahns Against Hunger, Wasatch Community Gardens will be providing local gardeners with a list of food pantries in our area, along with donation times and pantry specific donation information. There are thousands of families and people in need in our communities who do not have access to all the healthy treats that many of us are knee deep in this time of year. Please help us in our efforts to get healthy local produce to everyone who wants it, and take care of your over-abundance at the same time. And please remember all...

This past weekend Wasatch Community Gardens held their annual salsa party at the fairpark garden, and what a fun night.  If you were unable to attend, you really missed out; there were 17 fabulous homemade salsas of every variety, a super jive live band that kept the energy high all evening, and really fun activities for the kiddies; like pot painting and flower planting. The turnout was outstanding, at least 150 people were there to eat and judge salsas, see our beautiful gardens in mid-harvest season, and get to know each other in a casual and fun garden setting. Personally, my experience was amazing. Getting to know new people from all areas of town,  local business owners and organization leaders,  local Fairpark area community members, as well as community gardeners from our garden. The energy was so positive, just a bunch of people getting together and supporting our community garden as...

As we get into the month of July, we begin to see the “fruits of our labor,” and start to enjoy vine-ripened tomatoes and many other summer vegetables. Of course, as things begin to get ripe in the garden, we often find problems as well – perhaps your plants aren’t growing as quickly as you’d hoped, or you’re finding that insects are damaging them. In organic gardening, of course, we take the long-term view and forgo the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, knowing that ultimately, we do not want to harm the beneficial insects or the soil in our gardens. But there is still much we can do, so do not get discouraged! If your plants are not growing very vigorously, try side dressing with compost or worm castings. Fish emulsion can be used as a foliar spray to add nitrogen. Visit our Garden Resources page for lots of helpful...

I have to confess that just over three months ago the only thing I could have told you about chickens is that they lay eggs. Then, I came to Wasatch Community Gardens and they gave me my first big project: 4th Annual Tour de Coops. After promising I could make a great event of anything, I googled chickens and hit the ground running. A few of the lovely ladies you'll see on this year's Tour de Coops! I don't know if any of you are chicken newbies but there is an endless amount of resources out there on the greater web.  I was able to learn quickly how the world was allowing their backyards to be invaded and all the benefits of being a part of the Urban Chicken Movement.   Yes, this is a movement! Cities from coast to coast are embracing the idea of not only being local food consumers but also producers. ...

In the last few weeks Urban Chickens have really been making their mark on Salt Lake City. Check out come of the recent articles: Plenty of squawks over Salt Lake County chicken-coop proposal Clearfield Chickens Out A previous hostess of WCG's Tour de Coops. I also want to offer up some of the top reasons I have heard for Urban Chicken keeping:   Local Source of Protein. When it comes to supplying your own source of protein, it's impossible to get your dog to lay breakfast each morning or fit a cow in your backyard. That's why chickens are so wonderful! They are small, easy to care for, and won't take up your entire yard. Chickens provide protein rich eggs!   Better Quality. Fresh foods simply taste better! Also, when you raise your own eggs and meat, you know what the animal ate, its living conditions, and how it was treated....

About five years ago, I'd never tasted an heirloom tomato before. I was living in a small town in New England when I met my friend, Michael. He and his partner ran a small organic farm in the middle of the woods. By saying "the middle of the woods," I mean that it was literally inaccessible by car - you needed a high-clearance vehicle to get down his rutted-out, muddy road. When he invited me over for a "salsa-making party," I really didn't know what to expect. Having only lived on my own for a few months, I wasn't a great cook, and I was a little intimidated - I didn't know anything about making something even as simple as salsa! The evening began with a the farm tour. Michael showed me all of his vegetable fields and introduced me to all of his chickens and Nubian goats. When we sat down...

From “The Hen: An Appreciation” E.B. White, 1944 Chickens do not always enjoy an honorable position among city-bred people, although the egg, I notice, goes on and on. Right now the hen is in favor. The war has deified her and she is the darling of the home front, feted at conference tables, praised in every smoking car, her girlish ways and curious habits the topic of many an excited husbandryman to whom yesterday she was a stranger without honor or allure. Hen with her chicks My own attachment to the hen dates from 1907, and I have been faithful to her in good times and bad. Ours has not always been an easy relationship to maintain. At first, as a boy in a carefully zoned suburb, I had neighbors and the police to recon with; my chickens had to be as closely guarded as an underground newspaper. Later, as a...

WCG is pleased to once again offer you an amazing selection of heirloom tomato seedlings at our annual Plant Sale on May 9, which is held at Rowland Hall Lower School, 720 S Guardsman Way (1580 E), Salt Lake City. We spent the winter months pouring over every seed catalog that we could get our green thumbs on in order to bring you the best of the best! Here is a mere taste of what we will be offering on May 9 - we will have 30,000 plants for sale, including 42 varieties of tomatoes, lots of other vegetables and herbs, as well as water-wise perennials. All of our seedlings and perennial plants are ready to be planted in the garden, at just the right time in the season.   Heirloom tomatoes - tasty and colorful Sneak Preview of Tomatoes by Color Green Green Zebra: This outstanding tomato features 3 oz...