Wasatch Community Gardens Blog

http://www.flickr.com/photos/livinginmonrovia/240967697/ As I mentioned in our most recent newsletter, herbs are not only tasty, aromatic and beautiful, but they’re magical. It’s true. Herbs are not only great at attracting beneficial insects and repelling pests in your garden, but many also have medicinal properties to help keep our bodies healthy. When planted as companion plants to vegetables in your garden, herbs (and flowers) help attract bees which help cross-pollinate crops. They also attract beneficial insects that eat the nasty pests who could feast upon your precious fruits and vegetables. For more information on how to use herbs and flowers in companion planting, check out Plants that Attract Beneficial Insects and the Vegetable Companion Chart from our website. Also check out the resources at the bottom of this post. http://www.flickr.com/photos/29904778@N03/2827663312/ Besides being great for the health of our garden, herbs are wonderful for cooking and most of them also have medicinal properties. Did...

This afternoon I was sitting at my computer doing work and listening to music, when my iTunes player unexpectedly cycled to the KRCL webcast.  Suddenly the air was filled with radio waves beaming from Salt Lake City all the way across the great Nevada desert and into my little house in the Central Valley of California.  Or something like that. It turned out to be a friendly “hello” from the motherland, because this particular hour on RadioActive, they happened to be talking about one of my favorite subjects-urban chickens! Brit Merrill and Celia Bell (both hailing from WCG) were two of the special guests, with a whole bevy of chicken-crazed callers.  Questions included such knuckle-biters as: How can I get my chickens to lay more eggs in the winter? What are my city ordinances for keeping poultry? and If I can’t bring myself to kill my chickens, how long do I...

Now is a great time for a garden spring cleaning! Start by taking the time now to remove those perennial weeds that are already growing so quickly this time of year. Then, get your compost off to an early start by turning it. Finally, sharpen or repair your garden tools, and clean out and organize your garden storage space if needed. You can continue planting radishes and peas directly in the garden. Indoors, this is a good time to start seeds of many herbs such as basil. Remember, although the warm spring weather may tempt you, it is still too early to prepare your garden beds. Before digging in your garden this spring, check whether the soil is ready by grabbing a handful. Squeeze it, then drop it on the ground from a standing position. If the soil still feels sticky and the clump does not easily break apart, it still...

Dear Friends, My name is Kathryn Dunn, and I am working to change the animal zoning ordinances of West Valley City to include chickens. This effort was begun last summer and has met with some opposition. However, we are renewing our efforts, and hope that with your help, this ordinance request will be successful. Happy Backyard Hen The attached ordinance was very limited, in order to assuage the concerns of some of the City Council. We had hoped that, perhaps, a pilot program could be instigated, and as the Council saw the success of it, they might expand the allowances to more permits being issued. This was not enough to persuade them. However, recently, Mayor Nordfeldt has indicated that he may be willing to revisit the issue. I will be speaking before the West Valley City Council on Tuesday, April 7th, at 6:30 p.m.in the Council chambers. I invite you to...

What an exciting announcement today...the Obamas are going to plant an organic garden at the White House! Here is an article from the New York Times and one from the Washington Post. There are many wonderful elements to their plan, including the fact that the whole family is going to be involved in gardening, a D.C. school group gets to help plant and harvest, and they are even including bees (which WCG will have this summer as well...two hives in the 4th East Garden!). Plus, Michelle gave a nice boost to community gardens: "For urban dwellers who have no backyards, the country’s one million community gardens can also play an important role, Mrs. Obama said" (NYT 3.20.09). There have been so many people clamoring for this to happen (http://www.eattheview.org/) and it is a truly positive sign that the Obamas have listened and responded. Here's to an exciting year for gardening... Happy...

Our friends at Squatters Pub Brewery are taking part in a Chili Contest this Sunday at Piper Down, and they have generously chosen to donate the proceeds if they win to Wasatch Community Gardens! Where: Piper Down Pub, 1492 South State Street (There is no cover charge, chili judging is $5) When: Sunday, Mar. 22, 5 - 8 p.m. So bring your friends and vote for Squatters Pub Chili – if their chili wins, all of the proceeds will go to benefit WCG.

This is a great time to plant some of the cold-tolerant crops, such as peas – in fact, it’s a Saint Patrick’s Day tradition! Sow them directly in the garden according to seed packet directions, cover with a half-inch of soil, and water them in well. Keep in mind that climbing varieties will need trellis support, so plant them where you can put your trellis. Keep sowing more peas every 2-3 weeks until mid-spring to extend your harvest. Indoors, you can be starting warm weather crops such as cucumbers, watermelon and pumpkins. These are large seeds, so germinate them in 3” pots instead of cell packs. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, and New Zealand spinach can also be started at this time. New Zealand spinach is not a true spinach, but a different species, Tetragonia tetragonioides, which thrives in hot, dry weather, and is very nutritious after a quick blanching or steamed....

Wasatch Community Gardens was recently honored at the 11th annual Salt Lake Magazine Dining Awards with the 2009 Community Award. We thank Salt Lake Magazine for their recognition. Check out the video they created in honor of this award, featuring our Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteers working in the garden! WCG volunteers construct a hoophouse for the Youth Gardening Program

Thank you to those of you who attended the Beginning Organic Gardening workshop this past Saturday. Wow, those two hour simply flew by, but we were still able to cover the basic techniques of organic gardening. If you could not make it to the workshop, or simply want to see my notes, below is a brief outline of the most important concepts that we covered. Soil: Feed your soil and let your soil feed your plants. One teaspoon of good soil contains some 5 billion bacteria, 20 million fungi and 1 million protocists. Increase that amount to one square meter of soil and the numbers of bacteria and fungi become even more unfathomable: just how many ants, spiders, beetles, earthworms, centipedes, millipedes, mites, slugs, snails, springtails and nematodes can a healthy soil support? A lot. The point is that healthy soil is teeming with life and organic gardening techniques support and...

Start a garden notebook! As you look through those tempting seed catalogues and are trying to decide what to plant this year, consider starting a small notebook to keep track of your plans and purchases. The best way to have a beautiful and productive garden is to make notes each year of your most successful and less-successful efforts. Next January, you’ll be happy to have the information on hand. Drawing a quick planting map of your garden in the notebook will help you decide how many different types of plants you can grow. Another good idea is to order your seeds with a friend, neighbor, or fellow gardener. It saves money on shipping, and by sharing your purchases, you can double the number of varieties you can try! Have a gardening tip of your own? Share it with us. Email it to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.