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Posts tagged ‘grow’

Jun 2

Salt Lake County Launches Farmlink Pilot Program

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Salt Lake County Urban Farming is piloting a Farmlink program that aims to link available land in Salt Lake County with interested growers.

If you or someone you know is interested in finding land to farm, or if you have questions about our program, please contact Aaron Barlow by email at abarlow@slco.org, or by phone at 385-468-1824. You can download the Farmlink application online.

Some land may be owned by public entities such as Salt Lake County or a municipality, while some may be privately owned. Private landowners are motivated to lease land for commercial farming because the Utah Legislature has provided an opportunity for property tax reduction, given certain circumstances.

Salt Lake County Urban Farming website.

Jan 13

New Incubator Farm Launches this Spring

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Ponder this:

For every one farmer and rancher under the age of 25, there are five who are 75 or older, according to the Department of Agriculture.  If we do not support new and beginning farmers, who will grow our food into the future?

The Green Urban Lunchbox project is starting a new incubator (or community) farm in Layton, Utah this spring. What was once an abandoned orchard will be brought back to life as a place for new farmers to have access to land, water, tools and training.

“This is a great chance for people to get into farming, without all the cost,” says Green Urban Lunchbox founder and director Shawn Peterson. “Our plots will run from $150-500 a year and range in size from 1/8th of an acre to 1 acre.” Read more

Nov 1

Give Hope, Opportunity & Training to New Farmers

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Photo: Shawn Peterson

The Green Urban Lunch Box, a project of the Community Foundation of Utah, is preparing to launch an incubator farm in the spring of 2014.

An incubator farm offers urban farmers access to land on which they can start their own growing operations with guidance from experienced farmers. The Green Urban Lunchbox’s planned incubator farm is located in Layton, UT on an old fruit orchard leased from the Utah Department of Transportation.

Read more

Jun 14

Urban Garden & Farm Week

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After seven successful years of chicken empowerment, Wasatch Community Gardens’ annual Chicken Week is growing up!

Say hello to the very first Urban Garden and Farm Week, which runs June 16th through June 22nd.

Whether you are a budding gardener, a seasoned grower, a backyard poultry keeper, or an urban dweller with herbs in a window, the Urban Garden and Farm Week has an event for you.

Urban Garden and Farm Week, which uses the motto “make, raise, grow,” will highlight unique, innovative and traditional growing techniques and lifestyles. You will have the opportunity to see and discuss urban homesteads, rainwater catchment, intensive gardening techniques, backyard livestock, bee keeping, season extending, unique garden spaces, permaculture and more.

A few of the events you can look forward to (we certainly are!)

Stop by the Wasatch Community Gardens website and Facebook page to learn more. And check out this recent story from Salt Lake Tribune.

May 16

What’s Your Gardening Potential?

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Have you ever wondered how much food you could grow in your yard if you took the time to garden? Now you can find out your gardening potential with this nifty tool!

Through the Community Food Production Mapping Tool, you have the ability to find out an estimation of your property’s food production potential. We website also links users to resources that will educate and empower them to grow more food. Simply zoom in and click on your address to see the following informtion:

  • Address
  • Lot Area
  • Arable Area
  • Calories (calories per year)
  • Food Days (days per year)

It’s fascinating! And it’s time for you to give it a try. Instructions for using the Community Food Production Mapping Tool are available at SLCgreen.com. 

 

Apr 23

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Grow Your Own Indoor Herbs

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Salt Lake City Green joined forces with KUTV2 this morning to show viewers how easy it is to grow your own indoor herb garden! View the segment.

Tools

  • Planter – choose one with excellent drainage.
  • A few of your favorite herbs – we love basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley and thyme.
  • Watering can
  • Potting soil – use a few rocks at the bottom of your planter to improve drainage.

Getting Started

If you are a novice gardener or don’t have much of a green thumb, growing an indoor culinary herb garden is an easy place to start. Most herbs are sun worshipers, so all you need to get started is a nice, sunny place in your home.

Plant

  • Start with a container large enough to accommodate growth.
  • Fill the pot with soil three quarters of the way full.
  • Moisten the soil
  • Remove herbs, loosen soil.
  • Place herbs in pot and fill with enough soil to cover the root ball.
  • Pat the soil down lightly and water well.

Care

  • Light is the most important element in growing indoor herbs. Find a spot that gets at least 6-8 hours of light a day.
    • Herbs growing long stems and few leaves are probably not getting enough light and are stretching to find it.
  • Water each herb according to its individual needs. To avoid over watering, only water your herbs when you see them start to wilt. This should be about once a week.
  • Regular clipping will promote further growth, so use your herbs frequently. But don’t cut more than a third off at one time.
  • If your herbs start flowering, they are not being clipped enough!

Enjoy!

Growing your own indoor herbs is an easy way to jazz up your cooking and experiment with new flavors — all while saving money. Just remember that fresh herbs have a 3:1 ratio, which means that you should use three times the amount of fresh herbs compared to their dry counterparts.

Bridget Stuchly with SLCGreen shows KUTV2's Mary Nickles how to plant an indoor herb garden.

Bridget Stuchly with SLCGreen shows KUTV2’s Mary Nickles how to plant an indoor herb garden.