Mike Evans, director of Real Food Rising, gathered us volunteers into a circle. We were going to play a game in which he would read a statement about food and food production. If it pertained to us, then we should move to a different spot in the group.

Contemplate your gardening future in January.

January is the Monday of months. The holidays have packed themselves into boxes until next year, and the inversion has plumped itself out over the valley for a long stay. However, in the spirit of encouraging optimism, please note that the days are getting longer. With that in mind, here is a potpourri of items for your gardening consideration.

Your garden still offers you a long list of reasons to go outside and play in the dirt.

There’s still plenty of good fall weather left, the inspiring kind that begs you to come out and play in it.  Gardens need attention before winter settles in.

In the arid high desert, planning ahead will help you make the most of your precious water.

Despite the fact that many of us have watched animals stroll two by two toward a large boat in the west desert over the last few months, we actually live in high desert country and are entering a dry spell. July is usually the driest month in Salt Lake City with an average of .72 in. total precipitation for the 31 days. Utah is the second driest state in the nation, bested only by Nevada. Given these facts, it’s increasingly important to become water-wise if you’re not there already.

Here are practical pointers that will help you make the most of your water resources—and, if you really want to know what’s going on out there—a microcosmic peering into the cellular life that’s raging in your very own plot.

by Kay Denton

In the arid high desert, planning ahead will help you make the most of your precious water.

Despite the fact that many of us have watched animals stroll two by two toward a large boat in the west desert over the last few months, we actually live in high desert country and are entering a dry spell. July is usually the driest month in Salt Lake City with an average of .72 in. total precipitation for the 31 days. Utah is the second driest state in the nation, bested only by Nevada. Given these facts, it’s increasingly important to become water-wise if you’re not there already. Here are practical pointers that will help you make the most of your water resources—and, if you really want to know what’s going on out there—a microcosmic peering into the cellular life that’s raging in your very own plot.

by Kay Denton

Managing the unpredictable ways of Utah spring weather.

It’s another typical spring in Utah—sunshine one day, bluster the next—and gardeners are pondering the typical spring questions: Plant now or wait? Follow the seed packet information or the weather advisories? Start from seeds or buy plants?

by Kay Denton

Healthy plants come from well-fed soil. Everything you need to know to make sure your dirt can grow your greens.

Let’s dish dirt, shall we? I mean the real thing. The stuff that shows up as muddy paw prints on your newly washed kitchen floor or, if you’re in a life well-lived as a gardener, under your finger nails. Soil is truly a work of natural artistry and fine cooking: Start with a large portion of rocks broken down through climate changes, chemical weathering and leaching, vegetation, living organisms and movement; mix in the leftovers of those previously living beings—both plant and animal—and add water and air. Allow to break down and recombine. The result is topsoil, good for growing a wide array of plants and trees, and offering a cozy home for worms, insects and thousands of microorganisms.