Bryan Earl

Today on Access Utah we have Diane Alston in studio to discuss insects. This week,  we're talking paper wasps, spiders, and garden insects. 

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Wow, most gardens are displaying green, green, green. Hopefully, it’s not the green of weeds. How do you know when it’s time to pick something? Today USU Extension Vegetable Specialist, Dan Drost, is in studio for the entire hour.  When it comes to knowing when something is ripe, the sampling test may not always be practical. You don’t want to leave a cantaloupe on the vine with a bite taken out of it. On the other hand, unless you like them green, it’s pretty easy to tell when to pick a tomato. And I’ve never met an immature pepper that I didn’t like.

If your soil is sandy, or if it has too much clay, the best way to change it is with a consistent program of adding organic matter. The most efficient and easiest way to do this is by planting a cover crop.  You can do this in the spring or in the fall. Seed is readily available and fairly inexpensive, and all you have to do is incorporate the crop into the soil at the appropriate time. You’ll add precious organic matter that holds water more efficiently and adds nutrients back into soil to be used later by your vegetables or ornamentals. USU soils specialist, Grant Cardon, will be in studio for the first half hour to instruct us in how to do this.

Grasshoppers tend to lay their eggs in undisturbed fields, there are no brown recluses in Utah, and you may not want to get rid of the bees in your yard. Bryan Earl talks to USU Extension Entemoloist Diane Alston in studio about bugs. 

On Access Utah Monday Bryan Earl meets with Mark Anderson to talk about everything garden. Among the topics covered are shrubs, where to plant various plants in your yard, micro-organisms, raspberries and more. 

Monday I met with Utah State University Extension Horticulturist Jerry Goodspeed to discuss shrubbery. What shrubs are drought-safe? What shrubs need lots of attention or virtually no attention? 

Utah State University Extension Soil Specialist Grant Cardon joins Bryan Earl to discuss why you can't grow blueberries and other plants you've seen back east. On Access Utah Monday we'll talk about why the soil is so alkaline, cover crops, and have the latest Wild about Utah. 

USU extension plant pathologist Claudia Nischwitz joins Bryan Earl Monday morning to talk about diseases- viruses and bacteria that can affect the plants in your garden. 

Diane Alston, Utah State University Extension Entomologist, joins Bryan Earl for the hour to discuss bugs in trees, bushes and other plants and how to get rid of them. 

Monday's Access Utah is a repeat from 2011's rainy season. Here's some up-to-date information about critters in your garden.