I live in american fork. I am into tropical looking plants, bamboo etc. I also do veggies, herbs, ornamentals and fruit trees. Graduated from Utah State horticulture program 2 years ago.

Hey ocimum_nate, can you recommend a good-looking bamboo that's not incredibly invasive that will grow well around here? Is bamboo very thirsty, and are there some varieties that don't require too much water?

Thanks,
Steve

I'm on the SLC valley floor.

Rose Park. Bought a small bungalow with a large lot 2 years ago and am in the process of reclaiming. This year planted a number of trees, lots of perennials, and for the second year veggies. The veggie garden is all raised beds and worked great. We double cropped a lot of it so had multiple harvests. IÂld post pictures of the progress but donÂt know how on this site.

I'm in Maeser. It is to Vernal as Enoch is to Cedar City... I miss Cedar City!

Hi to all!

I have lived in Enoch for nearing 10 years now. We moved here from West Valley, where we had lived for a mere 3 years. I had lived in Cedar City for a few month many years ago, and always hoped I'd be able to come back. So happy to call this area Home again.

Crystal

Hi all, Parowan checking in. I say zone 5, but I plant for z4 and figure it has to live. Our traditional planting date is Memorial Day weekend, but we can get frosts as late as July 4. We sit at 6,000 feet elevation and count on a 90 day growing season. I have been limited in the number of plants I could start because of space in the house, but I now have a greenhouse. Right now I have lettuce, oriental greens, chard and spinach growing. This is the experimental winter. I'm itching for spring and it hasn't gotten seriously cold yet. It's been such a gorgeous long autumn, hard to think Thanksgiving is just around the corner.
I'm glad to see Utah has it's own forum! Also glad to see I have "neighbors".

Hi I live in Tremonton (north Box Elder Country) 30 miles south of the idaho border. The last frontier for rural property in northern Utah. We moved here from Ogden 6 years ago and built a home on 1/2 acre of solid clay and rock. Needless to say,I was discouraged at first (in Ogden all I had to do was dig a little hole, stick my plant in the ground and water...I thought I was a fantastic gardener) Then we moved to Tremonton and needless to say, I have been doing alot of soil science study over the last couple of years...but inspite of the dead dirt, I have really done alot of landscaping...I have come up with some tricks to fool my plants into growing inspite of the soil and every year spring and fall I add organic, organic, organic. It has been a long nice fall...I can't remember the last real fall season...but I am sorry to see the growing season go...although, I really need the time in the house and I am hosting our community garden club christmas party...so I better get busy decorating. Thanks for starting this web! Anyone out there close to me?
Judy

Glad to see some 'neighbors' here, too! I'm envious of those of you who are getting moisture from storms around the state. I'll be watering as soon as it warms up a bit here. I kept thinking those weather forecasters would get it right soon when the 30% ..then 40% and 60% chance of moisture was predicted. Didn't happen. :'(

Crystal (in Enoch)

Almost exactly halfway between Salt Lake and Ogden.

Tremonton has a garden club?

Hi neighbor!

I'm from Santa Clara, just down the road from you!

Rebecca

Looks like our forum is beginning to get some diversity in the places we live.
We have several Wasatch fronters, a few Cache Valley, Cedar City and St. Georgians and looks like one out in Vernal area.
I just moved from Southern UT(Enterprise) to the Wasatch front area... miss Enterprise, but it is good to be home again.

All different types of interest too! From tropical and parrots to Aqautic gardening to worm composting(which I would like to get into, btw)!

This is going to be a fun forum!

I'm in West Jordan perched on the ridge just above the Jordan River. The advantage of being near the lowest part of the valley is that I can keep many zone 7 plants going on the southwest side of my house- though I don't plant many of them. Still, going up to a soild zone 6 from the zone 5 I had on the bench in Sandy has opened up so many more wonderful plant possibilities.

Oh- for anyone in Sandy/Draper, they have a really great garden club in that area.

Welcome Bindersbee! Glad to see you made it over from the perennials forum.

You know, I'm sort of on a bench here in Cedar Hills (east of American Fork and Highland), but we seem like a real solid zone 6, even though we're higher than the valley floor. But I've also heard that Utah Valley is a little warmer than Salt Lake Valley (just a few degrees usually). Have you noticed on the USDA maps that there is an official zone 7 area south of the Great Salt Lake? You're probably right in it. See the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA zone map

Stevation,
The reason why you are a zone 6 instead of 5 like most of UT Co, is because you are situated in a "thermal belt"
In many parts of the world the prime agriculture spots are located on a hillside above a valley.
Cold air settles in the valley thus lowering the temps, and as you rise in elevation, the air becomes colder by an average of 6 degrees every 1000 ft.
In a thermal belt, you are high enough off the valley floor to avoid the settling cold air, yet low enough in elevation to avoid the cold air elevation generally brings.
And you thought you just had a good view on that hillside!

I'm in Fillmore, though I did some gardening in Cedar City and in Payson before we moved here. We just bought a "new" house (moved in from Orem) on a new lot. I have lots of rocks and weeds. lol Luckily the dirt here is less clay than Payson, so it might turn out OK. I'm planning some low-water areas in my yard (it's nearly an acre, but we're only focusing on half that right now. And even that could take a couple years. lol) I'm excited to be able to talk to other gardeners in my region.

Hello! I live in Roy. I moved here about 6 months ago from Wyoming. I really do love it here. I am excited to talk with you all, I am sure I will need some guidance with the garden this year as it will be my first!

Hi all. I am new to the forum but I live in Highland just around the point of the mountian from SLC in Utah County. We do get lots of wind comming out of the Canyon, blows chunks of my roof off several times a year!!!!!

Nutmeg,

I've often noticed that wind when I drive home from work. I live in Cedar Hills, which is just east of you. And some of Cedar Hills is pretty windy, too, with people complaining that their young trees have been broken off repeatedly.

We got extremely lucky, I think, because we didn't even think of this when buying our home, but we're on the southern end of Cedar Hills, and it just happens to not have much wind right around us. Funny that it can be so different in such a short distance, huh? I think it has to do with the flows coming down A.F. Canyon and along Traverse Ridge. We're just barely out of range, I guess.

We're in Maeser, as well!

Hill Air Force Base!

But I may not be with you guys & gals come the end of 2007; hubby will probably retire from the military & we'll more than likely move to St Louis area.

Too keep an older thread alive and breathing...
Im near Tooele, about 20 minutes west of west valley.

I'm in Springville, a few minutes south of Provo.

Tyff

I'm in Highland, just 2 miles from the new costco. I am new to gardening and new to the area. I will need lots of help! Our yard is all dirt!

Keeping the thread Alive!! I am new to the bunch. I live in Midvale, smack in the middle of the salt lake valley. I am excited to see how many people are posting and from such different areas. Happy Gardening!

Hello Y'all!

New to the forum, new to gardening, and new to the area. I live in Eagle Mountain, west of Utah Lake. I have a blank landscape canvas, I'm SO Scared and Overwhelmed! We laid down sod in the fall and planted one tree (a Red Sunset Maple). I have a lot to learn, I'm here to get tips, advice, and learn from my Utah neighbors and soon to be friends. I'm interested in every aspect of gardening, flowers & shurbs, growing fruits & vegetables, and fruit trees. I'm looking forward to using this site often and meeting all of you!

I do however have a question, my first question. When do you suggest I start planting? And if you where me, where and what would you start with? Thank you.

Keep Smiling, Amy :)

Hey Amy,

Welcome! Most plants, either veggies or flowers, shouldn't be planted until around Mother's Day around here. That's the general rule. But if you want to grow cold-season veggies like peas, spinach, carrots, or beets (I'm sure there are more), they can be planted right now. Wait too long, and it'll get too hot for them before they're ripe.

Also, some cold-tolerant flowers can be planted now, like poppies or pansies, but it might be getting a bit late, since we'll get some real warm days soon.

Shrubs or trees could be planted any time now, as long as they have been kept outside already in their pots so they won't be shocked by nighttime cold.

Good luck!
Steve

Shari --

Put-in-Bay!! I've not heard that name for decades. I used to live in Dayton, OH and had friends who loved to sail on Lake Erie. As I recall, there's an unusual winery by Put-in-Bay. And I've always thought that was a great name.

Welcome to Utah to the 3 of you. What an adventurous group you are! And welcome to the Forum.

You'll be glad you found this site that has so many knowledgeable and generous gardeners to help you become accustomed to the unique features of gardening in Utah, with its challenges of a mountainous, desert climate. It's always amazing to see what application of water produces in this area.

Please think Rain thoughts to attract your Oregon rain patterns to Utah. I, for one, am concerned about our dry winter and how it will affect my gardening this year.

Shari--you'll probably want to steer clear of acid loving plants. Or if you try to grow them , you may want to grow them in containers. Most of the soil around here is pretty alkaline. There is plenty of iron in the soil, but some plants get an iron deficiency known as chlorosis because they can't use the iron due to the high pH.

Hey Shari!
You just moved to where I just moved from! LOL
I am from Enterprise and moved up the road a ways to SLC in December.
I keep ending up in Enterprise though and traveling through Beryl... such a booming metropolis! LOL

I visited your website and got REAL homesick with your pic of the sunset.... Just wait until the Summer, you will see that nearly every evening in Aug/Sept!
We get wonderful thunderstorms in Enterprise Valley.

Have you visited Bracken's yet?
All the people are great there, you can spend an hour in there talking, learning very interesting facts about the city, the history and hair-raising tale of the in-store celebrity of the flood we had a couple years ago.
They have wonderful specials too. If you do not find what you need, talk to Lee, the owner,aka in-store celeb... and he will find it for you or tell you where you can get it.

Clove's has good prices on meats and Doug, the owner, will custom cut any piece of meat for you at no additional charge!

Check out Cloves General store on the south side of Main, across from Zion's bank.... it is Quilters/seamstress heaven, and a fun place to find unique things for the home and garden.

One big drawback of Enterprise Valley, is something you probably hae not come across yet,
They have the world's ugliest bugs... locals call em Potato Bugs... they look like gigantic termites, about 6 inches long, fat, light cream colored, and have a nasty bite.. not only does it hurt, but you get a vinegar taste in your mouth for a couple days and you are so loopy, you can not think straight for nearly a week!
There are also scorpions and taratnulas, Be careful when moving rocks and wood, wear gloves and be prepared, my kids caught them often!... Welcome to the high desert!
I was told that there are tarantulas up here in SLC too. Which I hope my boys do not find out about! LOL
During the summer, a nice place to go to relax is Enterprise Dam.
Fun to hike, swim, and see the amazing ravages of Mother Natures fury 2005! You gotta hear Lee's story first to fully appreciate what you are looking at when you are up at the dam!

Thanks for the info, songbirdmommy.

So far, I've been to Bracken's, but haven't really met anyone except for Linda (in the office). We bought a ram from her.

Clove's is a neat little grocery store. It reminds me of our "old store" in Banks (Jim's Market).

Sorry to tell you that the General store is closed and for sale. Also, a new owner has opened the old "Marv's" again. I've not heard how the food is yet. Marv seems to be happy in St. George.

Zion Bank is doubling it's size and adding new drive through service. You can tell they're getting ready for big growth. I look around at the new homes being built, and just marvel.

So far, I've only seen a picture of what I think is the bug you're describing... no tarantulas or scorpions yet. Cindy spotted a couple of little lizards last week.

Yesterday's windstorm brought us a whole new load of tumbleweed... right after we'd cleared out a bunch for some new planting.

Our tulips are up and surviving the rabbits. They should bloom within the next week. The rhubarb is growing nicely. The rabbits have had their way with the little asparagus.

This week brought us two little "bummer lambs". One died within hours after arrival... had "parrot mouth" and would never had been able to suck a nipple. The other little girl is a real "crybaby". I've been up all hours of the night with her.

Ok, it's off to lunch at the Enterprise Senior Center today. I'm "off age" as is Cindy's Mom, so we get there occasionally. The menu says "meatloaf" and Bill makes a good one.

Wow! Just found you guys. I've hung out over on the wintersowing forum for about four years and just accidently saw this forum this afternoon. How long have you been here? I'm in Salt Lake City....Sugarhouse to be exact. Was in Stansbury Park (Tooele) until about a year ago. So happy to be meeting you all. Hi again DerekS. How does your garden grow? I'm expecting blooms this year from some Rocky Mtn. Penstemmon seeds you sent me a couple of years ago. They were wintersown, of course. Can't wait for tomorrow, a free Saturday in the mid 60's. It's what I LIVE for. How about you all? Gonna be playing in the dirt tomorrow?

Hi lassiedeb. I'm glad the rocky mountain has done well for you. I have another penstemon that I really love. It's called penstemon barbatus 'scarlet bugler'. I'm hoping to collect lots of seeds this year. If you want some let me know. I will make a post at the end of summer when they are ready. These pentemons were also winter sown. Winter sowing is awsome, isn't it? Even with this cooler weather we are having, I'm still getting sprouts. Amazing what these little seeds can handle.

Hi! I just found this forum and am looking forward to hearing about the successes and challenges we find here along the Wasatch Front. I'm in East Layton, south of Hill Air Force Base. I asked this question in another forum, but has anyone had any luck getting an agapanthus to bloom and if so, do you bring it in during the winter or just mulch it well?

St George! By now Im sure the original poster, trubee, has already moved to Kayenta - so Welcome!

I'll be moving back to UT in 4-weeks. To Monroe specifically (just south of Richfield). My Mom has about an acre+ of land with water rights, so I'm not sure what we'll be doing with it, but something fun I hope!

Not new to Utah, I was raised in Salt Lake, but have been in New Mexico and Arizona for the past 15 years or so. The family was originally from Monroe & Elsinore, so going back to my roots, I guess - in more ways that one :D

Going to be a big shock to go from mainly Zone 7 gardening (Albuquerque & Prescott) to Zone 4/5. Hope y'all are having a great Spring - is it Spring there yet?

I am in Midvale UT, it is about as center of Salt Lake Valley as you can get. We bought a small 70 yo home two years ago on a large plot of land. Small front yard and very large back yard. The back was old farming land that had never been landscaped. It took a year to pull out all the old barbed wire, tree stumps, 70 yo shed and level it off. Now we are actually trying to plant things for the first time. We have irrigation water rights which is the best thing EVER! And can water the entire back yard with it. It has been a blank slate for me to do what I want with. I planted about 250 perennials this year and maybe 100 annuals. I still need to put some trees in and get the garden going full speed next year. I also planted several types of bamboo.

Nice to meet you all.

I'm in the coldest part of Cache Valley, 6 miles southwest of Logan. I've experienced -45 below temperatures at my home. None-the-less, I am growing 4 outdoor palm trees that I protect in Winter. One is 15' tall. I also grow lots of other tropicals outside like large bananas, hibiscus, cannas (about 2,000 of them), elephant ears, plumeria, and other exotic plants like voodoo lilies, large barrell and sagaro cacti, desert rose, pineapple, bamboo, bromeliads, Joshua trees, etc. Most come back inside in the Fall, but the palms stay outside. I've got a 30' banana plant inside that is too big to move outside during the warmer months. Also growing lots of different magnolias and wisteria which are kind of rare in our cold climate up here in Cache Valley.

I live just down the road from arctictropical in the middle of Cache Valley, but have gone the opposite direction. I am originally from Canada, have loads of family up there and love the trees and embrace cold weather plantings although I push the boundaries of Z5 just a little.

I have been converting about 1.25 acres into private, mixed species forest with hard and soft woods, nuts, maples for sugaring, edible forest floor species (hazels, service berries, currants, gooseberries, etc). It is my 30+ year project and have seen lots of success and lots of failure, but it is a great project.

Now, if I could just keep the baby goats from eating my berries I would be in much better shape.

I just found this board.
Im from SLC I have family in Cache Valley.

Olympus Cove in Salt Lake City. Working on the hostas today

Syracuse Ut. Every time I look for something online, this Gardenweb appears before me... figured I'd best join in the fun!

Drop by my blog, I'd love to connect with more UT gardeners

I am in Bountiful, Utah.
I would love to connect with you through my blogs or website.

Hey I am in Bountiful and new to the whole gardening thing. Any suggestions for new gardener? I am aiming for some healthy veggies for my family this summer.

Smack dab in the center of this great state!!
Glenwood is my town 5500 feet at the base of Cove MT.
Population 300 or so.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gaylas yard Gallery

emg84010,
What will you and your family eat? What do you know how to grow? Do you have much sun in your yard or mostly shade?
I would recommend taking a Square Foot Gardening class (available locally from me and other instructors). Whether or not you choose to use the Square Foot Gardening method you will learn a lot about what, how, and when to grow vegetables and other edibles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Square Foot Gardening Foundation

In West Valley City! I'm a student at u of u, have 6 (3'x6') and a 150 sq ft plot. Over the past few years got really into veg gardening. Start all my seeds indoors from our very own Mountain Valley Seed Comp. I try to have has many different kinds of veggies and its always a blast to see how things unfold.

North Sanpete! Loving the weather right now, too! I have a tiny yard, but work for myself, and I'm thinking about starting a line of selling trees... not decided yet.

I consider myself an experimental gardener, always poking around and trying new things. A lot of trial and error, but some things are succeeding marvelously.

Just joined up. I live in West Valley