Vegetable Production
Browse past conference presentations highlighting research updates, best practices, and emerging trends in vegetable production across Utah and the Intermountain West.
Annual Asparagus? - Preliminary Assessments (2021)
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Small farms may find it difficult to integrate perennial crops like asparagus into their farm production scheme. Early attempts at growing annual asparagus at high densities for one growing cycle suggest producing asparagus annual can be successful and productive. This presentation offers tips and tricks on how you can be successful.
Common Insect Pests of Brassica Crops (2021)
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This presentation covers the description, biology, and management of common insect pests that attack out brassica crops in Utah. The presentation will focus on integrated pest management highlighting cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical control practices.
Vegetable Disease Updates – Brassica Crop Focus (2021)
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This presentation is about plant diseases Utah farmers could encounter in Brassica vegetables. We do not see many diseases in Brassica species but new diseases could occur in the state at any time. Knowing beforehand what to look for can minimize yield and quality loss.
Brussels Sprouts: Improved Production Approaches (2021)
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This talk will discuss how brussels sprouts can become an important new member and add additional diversification to the vegetables grown on farm.
Trace Element Contaminants in Urban Soil Environments (2021)
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Does the public need to be concerned about eating food containing potentially toxic levels of trace elements produced in urban agricultural systems? Answering this question is the premise of this presentation. The focus will mostly be on lead (Pb) and arsenic (As), EPA’s two priority trace element pollutants, and will discuss how to identify potentially contaminated soils, recommended soil tests, and strategies to mitigate trace element contamination of urban soils.
Growing More in Less Space – The Urban Farm Demonstration Garden (2021)
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The Microfarm Track of the Urban and Small Farms Conference is aimed to teach basic principles that can be built on to create successful urban and small-scale farms on roughly 2-acres or less. Topics include soil health, alternative crops, ideas for small equipment implementation, and non-traditional growing techniques.
Kabocha Squash Trial – Yield and Storage Quality (2021)
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Winter squash have a long storage life that can increase access to nutrient-dense food in fall and winter. In 2020, USU partnered with seven other universities across the US to trial ten kabocha varieties as part of a multistate collaboration. This talk will discuss the yield and storability across the cultivars in Northern Utah.
Annual Asparagus? - Preliminary Assessments (2022)
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Asparagus is a high value perennial crop that can be grown successfully in the intermountain west. Long-term commitments and high starting costs of traditional systems can be barriers to production. This presentation will cover how annual asparagus production has the potential to mitigate these issues, bring diversity to production, and help producers reach more markets.
Weird and Wonderful Vegetable Selections (2022)
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Unique vegetable offerings may provide a marketing edge for small farms. This talk will discuss several novel vegetable varieties that are not well-known but maybe something for adventurous growers to trial.
Brussels Sprouts: Opportunities and Techniques (2022)
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Brussels sprouts are easier to grow than most realize. Success depends on variety selection, good plant production approaches, optimal nutrition and water management, and planting topping. During this talk, details will be provided to help growers integrate BS into their farm operations and explore alternative market opportunities for this underutilized vegetable.
New Mexico Chile Peppers – the State’s Signature Heirloom Crop (2022)
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New Mexico is famous for the chile peppers that have been grown in the region for more than 400 years. Chile peppers are grown for large-scale processing but are also an important cash crop for small farms. This talk will provide an overview of chile pepper production, and how they became the state’s signature crop.
Weed Management Option for Pumpkins (2022)
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Pumpkin patches provide many opportunities for late-season income but "stickers" from puncturevine (goat heads) and other weeds can easily ruin a family outing to the patch. Good weed management is an important consideration for creating a quality product and an idyllic backdrop that keeps patrons returning each year. This presentation will be covering diverse weed management strategies for season-long weed control in pumpkins as well as the pros and cons of each strategy.
Insect/Disease Management Strategies for Cucurbits (2023)
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This presentation will cover arthropods, diseases, and abiotic disorders commonly found within Utah’s cucurbit production. We will cover identification, monitoring, and management strategies.
Keep it Real Vegetables: Experiences, Lessons, and Successes from a Grower's Point of View (2023)
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In this presentation Tyler Montague of Keep It Real Vegetables gives his perspective on the experiences, lessons and successes he has found in operating a business.
Basic Organic Vegetable Production (2025)
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This presentation focuses on growing vegetables using methods that are in line with the USDA organic program. This presentation will cover organic plant nutrition, soils, pest management and more.
Introduction to the Vegetable Session & USU Vegetable Production Lab (2025)
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USU’s Vegetable Production Program continues its commitment to supporting growers across Utah, now with a new Specialist leading Extension and research-based efforts. This session will introduce her role as the new Extension Vegetable Specialist and provide an overview of ongoing and upcoming projects. Additionally, this session will serve as a platform for assessing grower needs to guide future research and Extension priorities in the state of Utah.
Utah Veggie Reviews: A Crowdsourced Tool for Hyper-Local Vegetable Reviews (2025)
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Utahns seeking to know what varieties perform best in their unique environment are often left with fragmented or limited answers from online interest groups and seed vendors, or neighbors and friends. Any helpful answers received through these avenues are severely limited in reach. Utah Veggie Reviews aim to become a centralized source of backyard gardeners’ vegetable reviews in an effort to document the varieties that grow well in the various climates found throughout Utah. In this presentation we will discuss the need for such a tool, how to use it, future plans, and discuss aspects from other successful initiatives and tools that we plan to implement.