Guest Blogger: Katie Wagner

USU Extension Sustainability is all about helping everyday people live more healthy, happy and sustainable lives. This is the fourteenth of a series of posts that will feature real people who are making real changes in their lives to be more sustainable.

This month we are featuring Katie Wagner read on to learn about her work with the jail horticulture program, organic gardening and more!

1. Please tell us a little about your position(s) with USU, what do your duties include?
I am a horticulturalist with USU Extension in Salt Lake County. Since Salt Lake County is primarily urban, I mostly teach residential gardening topics. Extension county faculty teach not-for-credit classes to the public, conduct programming that positively impacts their community, and contribute scholarly outputs like fact sheets, journal articles and professional presentations.

2. What kind of work are you involved in with the water conservancy districts? What water resources should Utah residents know about/use?
I work closely with the Jordan Valley Water Conservation District. Every year I teach around 7 to 10 gardening classes for them and Master Gardener volunteers always participate in some of their major public events. For the past two years, Master Gardeners have taught the Promotors of Urban Pollinators (PUPs) curriculum to kids attending the Party in the Garden event. It is a great opportunity to teach kids about the importance of pollinators and kids learn that many water wise plants provide quality pollen and nectar to pollinators (extension.usu.edu/pups). Jordan Valley Conservation Garden Park always does a couple of butterfly releases during the event which is super neat to see!

People need to utilize two great water resources. First, Jordan Valley Conservation Garden Park has an extensive online search engine (conservationgardenpark.org) where residents can search for plants under different criteria – like water-wise.

Second, people need to utilize Slow the Flow (slowtheflow.org). Residents can schedule a water auditor to come to their home and conduct a FREE water audit. The auditor will leave them with a customized watering schedule for their yard and garden. What a deal!

3. What first got you interested in horticulture?
As much as I hate to admit it, my father! He is a retiring plant physiologist at the University of Kentucky. We grew up with a huge veggie garden so the interest to grow things (and eat them) started at an early age.

4. What kinds of programs are you currently involved in? Where could I go to find more information?
I partner with the Salt Lake County Jail on their Jail Horticulture Program. Prisoners farm a 1.5 acre field and sell produce at local farmer’s markets. I wish I could take credit for the garden (as it is spectacular!), but credit should be given instead to two on-site horticulturalists. I do teach participating prisoners a 10 hour gardening curriculum however which is one of the best parts of my job!

I also partner with Salt Lake County Aging Services on the Meals Plus Program. Meals Plus delivers community supported agriculture style shares of fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs to homebound Meals on Wheels clients weekly. Multiple community partners including the Salt Lake County Jail Horticulture Program, Green Urban Lunchbox, Genesis Youth Center, and Bell Organic provide vital contributions to this program.

Finally, I am installing the USU Extension Demonstration Teaching Garden at Wheeler Farm. The garden will provide an outdoor teaching space where horticulture faculty and Master Gardeners can provide hands-on educational opportunities to the public on multiple horticultural topics of interest.

I guess I should also put in a plug for my blog, organicforcast.org. We post timely and helpful gardening tips for those with interest in organic gardening techniques – and – all the photography was taken in Utah!

5. What are some basic organic gardening tips everyday gardeners could incorporate into their plots?
I’ll give you my top 3 tips – build soil quality through small annual additions of well-composted organic matter (1-3 inches per year). Grow cover crops (or green manures) when possible. Plant flowers alongside your veggies to attract pollinators and beneficial insects to your garden. A few great plants include sunflowers, cosmos, and herbs (plant more herb plants than you plan to consume and let a portion of them go to bloom).

6. What is the most rewarding thing about your line of work?
Easy – helping people! Also I have a great job because I get paid to tell people the truth! Since the Extension Service is research-based and non-biased, I do not have to try to sell people something they do not need or give them the opinion of the company. I just tell them what is in their best interest – which is really fabulous!

7. Why is living sustainably important to you personally?
We face some real challenges here in Utah. Our water situation is uncertain from year to year due to drought cycles, we have air pollution concerns, and certain pollinator populations (like several species of bumblebees) are declining nationally. What is exciting about sustainability, is that it is so easy for me to change my own behavior to positively impact my community. I can replace a water-thirsty landscape with one that is more water wise, or combine trips to pollute less, or plant pollinator plants that provide food to pollinators and beneficial insects. Every little bit helps, and it makes me feel great doing it!