Government documents might sound dull, but we find treasures in the Wyoming State Library collection all the time. We spotted some publications by the University of Wyoming Extension that we thought would be helpful this digging and planting season. We invited UW Extension to share a bit more about what information they offer and where it may be found.
By Chavawn Kelley, Writer/Editor
University of Wyoming Extension
It’s gardening season in Wyoming. Whether your garden grows in a single container or is for community supported agriculture, University of Wyoming Extension publications can help you make the most of it.
Dozens of publications are available from WYLDCAT or from extension’s resource catalog, most as free downloads. Videos on a range of yard and garden topics are available at the UWyoExtension YouTube channel. All content is developed by UW Extension agricultural and horticultural educators and other experts familiar with conditions in our state, such as soil, weeds, wind, and weather.
You’ll find publications on composting, water-wise gardening, and season extenders such as hoop houses. There’s help growing vegetables and herbs and selecting annuals and perennials (the flowers that return each year) suitable for Wyoming gardens. Want to make an income from your garden? There are resources to help you take it up a notch.
The quarterly magazine Barnyards & Backyards: Rural Living in Wyoming contains an array of articles geared toward the needs of small-acreage landowners. The spring 2017 issue, for example, includes articles on cover crops for the garden, assessing pesticide risks in yard and garden, measuring flow in an irrigation ditch, chicken breeds for colorful eggs, and a seasonal to-do list. Many libraries in Wyoming carry it, or you can get your own annual subscription for $10 at BarnyardsandBackyards.com.
Despite our best efforts, sometimes every gardener’s visions of success run afoul. That’s when UW Extension can help you make sense of pests such as slugs, snails, and root weevils, and weeds such as crabgrass, bindweed, and clover.
For those problems too perplexing or overwhelming to manage on your own, Extension educators or trained Master Gardeners are available to work with you directly to address your lawn, garden, and rural living needs.
UW Extension educators and specialists serve every county and the Wind River Reservation, often offering workshops and more intensive training programs such as Wyoming Master Gardener.
Finally, at harvest time when the garden is producing more bounty than you can eat or give away (and we hope it is), you can turn to the 14 guides in the “Preserving Food in Wyoming” and “Canner’s Corner” series (search for them here). They supply you with the know-how to make jams, jellies, and pickles and put up all those luscious tomatoes.
Learn more on the UW Extension website. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.