Fall planting and irrigation tips: extension experts recommend seed saving, cool-season crops and adjusting timers

Extension and water-conservation specialists used the Division of Water Resources webinar to offer seasonal maintenance tips for gardeners across Utah, including seed-saving guidance, what to plant now, and how to adjust irrigation and fertilization as temperatures cool.

Wes (USU Extension landscape specialist) emphasized preserving homegrown produce and seed saving. He pointed gardeners to the Preserve the Harvest program and recommended saving seed only from open-pollinated or heirloom varieties if they want plants that come back true to type. He listed cool-season crops gardeners can seed or transplant now — spinach, mustard greens, bok choy, lettuces, carrots, radishes and kale — and noted that row covers or other protection can extend harvests into winter.

Ryan, a landscape manager with the Washington County Water Conservancy District, advised southern Utah gardeners to watch temperatures before major plantings and to delay marginally hardy Zone 9 plants until spring. He recommended the last lawn fertilization in late September or early October and warned against applying high-nitrogen fertilizer in fall because it encourages frost-sensitive new growth. Both presenters encouraged switching to or using smart irrigation controllers and reducing run times as days shorten.

Ryan also highlighted a pest concern in southern Utah: snout weevil in agaves and yuccas. He recommended a minimum spring systemic treatment and a second treatment now if damage continues, using products labeled for the target plants and timing to minimize non-target risk when plants are not blooming.

Participants were directed to USU Extension resources, county extension offices and upcoming webinar recordings for more details. Scheible reminded those in the Division’s landscape incentive program not to remove living lawn until a project is approved, because program administrators must verify living turf in the project area.