October Newsletter from USU Extension

UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Summit County

Newsletter

October 2026

IN THIS ISSUE

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Gardening

Home & Community

4-H

Welcome, October!

Fall is officially here in Summit County! As the days get cooler, this month’s newsletter is full of ways to make the most of the season. Find timely tips for fall gardening and preparing your yard for winter, learn about high-altitude canning, and don’t miss Spore to Supper, a hands-on workshop where you can explore the fascinating world of gourmet mushrooms and learn how to grow them at home.

Whether you’re wrapping up the garden, preserving the harvest, or ready to try something completely new like a quilting class, we hope you’ll find something useful—and maybe a little unexpected—this month.

Happy reading!

Agriculture & Natural Resources

An Introduction to Mycology and Home Mushroom Cultivation

Saturday October 10th, 2026

9 am to 12 pm

Swaner Ecocenter

Learn how to grow mushrooms at home. This is not a mushroom identification workshop.

Join us for a 3-hour class where we’ll learn about fungal biology and ecology, mushroom cultivation, culinary uses of mushrooms, and further ideas for working with fungi. You will leave with a solid understanding of how fungi grow and interact with their environment, how to cultivate mushrooms at home, and how to safely enjoy mushrooms as food. You will also leave with a list of resources for further learning and new ideas for working with fungi beyond this class. Please note that while we will cover some regional fungi and physical features of mushrooms, this is not a mushroom identification class.

What to bring and expect: This is a 3-hour indoor class. You will be provided with a workbook and a take-home mushroom grow kit.

GARDENING

AGNES Beta Testing!

Help participate in the beta testing of AGNES (Agriculture Guidance and Natural Resources Extension Service), a new Extension tool designed to provide quick access to research-based guidance across a wide range of agriculture and natural resource topics. AGNES houses over 11,000 fact sheets to help you quickly find relevant, practical information. It also includes a county-level map to provide location-specific resources whenever available. Your feedback is important! By trying AGNES and letting us know what works well, or what could be improved, you'll help us make the tool more user-friendly and effective.

Website

Survey

Utah Water Savers Rebate Programs

Looking for some help as you Slow the Flow? Check out these rebate programs.

Information

Weekly Watering Guide

The Utah Division of Water Resources Weekly Lawn Watering Guides offer customized watering recommendations for your area and lawn type!

Watering Guide

Website

Wasatch Back Fruit Tree Project

For those of you who are currently growing apple or peach trees, or those interested in doing so, check out our local project - the Wasatch Back Fruit Tree Project. The aim is to provide date-driven recommendations for the best varieties of apples and peaches to grow along the Wasatch Back. To do so, we're enlisting those who are successfully growing apple and peaches to report on their fruit trees--by doing so, we can aggregate local information to benefit our community! We're especially interested in any old trees you have growing. Reach out to wesley.crump@usu.edu if you'd like to participate--it's simple and fun! Some of the data are posted on our website, with more to come this month!

HOME & COMMUNITY

Rental Items

Summit County residents can check out/reserve a variety of appliances, such as our freeze dryer, sewing machines, dehydrator, and other kitchen appliances. Check out what is available below, and call our office to reserve: 435-336-3217.

Visit our Website

Utah Altitude Adjustments for Home Canning

Knowing your altitude is critical for canning. See this article for a town-by-town listing of elevations and recommendations for boiling-water and pressure canner adjustments.

Visit our Website

4-H

September is the start of the 4H year. Don't forget to register through Zsuite for upcoming camps and clubs. For any questions, contact Hailey at hailey.davis@usu.edu or 435-336-3219.

USU Extension Summit County

45 E 100 N Coalville, UT 84017

extension.usu.edu/summit/