How will your garden grow? Start with local plant sales.

  • May 2, 2025
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Punk Rock Farmer Friday will provide you with plenty of ideas from Wasatch Community Gardens and Red Butte Garden, both getting ready for their annual spring plant sales. Al's Urban Farm Report digs into Natural Organic Reduction. A new study on farmers and mental health. Plus, tomorrow's Utah Die In, Skywatcher Leo T and live, homegrown music from Spirit Machines.

Tonight's Punk Rock Farmer Friday edition of RadioACTive features the following people, organizations and/or events. Check them out and get plugged into your community:

Raven and Jess stop by with details about tomorrow's Die-In at the Utah State Capitol, 350 S. State St., SLC. 

  • May 3: Utah Die-In, 12:00-3:00 p.m. at Utah State Capitol, 350 N. State St., SLC. Event by UtahDieIn: "A peaceful protest against government policies that are impacting the health and safety of those living in America. And a moment of silence where the community holds tombstones stating various reasons that they may have 'died' (as a bell slowly tolls in the background)." 

  • May 3: Save Our Land, Save Our Parks, 3:30-6:30 p.m., south steps of the Utah State Capitol, 350 N. State St., SLC. Event by Druids for Change: "Show up for indigenous people and our park rangers who lost their jobs. Show up for our parks and the animals and people who will be affected by the recent firings."

  • June 14: No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance, 12:00-2:00 p.m. at Utah State Capitol, 350 N. State St., SLC. "Utah 50501 is calling you to action! In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings. NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies. A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values."

Live and homegrown music from Spirit Machines, which formally announces its plan to change its name to Cecret Souls. But there's one more gig coming up first:

May is plant sale season. RadioACTive talks with James Loomis of Wasatch Community Gardens and Crystal Kim, Horticulture Program Coordinator at Red Butte Garden, both getting ready for their annual spring plant sales next weekend.

  • WCG 2025 Annual Varieties Catalog: View in-depth profiles of each annual vegetable, fruit, berry and flower variety grown at our City Farm at 1300 South, complete with photos, plant care tips and history, etc. (Note: best reviewed when "View" is set to 50% - 75%). 

  • WCG 2025 Annual Varieties Quick Reference List: Use this list as a quick reference tool for planning your annual varieties purchases. This resource lists the same varieties as the catalog, but in a condensed format!

  • Red Butte Garden 2025 plant sale page with listings for fruits, ground covers, herbs, native plants, ornamental grasses, Plant Select® plants, perennials, roses, trees & shrubs, vegetables, vines, and waterwise plants.

#ManyCulturesOneSky with SkyWatcher Leo T. Tonight: Seahorses, cats in space, the moons of Saturn, and more!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Jessica Schreifels of The Salt Lake Tribune on a new study about Utah farmers, mental health and suicide.

  • READ: Utah farmers signed up for federally funded therapy. Then the money stopped. "If you or someone you know needs help. You can dial 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If you live in Utah, it will route you to the Utah Crisis Line, which is staffed by certified crisis workers at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute. The call is free and confidential, and you can reach someone at any time of day. Another hotline, 1-800-FARM-AID, has staffers who can talk with you about what you are going through and connect you to resources." (April 30, 2025, Jessica Schreifels, The Salt Lake Tribune)

Aldine's Urban Farm Report on the ultimate recycling move: Natural Organic Reduction and Conservation Burial Grounds. Guests: James Loomis of Wasatch Community Gardens and Shayneh Starks of Starks Funeral Parlor. 

  • "According to the Green Burial Council, there are three types of natural cemeteries: Hybrid Cemeteries, Natural Burial Grounds and Conservation Burial Grounds. Our lifelong dream is to support the development of conservation burial sites, where loved ones can return to the earth, nourishing it while also contributing to the preservation and protection of natural land. In partnership with Summit Land Conservancy, efforts are underway to make this vision a reality." — starksfuneral.com/conservation-burial

How'd you like the show? Share your thoughts, suggestions and observations by calling the RadioACTive hotline: ‪(385) 800-1889‬. Or, send a voicememo to radioactive@krcl.org. Please tell us your name and neighborhood and leave a short message that may air on the show. So, keep it clean!

Guests' views, thoughts, or opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the board, staff, or members of Community Radio of Utah, KRCL 90.9fm. Tonight's RadioACTive team included:

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