Napa Master Gardener Column

By Aileen Carroll, UC Master Gardener of Napa County. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted a garden of my own.   Not just a few pots on a patio, but a real piece of earth to tend. One that no one else could trample, paint or accidentally “weed.”  When I was a college student living in a…

By Bob Nikelwicz, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.  Last February I did a talk at the Napa County Library on dahlias and planting them in containers.  I like growing in containers as the shady areas in my backyard shift over the course of the year.  Dahlias need at least six to eight hours…

By Carol Glaser, UC Master Gardener of Napa County. When our first fall rains arrive, we gardeners breathe a sigh of relief. We need this moisture, and so does the soil after the long, hot dry spell of summer. Our fall and winter rain is precious, but home builders and engineers have worked hard to move…

By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.  We recently had our first rain of the fall season, followed by a cold morning.  Sure enough, when I walked outside later that day, all my soft-stemmed herbs were dead.  Fare thee well, basil, thyme and stevia.  Even the sage looked…

By David Shubin, UC Master Gardener of Napa County and ISA Certified Arborist.  You can expect mushrooms to appear after rain in Napa Valley.  Many gardeners find mushrooms and think “rotting decay.” However, mushrooms are a sign of life.  They’re the fruiting bodies of fungi, the quiet…