Napa Master Gardener Column

I often think of myself as the reluctant gardener. Sure, I have always appreciated a lovely garden space overflowing with lush greenery, aromatic blooms or perfectly ripe fruits and veggies. I just personally never had the desire or inclination to make that happen.

This winter's rains have prompted Napa Valley to burst into extravagant bloom.

Recently I visited the home of a fellow Master Gardener who lives near Napa's eastern hills off Third Avenue. She has majestic native oaks in front of her home, and I asked her how old those trees might be. She said maybe 200 years.

When the European explorers first came to the New World, they were interested in Native agriculture. Famine was a familiar presence in the old country, and even when times were good the ordinary person's diet there was neither varied nor abundant.

Until a few years ago I considered myself an avid gardener. When it came to gardening, I felt that anything worth doing was worth doing to excess. Most people would have been satisfied with just a few raised beds for vegetable gardening, but I had thirty.