Napa Master Gardener Column

Now that we're finally getting some rain, don't let it fall off your house, down your gutters and into the storm drain. Catch some of it and use it in your garden. I do two things to catch rainwater. I have eight swales, which are open ditches that are closed at each end.

With winter's official start less than two weeks away, it's rose pruning time. For rose lovers in Napa Valley, that can be hard to accept. With our relatively mild winters, many of us have roses blooming until Christmas.

A well-planned garden brings delight to all the senses.

It's fall and time to get your worm compost bins in order. Thicker bedding protects the worms during cold weather as they move to the center of the bin to keep warm. It is sometimes hard to work a compost bin and rebuild it during winter. It's cold, or it's raining.

I grew up on a tree-lined street, with large carob tree canopies arching over to provide shading and cooling during the heat of summer. In the fall they filled the evening air with their pungent, earthy smell, and in spring they dropped their edible pods.