Napa Master Gardener Column

By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.  If you have read my columns for a few years, you will know I am crazy about compost.  It satisfies my parsimony and indolence: a compost pile costs nothing, and even if you do nothing to it, it will decompose into a useful soil amendment.  …

Pat Hitchcock, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.What gardener’s thoughts do not turn to the vegetable patch when the sun comes out after a long spell of rainy days? Most of us want to jump right into the beloved tomatoes and beans of summer, even though their planting time is still a couple of months away…

By David Shubin, ISA Certified Arborist and UC Master Gardener of Napa County.   Master Gardeners are often asked about the best time to plant a fruit tree. And I think we usually all give the same answer: It depends.  I know that’s not a satisfying reply. It can feel vague, even evasive. But…

By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.   February is a good month for planning everything and planting some things.  When I review my gardening calendar/journal, I grin.  There is a yawning chasm between the plans and the accomplishments.But I have success in one thing: I…

By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.  Many of us have the variegated spider plant as a houseplant.  It is fascinating how this plant produces new plants and small white flowers at the end of a long stem.  Many years ago, a close friend planted her spider plant outdoors and…