by Donna Woodward
We gardeners who have space to grow plants are fortunate. Many people would love to grow some vegetables, such as tomatoes, but have no garden space. We Napa MGs in the Field Test Committee felt we should do something to help these people. We decided to try a field (patio?) test for tomatoes. There are several types of tomatoes bred for growth in containers. We picked three to grow on our patios, decks, or anywhere other than in the ground or a raised bed. Most of us had never tried this, so it promised to be a novel experience.
We will poll them later about their experiences and add this data to our own.
We did some research on various tomatoes touted as suitable for growing in containers. One factor is whether the tomato is determinate or indeterminate. The former is a bush type that grows to a certain height, so this would probably work better in a limited space. We learned that there are dwarf varieties that are bred specifically for growing in pots. There are even micro-dwarf types that can be grown on a windowsill. Some of these were available at the sale, but we didn't want to experiment with a novelty. We decided to try three normal-sized plants that are reputed to do well in containers.
At the tomato sale anyone who purchased one or more of the three varieties in the trial was invited to participate. We were delighted to get 42 people to join our trial! We'll post updates over the coming months as the growing season progresses.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Donna Woodward, Reneés Garden (Super Bush) Prairie Fire and Inca Jewel by previous permission.
by Bob Niklewicz PT MG
Question 1: How many muscles are there in the Human Body? If you have read one of my previous articles, you would know you have about 600 muscles.
Question 2: How many muscles pump blood throughout your body? If you said, “one, the heart”? If you did, you would be mostly wrong. Yes, the heart, about the size of your fist, beats (contracts, then relaxes) about 100,000 times a day. If you multiply that over a lifetime, the amount of work done is staggering. Those 600 muscles (one being the heart) contracts then relaxes during use, too. The difference is the heart beats your whole life while the other muscles work as needed. One of those needs is walking.
As in anything active, start out by warming up. A slow, steady walk may be all you need. My rule of thumb is when you are wearing a sweatshirt with a zipper and feel a need to pull down the zipper, you are warmed up. Walking with comfortable shoes is a plus. Walking around your yard several times should do nicely. If you are walking intensely, such as on dirt hills paths or uneven surfaces, consider a walking stick for balance. Walk at a pace that is not stressful, so you can enjoy the view. You should swing your arms even if you are using a stick. Right hand forward when the left foot steps forward. If you are really into progress, learn to take your pulse or use your smart watch to give you a number. The target heart rate for conditioning is 100 beats per minute. If you just want to warm up, go for the Glow.
“If you are in a bad mood, go for a walk, if you are still in a bad mood go for another walk.”
Hippocrates
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: www.verywellfit.com, legs; Jeannette E. Warnert
by Melody Kendall
Designing a new or updating an old landscape can seem like an overwhelming chore to some. Breaking the whole experience into steps or looking at different considerations first will help to center or focus all your efforts. Last week we covered the first steps. This week we'll finish:
-Cost & other considerations
-Draw out existing landscape
-Add important notations
-Additional Considerations
-Locate research based gardening info to facilitate the proposed project
Draw out existing landscape: Start bringing all this information into focus. Roughly draw out your existing landscape. Start with scratch paper, a pencil and a big eraser. If your project perimeter is large, you will need a helper to hold the measure tape. Homeowners might not have a long measure tape, so the process will have to be done in steps. There are programs available on line that will allow you to not only view your entire property from above in real time and have measuring tools available for your use. It is much easier to use one of these programs to measure the larger distances. Print out this photo and write in the measurements as they are taken. Whichever method you use, record all measurements on your rough drawing. Using this information and graph paper, do a final property drawing. Keep the original photo print for your reference.
Add important notations: When planning a landscape, project measurements are not the only important information that will be needed for a successful outcome. Elevations, structures and hardscapes, to name a few, create certain conditions in your garden that will need to be taken into consideration when making plant and design decisions.
-Points of the compass: a north facing landscape area has very different conditions than a south facing area.
-Prevailing winds: the local wind conditions are a big factor in plant selection. In our south valley the winds are much more constant than those upper valley locations. Some plants just don't like the wind.
-Lines of sight: Say you have a wonderful view of the mountains you want to preserve and enhance, not so much the neighbor's chicken coop. When choosing plantings for those areas, think of the mature height of plants.
-Locate the existing irrigation lines and hose bibs: Plus, water access is important information to have when choosing plants for any area.
-Sun/shade coverage: The points of the compass, structures, large trees and the sun's changing trajectory in winter and summer create areas that at one time of the year might be in shade but at other times of the year in the sun. Determining that sun/shade coverage is rather easy using this formula: Go out at night during a full moon and observe where the moonlight falls, this is where the sun will fall six months. Example: Jan moonlight=June sunlight.
-Mark all of this information on your final drawing and make multiple copies for your use during the project.
Additional Considerations: There are some further items that need to be considered before beginning your project:
-Check with local nurseries for plant inventory availability and plan for any fulfillment delays
-Landscape vs hardscape: know the difference. With some exceptions altering/installing hardscapes is best done in the spring or early summer to take advantage of the softer soil from the winter rains. Plant installation, on the other hand, is usually best done in late fall or early winter. This will allow the plant to take advantage of any winter rains.
-Consider climate change and how it will affect your final design plan.
-Record the locations of existing/updated irrigation in the landscape on one of the copies of your property drawing. Save this in your records to refer to in the years to come.
-Record all plant ID information and save this information in a file to be referred to as needed.
-Check out the various design related free apps and software options online and try them out.
-There are many research based websites available for your discovery and exploration
As a final step: Take one copy of your final drawing and in the area slated for change, rough out the planned landscape project. You now have a very nice folder filled with information about landscape design in general and your project specifically. Become familiar with this information and make any changes to your original design plan as information suggests. Empowered with this knowledge you can start your project and have a successful experience.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Mel Kendall
Information links:
UC Master Gardeners of Napa County-Step-by-step Garden Design
https://napamg.ucanr.edu/GardenDesign/
by Melody Kendall
The thought of redoing an existing landscape and/or designing an area in your landscape that is currently a blank slate can seem like an overwhelming task. It's all about planning and research coupled with breaking down the project into manageable steps. The small step concept will also help to make the garden design/redo experience a fun process with pleasant anticipation instead of sweaty palms and sleepless nights.
Here are some considerations when creating that final garden design template:
-Your gardening experience
-Purpose of the garden & type of garden desired
-Scope of project (wish list)
-Who will be doing the work
-When desired start/completion time of the project
-Cost & other considerations
-Draw out existing landscape
-Add important notations
-Additional Considerations
-Locate research based gardening info to facilitate the proposed project
Your garden experience: This is YOUR garden. There is no finger pointing or judgment here. If you truly love getting out in the soil and puttering on a regular basis, plan your design accordingly. If your idea of gardening is to just experience the view while sitting in a chair with a cool drink in hand, then create your garden oasis with that in mind. Do you live in a fire area where you must consider firewise landscaping? Are there physical considerations that you or your family have that need to be planned for? All of these and more must be pondered when making any landscape design plan.
Purpose of the garden & type of garden desired: You have decided how your garden will fit into your lifestyle so you can start narrowing down the plans, plants, and hardscape options. Gather ideas and do research on the upkeep requirements of the plant and hardscape options that fit into your ‘lifestyle' criteria. Pull out the notes and ideas that you have gathered and create a final list that includes all the items that fit into your gardening lifestyle and discard those that don't. This will narrow down your choices and make the process more manageable.
Scope of project: Create a dream book or scrapbook to be followed in the creation of your new landscape space. Include pictures and notes for each concept. These will help as each step moves forward.
Who will be doing the work? Will you be doing all the landscape remodel work, hire a professional or divide different segments between you and a professional? For example, a professional could be hired to remove the existing landscape and you could take it from there. Doing the work yourself will require fitting each step into your future schedules. Choosing a landscape design professional requires some research, asking around for recommendations and checking on the internet. Interview professionals to make a final selection.
When is the desired start/completion time of the project? If you want to do the landscape transformation in stages, all at once or somewhere in between is up to you. Plan accordingly to the best of your ability to make the project timeline. Also, if you use a landscape professional, you might have to conform to their schedule. This information should give you a start. Begin gathering information to create your wish list and dream book of pictures and notations. Rough out a timeline and project template and, if you intend to use a landscape professional, start looking at options available.
Next week this blog will present information on the remaining items on the list of implementing a new landscape design: Cost & other considerations, drawing out existing landscape, adding important notations, additional considerations, and locating research based gardening information to facilitate the project.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Mel Kendall
Information links:
UC Master Gardeners of Napa County-Step-by-step Garden Design https://napamg.ucanr.edu/GardenDesign/
It's hard to believe that zucchini and pumpkins belong to the same plant family, but both are part of the cucurbit, or gourd, family of vegetables. Summer squash, such as zucchini and yellow crookneck, ripen throughout the summer and are best eaten when they are young, when their skins are tender and the seeds small. Winter squash are also planted in the spring, but they mature throughout the summer and are harvested only when they are mature, when their skins are hard and the seeds mature. They can be stored for weeks or months, right on through the winter, hence the name “winter” squash.
The Napa Master Gardeners Field Test Committee set out to try three different winter squash varieties. One problem for many gardeners is the lack of space for these sprawling long-vined vegetables. We searched the seed catalogs for varieties that promised to be space savers, either short-vining or bush varieties. We picked two that were described as bushes. These are bred to produce small squashes. One was Kindred Buttercup, which was a long-time favorite of one of our members. Another small fruit producer was called Gold Nugget. The third variety, Sweet Mama, was not advertised as a small squash, but the seed packet claimed it was a short-vined space saver.
The other two varieties were space savers, because they were true bushes and they produced small squash. Both varieties produced an average of nine squash per hill (2-3 plants) with an average weight of one pound. The Kindred Buttercup seed packet claims the average size is 3-5 pounds. It is possible that our results were not typical, due to the severe drought we were battling. It is an attractive gold-orange orb that makes a pretty addition to the table.
Gold Nugget's small size was consistent with the seed packet description, which was 1-1.5 pounds. It was the least popular of the three. We had some failures with its germination, and for some of us it failed to thrive. Most of us felt it was too small to warrant the trouble of growing it. It made a pretty table decoration, but the flesh was not thick enough to provide much to eat.
We planted in early May, directly in the ground or raised beds. Harvest ranged from early August to late October. Squash is ripe when the rind is hard and difficult to pierce with your fingernail. When harvesting, always leave an inch or two of stem attached to the squash. There should be no damage to the rind. Squash should be cleaned and dried before storing. These measures prevent bacteria from entering the fruit.
Winter squash are best stored at 55-59°F and can last 2 to 6 months depending on the variety. Cucurbita pepo types such as acorn, spaghetti, and delicata are best eaten in the fall. Cucurbita maxima types such as hubbard, buttercup, and kabocha squash are best eaten in December/January. Cucurbita moschata types such as butternut will store the longest.
All three varieties in our trial are in the C.maxima family. For optimal flavor, this type of squash requires a curing period to convert some of the starch to sugar. I cooked some of the Sweet Mama shortly after harvest and found it bland and starchy. After allowing time for curing, I tried it again, and it was rich and sweet.
Kindred Buttercup won a blind taste test of the three squashes. The small size is convenient for a meal for two. My favorite was the kabocha variety, Sweet Mama. It is harder to cut, but its size provides a thick layer of dense, tasty fruit. It can be used in place of pumpkin for a pie.
These types of squash should be kept in a warm, airy place for 10-14 days before transferring to a cool dark place for longer storage. The larger varieties generally keep longer than the smaller ones.
If you want to extend the enjoyment of your garden produce, winter squash is delicious, easy to grow, and requires no special equipment to preserve.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Information about squash: https://vric.ucdavis.edu/veg_info_crop/pumpkinsandsquash.htm
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Pat Hitchcock; Gold Nugget squash; Leonora Enking from West Sussex, England, CC BY-SA 2.0
