According to recent news articles, an El Niño winter is on the horizon. In fact, many of these warnings predict a strong El Niño season. What exactly does that mean? Should you be concerned for your garden?

For the Napa Valley, El Niño refers to a weather pattern in which warming sea surfaces cause heavier-than-average winter rains and wind with warmer-than-normal temperatures.The U.S. Climate Prediction Centerhas predicted 65 percent likelihood that we will feel the effects of El Niño as summer ends, with that probability rising to nearly 80 percent by the end of the year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that this weather pattern usually continues for nine to twelve months.

Because of the current drought, the idea of a wet winter is welcome to me. The coming rains are too late for a number of my trees and shrubs, which are either dead or have dead branches. And the high winds that accompany El Niño storms could blow any of these trees down. Clearly I need to trim dead branches and trees and make sure weak plants are staked properly.

El Niño storms often dump massive amounts of rain in a short time, creating flash floods and heavy water build-up in yards. You can find some good suggestions on how to handle storm water as well as how to collect it for future use at www.countyofnapa.org. In the search box, type “slow it spread it sink it” to find an online reference guide by that name.

Since good drainage is extremely important to plant health, my other pre-storm chores involve clearing a place for the rain water to go. These tasks include clearing weeds from the run-off ditches in my yard as well as cleaning out rain gutters and spouts.    

Highly saturated soils make it hard for plants to survive. In wet soil, t is almost impossible for roots to take up all the oxygen that the plant needs, which causes the roots to decay. Deep roots are the first to rot. If the condition continues shallower roots will also be damaged. Even plants that don't appear to be flooded may have problems during extended wet weather. And you may not see the damage until next summer. One of the best defenses for your winter vegetable garden is to make sure you have well-drained soil and to plant in mounds.

After an El Niño season, everything may appear normal in your garden until summer temperatures top 90°F. After the 1997-98 El Niño season, Napa County farm advisor Dean Donaldson warned Master Gardeners about this phenomenon in the group's newsletter. “Sometimes tree growth is simply stunted,” wrote Donaldson. “Usually, however, people observe their beautiful trees and shrubs suddenly turning from green to yellow or reddish brown. Usually it is the entire tree and it happens within a few days of hot weather. Insects are attracted to those weakened trees and often get the blame. If the whole tree dies, you can blame El Niño.”

When those record-breaking El Niño rains subsided and weather warmed up, fungal and bacterial pathogens emerged on foliage. Many trees and shrubs evidenced phytophthora root and crown rot. Slime molds appeared on soil surfaces, and snails and slugs proliferated.

Anthracnose, fire blight, and powdery mildew all thrive after a mild, wet spring. When you see evidence of these diseases on plants, cut out and discard the affected material immediately. Sanitation is the number-one way to keep these diseases from spreading. Iron chlorosis may also be a problem in wet soils.

The best thing we can do for our gardens before an El Niño-influenced winter is to create good drainage. Afterward, watch for symptoms of root rot, fungus or bacterial diseases.

Garden Tour:The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County invite you to their sixth garden tour, “Down the Garden Path,” on Sunday, September 13. On this self-guided educational tour you will see seven gardens by Master Gardeners in and around the City of Napa. These gardens illustrate how Napa County Master Gardeners use University of California research-based horticultural information to develop and maintain their own gardens.

Tickets: $30 Advance/ $35 Day of Event. Purchase tickets at http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa. Or you can purchase tickets at the UC Master Gardener office (address below). For more information, call 707-253-4143.

Workshop: The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County will host a free workshop on “Worm Composting” on Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at the Napa Valley Museum, 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville. Explore worm composting, an ideal solution for composting kitchen scraps and returning the nutrients to your soil, especially when outdoor space is limited. Co-sponsored by Napa Recycles! Free Online Registration.

Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.

 

When my wife and I moved from Colorado to Napa a little over five years ago, I had no idea how much I would come to appreciate the sheer quantity and variety of trees in our new town. From our Napa house it is an easy walk to a corridor of majestic redwoods on Franklin Street, to Fuller Park on Jefferson Street with its trees from near and far, and to street after street of landscapes filled with mature trees of all colors, sizes and shapes.

I don't even have to walk down the street to see striking trees. From the front porch of our home, I can look a block away and see what I now know to be a deodar cedar (Cedrusdeodara) that is easily 50 feet tall standing in front of a still taller Mexican fan palm (Washingtoniarobusta).

But my fascination with the trees of Napa didn't really begin until the day I spied what looked like spiky, green bowling balls beneath a tall, pine-like tree in Fuller Park.

“What's that funny-looking tree?”  

“Bunya bunya.”

By this time, I'd followed my sister-in-law and wife into the University of California Master Gardener program. To help me identify the local trees, I was directed to Trees of Napa Valley written by John Hoffman, a respected local arborist and one of the original UC Napa County Master Gardeners.

This book spurred me to pay more attention to the trees around me. I read the section on the bunya bunya (Araucaria bidwillii) and learned that it, along with most of the trees in Fuller Park, was not native to the Napa area. This prehistoric tree hails from tropical Queensland, Australia, and appears to be little changed in appearance from fossilized remains dating back to the Mesozoic Era.

The large cones that so interested me can weigh up to 15 pounds. Seeds from the cones are larger than almonds and prized as a food source by Australian aborigines. Another fine specimen of the bunya bunya can be found not far from Fuller Park on the grounds of the Bali Hai Apartments in the 1700 block of Pine Street.

The dawn redwood (Metasequoiaglyptostroides) is another “living fossil” growing in Fuller Park. This remarkable tree was planted in the park by the Browns Valley Garden Club in 1954 and is reported to be the oldest tree of its species in California. A plaque at its base identifies it as being planted in memory of Herman J. Baade, a University of California farm advisor from 1914 to 1951.

John Hoffman writes of a tree thought to be extinct whose fossilized remains were found in many areas of the world. The fossil leaves and cones look much like those of the California Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). In 1941 a Japanese botanist placed the fossils into genus Metasequoia.

Coincidentally, in the same year, a Chinese forester discovered a new type of deciduous conifer in a remote area of China. It was subsequently identified as the thought-to-be-extinct dawn redwood. Its seeds were propagated and seedlings were distributed to institutions all over the world, including Kew Gardens in London. That tree, planted in 1949, still stands today.

These are just two of the many interesting trees on view in Fuller Park. Purchased by the City of Napa in 1905, this former orchard and site of bygone playing fields has become a repository of trees from around the world.

The originalTrees of Napa Valley is no longer in print. However, the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County have recently published an updated version, Trees to Know in Napa Valley, with technical editor Bill Pramuk. A certified consulting arborist and long-time local columnist, Bill has an extensive knowledge of our local trees.

This book includes fold-out maps detailing tree walks in Fuller Park and downtown Napa, a collection of John Hoffman's original essays about some of the finest trees in the area, a tree-selection guide for home landscapes, and information about Napa's Registry of Significant Trees.

Guided tree walks in Fuller Park will be offered in the future by UC Master Gardeners of Napa County. For information on upcoming tree walks and other research-based information to aid the home gardener in Napa County please visit: http://ucanr.edu/ucmnapa/

Garden Tour: The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County invite you to their sixth garden tour, “Down the Garden Path”, on Sunday, September 13. On this self-guided educational tour you will see seven gardens by Master Gardeners in and around the City of Napa. These gardens illustrate how Napa County Master Gardeners use University of California research-based horticultural information to develop and maintain their own gardens.Tickets: $30 Advance/ $35 Day of Event. Purchase tickets at http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa. Or you can purchase tickets at the UC Master Gardener office (address below). For more information, call 707-253-4143.

Workshop: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a workshop on “Vegetable Vexations” on Saturday, September 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the University of California Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Understanding pests and blights that affect your vegetables is key to managing them. Squash that doesn't grow, tomatoes with peculiar markings, artichokes full of earwigs, plants that fail to thrive—all these and more will be discussed. Bring your own vegetable vexations to show and tell, and see how integrated pest management techniques and Master Gardeners might help.Online registration (credit card only); Mail-in registration (cash or check only).

Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. UC Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.

 

When we purchased our home 30 years ago it had what was touted as “RV storage”:a gravel area that extended along the entire south side of the house and down to the street. I said to my husband, “First thing on our list is to cement that area”.   Years have gone by and because finances were allocated to more pressing matters we still have a gravel area.   As with a lot of things in life I am so glad that circumstances turned out the way they did.

California's ongoing water situation has produced many suggestions for dealing with drought conditions. One pertinent idea is permeable hardscapes. Permeable means that a material allows liquids or gases to pass through it.Hardscapes are the non-living or man-made sections of an outdoor area such as driveways, walkways and patios.

Traditionally a lot of the hardscapes in our yards have been made of non-permeable materials, such as concrete. Non-porous materials in a city or town environment encourage the runoff of possibly polluted waters and the overflow of the storm sewers which at times may cause flooding. Additionally because the water is unable to penetrate the surface the soil dries out and moisture is unavailable to hydrate nearby plantings,increasing the need for irrigation in the dry season.

Permeable materials allow the water to slowly percolate through. The filtering of the water by the permeable material,as well as chemical interactions with soil and soil organisms, removes a large portion of the pollutants and allows the water to return to the aquifers much refreshed. The soil is also able to store the water for the use of nearby plants so you do not have to supplement their water needs as much.

If we had cemented the area I probably would not have gone to the labor and expense of removing it. At one point we did take out a section of concrete from another area in our yard, and it was a lot of heavy work. Rather than send the concrete to the land fill, I was able to recycle it into a retaining wall. Reused concrete chunks are sometimes called “urbanite”.

I decided to check out permeable hardscapes to see what the costs were and just what materials were available out there.   The selection of cement pavers, decomposed granite, gravel, mulch and so on is legion. You can also use a product called pervious concrete, which looks and acts like concrete in the landscape but allows water to pass through.

The pavers, permeable concrete, and similar products need a good base and mostly professional installation. The flagstone I liked but car traffic would probably crack the slabs. I thought of decomposed granite (DG) but the installation I found was labor intensive. I love the cobbles I have in other areas of my yard but their uneven surfaces would not work at this location.

The side yard had been filled with pea gravel for a dog run at one time. Over the years the gravel had been joined by silt and soil to create a hard packed material and it had become a haven for difficult to remove weeds. I decided just to refresh with that same material. Pea gravel is permeable. When the gravel is loose, it is easy to remove the occasional weed with a stirrup type hoe, and if you have pets the removal of pet feces is simple.

I dug the area down about 4 inches and removed the gravel/soil to another location. It made a fine walking surface around my raised beds.We then computed the amount of pea gravel needed and had it delivered. Because the location was right on the street the delivery truck was able to dump it right where it needed to be. This was super convenient as now all I had to do was spread it around with no wheel barrow involvement at all. After a few hours of hard, sweaty labor the area looked refreshed and new.

Both the cost and labor commitment fulfilled all my expectations. It looks great and more importantly it is permeable. The only downside is that the pea gravel tends to spread and needs frequent sweeping to return it to the designated area.   Overall, though, I am happy with the entire project.

If you are choosing hardscapes for your yard, it is worth the time to check out permeable material options. You can beautify your landscape and conserve some of our precious water at the same time.

Garden Tour: The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County invite you to attend their sixth garden tour, “Down the Garden Path,” on Sunday, September 13. On this self-guided educational tour, you will see seven gardens by Master Gardeners in and around the City of Napa. These gardens illustrate how Napa County Master Gardeners use University of California research-based horticultural information to develop and maintain their own gardens. Tickets: $30 advance / $35 day of event. Purchase tickets here: http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa  Or you can purchase tickets at the Master Gardener office (address below). For more information, call 707-253-4143.

Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. UC Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.

 

 When most of us think of carrots, orange is the color that comes to mind. But these days, colorful carrots in hues that include white, red, yellow and purple are more available in seed catalogs and produce markets. They may be heirlooms, but they seem like new kids on the block.

I was surprised to learn on the USDA website that the earliest references to carrots were to purple and yellow types found in Afghanistan between 900 AD and 1000 AD. By the 1300s, these varieties had made their way to Europe and China. And by the 1700s, white carrots were being grown in Europe. Orange carrots finally made an appearance around this time.  

Oil paintings from the Netherlands during this period depict orange and white carrots in still lifes of kitchen scenes. I'll be looking for them on my next museum visit.

Today Turkey, India and China grow purple, yellow and red carrots, while in the Middle East people prefer mostly purple and yellow types. White carrots are largely used for livestock feed in Europe, with orange carrots now the norm in most of the rest of the world.

Many of us have been told to “eat your carrots” at least once, and it seems to be good advice.

Carrots provide 30 percent of the vitamin A in the American diet, and they are a low-calorie source of fiber and potassium. According to the USDA, Americans eat an average of 11 pounds per year, so some of us must be paying attention.

With such colorful choices, knowing the subtle differences between them will add to your carrot sophistication.

White carrots like ‘Snow White contribute valuable fiber, but their lack of color signals fewer micronutrients. The ubiquitous orange carrot provides beta and alpha carotenes that protect our eyes and immune systems.  

The striking ‘Cosmic Purple' carrot with its heart of gold provides the nutritional benefit of anthocyanin. According to the USDA, this micronutrient helps prevent heart disease and stroke with an antioxidant effect that protects against harmful free radicals.

Sunny yellow carrots like ‘Solar Yellow' and ‘Yellow Sun' boast xanthophylls, the same pigments responsible for the color in fall leaves. These pigments are beneficial in the fight against macular degeneration and cancer prevention. Red carrots like ‘Atomic Red' contain lycopene, the same pigment that makes tomatoes red.

Carrots are a $300 million crop in the U.S., with half of all production in California. Clearly we can grow carrots in this state.

According to the USDA, it takes just over one square yard to produce enough carotene-rich carrots to supply all the vitamin A an adult needs for a year. That's a good reason to sow some carrots.

Find a sunny spot in your garden for carrots, and prepare the soil well. Most carrot varieties are long and straight;if you are digging beds, aim for at least 18 inches of loose soil. Round carrots are a good choice if your beds can't be deep.

Some carrot varieties do better in clay soil than others, but all prefer a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Carrot seed germinates best in warm soil. Carrots can tolerate some light shade, which means you can interplant with other crops. Read the seed packet for more detail.

Scatter carrot seed on the surface of the prepared bed and rake it in gently. Some seed packets recommend surface sowing with no soil cover, while others recommend covering the tiny seeds with no more than a quarter-inch of soil. Some gardeners prefer to grow in rows, sowing a few seeds every inch with rows 16 to 18 inches apart; others prefer to broadcast seeds in blocks.  

Toss a few radish seeds in the same row or block to see green pop up a little faster. Radishes can help mark the row for slower-germinating carrots. Keep the bed moist until the carrot seeds germinate.

Thinning carrots is essential. Most seed packets recommend sowing more seeds than you need so you have adequate germination, but the more seeds that sprout, the fiercer the competition. As difficult as it may be to pull up and toss seedlings, thin to seed packet recommendations for best results.  

Split carrots? Uneven watering. Twisted? Heavy soil.Hairy and rooty? Too much nitrogen.

The other tough lesson about carrots is, don't pull them up to see if they are growing. But if you accidentally do so, toss the tiny carrots in your salad. They are good for you, too.

Garden Tour: The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County invite you to attend their sixth garden tour, “Down the Garden Path,” on Sunday, September 13. On this self-guided educational tour, you will see seven gardens owned by Master Gardeners in and around the City of Napa. These gardens illustrate how Napa County Master Gardeners use University of California research-based horticultural information to develop and maintain their own gardens. Tickets: $30 advance / $35 day of event. Purchase tickets here: http://bit.ly/1fqLJZe. Or you can purchase tickets at the Master Gardener office (address below). For more information, call 707-253-4143.

Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will hold a workshop on “Food Preserving” on Saturday, August 29, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the University of California Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Conserving your garden's bounty and knowing exactly what's in your food are just two reasons to preserve food at home. If done correctly,canning is a safe way to process fruits and vegetables. Learn the basics of water-bath canning, pressure canning and other easy preservation techniques. Online (credit card only)Mail-in registration (cash or check only).

Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners ( http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.