Every year it seems there is a new “pest du jour” to combat. In Napa County, we've had the olive fruit fly, glassy-winged sharpshooter, European grapevine moth and vine mealybug. Now we have the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) or BMSB.
Last fall, several Napa County Master Gardeners volunteered to participate in a survey conducted by the Kent Daane Research Laboratory at U.C. Berkeley. The researchers were patrolling Napa County for the stink bug, an invasive pest, and needed diversified gardens that contained vegetable and fruit crops as well as some fruiting and ornamental trees. I volunteered to participate.
The lab's representative dutifully showed up every week to inspect my garden and a pheromone trap that had been placed in one of my trees. The initial survey lasted about six weeks and uncovered no sign of the BMSB. So far, so good. In May, the survey resumed with the placement of another pheromone trap and more weekly inspections.
In early June, I was sitting at my desk when I noticed Greg Clark, Napa's Agricultural Commissioner, poking around in my trees. I thought it was unusual for Greg to be making house calls, so I wandered outside to see why I was being honored with a personal visit. The reason was not good. Researchers had found evidence of Napa County's first BMSB in the pheromone trap in front of my house.
Being the home of the first BMSB in Napa County is a dubious distinction to say the least. I had heard of the little critter but did not know much about it. Nor did I know what to do now that it had been discovered in proximity to my vegetable garden, fruit trees and vineyard.
So far I have learned the following:
- It is not a “little critter.” At maturity it is 5/8 inch long.
- Crop damage by BMSB can be severe as one bug can feed on many fruits. Adults and nymphs suck juices from fruit and seeds, creating pockmarks and distortions that make the harvest unmarketable. Damaged flesh under the skin turns hard and pithy. BMSB damages tree fruits, berries, grapes, legumes, vegetables and shade trees.
- Management options are limited. Chemical and biological controls require further testing. Hand picking may be the best control. I'm sure my wife won't mind patrolling the garden and fruit trees and hand picking BMSBs.
- On the positive side, the bugs are not harmful to people, pets or structures. They do not bite, sting, suck blood or spread disease.
The Agricultural Commissioner's office has hung more pheromone traps around my property, and visiting the traps daily is now part of my routine. To make matters worse, these good people discovered evidence of the vine mealybug in my vineyard when they were checking the BMSB traps recently.
With the 20 or so yellow sticky traps I've placed in my olive trees to monitor fruit fly activity, it looks like I've been visited by the pest version of Typhoid Mary. Any day now, I'm expecting four people wearing masks and protective clothing and carrying large spray guns—the Pestbusters—to show up and take care of these problems.
[Ed: The photos show the egg clusters and the bugs, along with the kind of damage they do to the crops Napa County gardeners grow.]
Tree Walk: Join U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County for a free guided tree walk through Fuller Park in Napa. Registration is recommended as space is limited. Meet at Fuller Park, corner of Jefferson and Oak Streets. Online registration or call 707-253-4221. Trees to Know in Napa Valley will be available for $15. Cash or check payable to UC Regents. Sorry, we are unable to process credit cards.
Workshop: The U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will host a workshop on “Growing Fall and Winter Vegetables” on Saturday, August 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Discover the joy of harvesting vegetables from your own garden in fall, winter and early spring. Topics will include timing, watering, fertilizing, managing pests and harvesting. On-line registration (credit card only). Mail-in/Walk-in registration (cash or check only).
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.edu/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.
A tour of the Napa Farmers' Market and my garden indicates that canning season is here. The pickling cucumbers are ready to go, and in another month or so, paste tomatoes will be ready.
I've been canning for many years so that what I grow can be enjoyed year round. The only bad thing about being a serial canner is that people assume they will continue to receive a few jars of pickles, catsup, pasta sauce or whole tomatoes from you every year. Try stopping and see what happens. It could be ugly.
When I first started canning, I made dill pickles and marinara sauce strictly for home consumption. I wasn't being greedy or selfish by not sharing. Rather, I did not want to be blamed for the death of a friend or family member after they consumed something I made. I faithfully followed the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, and in a few years, I grew more confident. I started sharing with friends and family members I didn't care for and then eventually with people I liked.
When it comes to canning, I follow the KISS principle: Keep it Simple, Stupid.
I have always been a devotee of water-bath canning. It's simple and practically foolproof. Besides, I'm canning pickles and tomatoes, which are high enough in acidity to kill pathogens without the high heat of pressure canning. I own a pressure canner, and every year I think about using it so that I can expand my repertoire to low-acid veggies (which is just about every vegetable except tomatoes). A pressure canner heats food to high temperatures (240°F to 250°F or higher), which destroys the spores that produce the botulism toxin. A water-bath canner heats food only to 212°F, which is not high enough to safely can most vegetables and other low-acid foods.
Pickling cukes are easy to grow and fun to harvest as they are good at hiding in their own foliage and making you search for them. The biggest challenge is to not let them get too large. Once they reach four to five inches in length they are ready for harvest. Any larger and they start getting mealy.
For canning, paste tomatoes like Roma and San Marzano are preferable to beefsteak types. The paste varieties have less water, thicker flesh and fewer seeds. Juicy beefsteak types are great for salads and sandwiches, but they're not meaty enough to make great sauce.
A bushel of paste tomatoes is to a canner what a blank canvas is to an artist. To can whole tomatoes, all you have to do is skin them. To can tomato sauce, tomato paste, catsup, barbecue sauce or pasta sauce, you need to transform raw tomatoes into tomato puree. Quarter the tomatoes, place them in a 4-quart glass bowl and pop in the microwave. In 30 minutes you will have a bowl of water, skins, seeds and tomato pulp. Discard the water and pass the solids through a tomato mill or food mill to remove the seeds and skins. The result is tomato puree.
Canning is not high tech. I still use the basic tools and equipment I started with years ago. The one addition I made a number of years ago was a tomato mill. I discovered mine in a kitchen store in Florence, Italy, and it was love at first sight. When I saw this bright-red contraption, I knew I had to have it even if it meant schlepping it through Italy for the next two weeks. Of course, like many products travelers discover in Europe, these tomato mills are now available locally. I'm still glad I brought mine home.
It's time to get out the canning tools and equipment, review favorite recipes, and make sure you have all the spices and herbs you'll need to start canning.
Tomato Catsup
20 to 25 pounds ripe paste tomatoes
4 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground mace
2 teaspoons ground dried ancho chile (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon celery seed
Quarter the tomatoes and place them in a 4-quart microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 15 minutes. Remove the bowl, stir, return to the microwave and microwave on high for 15 minutes more. Strain the tomatoes and discard the watery juices. Pass the pulp through a tomato mill or food mill. Discard skins and seeds. You should have about 4 quarts of tomato puree.
Combine the tomato puree and the remaining ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, then adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring often to prevent scorching, until the catsup is thick, 2 to 3 hours. For a smooth catsup, blend with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Divide the catsup among sterilized half-pint jars, filling to within ½ inch of the rim. Top with a new lid and screw band. Close tightly. Process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes, following standard procedures for safe canning.
Makes 12 to 14 half-pints
Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will conduct a workshop on “Food Preserving” on Saturday, July 23, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, at University of California Cooperative Extension (address below). Preserving your garden's bounty and knowing exactly what's in your food are just two reasons for preserving or canning foods at home. Canning is an important and safe way to preserve food if it's done correctly. Learn the basics of preserving using a boiling water-bath canner and a pressure canner, and when to use each method. Also learn other easy techniques for saving your bounty for consumption later.
On-line registration (credit card only) Mail-in/Walk-in registration (cash or check only)
Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will conduct a workshop on “Landscape Tree Appreciation and Care” on Wednesday, July 20, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., in the Napa County Library Community Room. Learn how landscape trees enhance our lives, how to choose the best trees for your site and how to keep your trees healthy.
The talk will be followed by an optional guided tree walk at Fuller Park in Napa from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. The walk will be repeated on Saturday, July 23, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. There is no fee for the workshop or tree walk. For more information, call the Napa County Library at 707-299-1481 or U.C. Master Gardeners at 707-253-4140.
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.edu/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.
I was raised in the desert, in a landscape with more cactus than trees. So I especially appreciate the many trees that thrive in Napa Valley. On a hot summer day, it's a joy to be able to hang out under a tree in the shade. Several varieties are particularly suited for local home and patios.
One of my favorite patio-suitable trees is the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). With a maximum 30-foot height and 30-foot spread, it's a yard-friendly tree. The leaves turn bright orange in autumn, another feature I love. I don't need to do much decorating at Thanksgiving because we usually have a tree or two ablaze with color. And because maples are deciduous, our trees let lots of light into our home during the dreary winter months.
Another attractive tree for the home landscape is the summer-blooming crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica). With an average height of 30 feet and average 20-foot spread, it's a good choice for patios. You can see crape myrtles in bloom around Napa in shades of lavender, pink, red and white. They are a popular street tree because their roots don't break up sidewalks. The median islands along California Street in Napa are planted with red-blooming crape myrtles.
Once established, this lovely tree is drought tolerant, a key consideration these days. Crape myrtles also put on a show in autumn when their leaves turn orange, red and yellow before dropping. Fortunately, the leaves are small and don't clog storm drains. The mottled bark on the trunk adds to the tree's beauty as the older gray bark peels back to reveal new reddish-brown bark underneath.
According to John Hoffman's Trees to Know in the Napa Valley, the Ginkgo biloba is a “gardener's dream, requiring little pruning and resisting most insects and diseases . . . thriving under adverse growing conditions.” Reaching 70 feet in height and 40 feet in width, this large tree tolerates just about anything urban life can throw at it, including polluted air and cramped space.
This resilience is pretty amazing because the ginkgo is literally a living fossil. Also known as maidenhair tree, it has a history of survival. The leaf looks the same today as in fossils found in China from 270 million years ago.
Six ginkgo trees near the center of the blast survived the bombing of Hiroshima. After that, the ginkgo tree became known as the “bearer of hope,” its leaf used as a symbol of hope and peace. Its unique fan-shaped leaf turns bright yellow in the fall.
One note of caution: If you decide to plant one of these distinctive trees, make sure it is a male. While the fruit of the female is valued in Chinese cooking, it makes a mess when it drops and it smells horrible.
These three trees and twelve others are considered by Napa County Master Gardeners to be star performers in the Napa Valley. In addition to thriving in our Mediterranean climate and clay soil, these trees have attractive qualities that make them great choices for home gardens, public streets and parks.
Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will conduct a workshop on “Landscape Tree Appreciation and Care” on Wednesday, July 20, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., in the Napa County Library Community Room. Learn how landscape trees enhance our lives, how to choose the best trees for your site and how to keep your trees healthy.
The talk will be followed by an optional guided tree walk at Fuller Park in Napa from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. The walk will be repeated on Saturday, July 23, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. There is no fee for the workshop or tree walk. For more information, call the Napa County Library at 707-299-1481 or U.C. Master Gardeners at 707-253-4140.
Guided Tree Walk: Join U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County for a free guided tree walk through Napa's Fuller Park on Monday, July 11, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There is no charge for the walk but registration is recommended as space is limited. Meet at the corner of Jefferson and Oak Streets. Online registration or call 707-253-4221. Trees to Know in Napa Valleywill be available to purchase for $15 each. Cash or check payable to UC Regents. Sorry, we are unable to process credit cards.
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.edu/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.
About 16 years ago, well before I was a Master Gardener, I planted my first olive trees. My goal was simple. I wanted to block the view of a neighbor's collection of old non-working cars, trucks, boats and various other treasures.
My decision-making process was also simple. I was walking through Home Depot one day, saw nine Manzanilla olive trees in 15-gallon pots, thought olive trees were cool, so I bought them, took them home and planted them.
What have I learned from this experience? First, I'm a lucky person. All of my olive trees are alive and well despite being cared for by a former Midwestern with zero knowledge of olive trees. However, in the intervening years, I've learned a bit about them.
Did you know that some types require a pollinizer to produce olives? My Manzanilla trees did not produce much fruit until I planted two Picholine olive trees nearby.
Again, luck played a major role. I was strolling through the Napa Farmers' Market one day when McEvoy Ranch was selling olive trees. I bought two because I had room, and by chance they were Picholines, a pollinizer for Manzanilla.
Pruning slipped by me for the first 10 years or so. The trees grew tall and filled out, which I thought was the goal until I realized I had a jungle with fruit higher that I could reach with a ladder.
Folk wisdom says that olive trees should be thinned enough so that a bird can fly through them. A bird could do this in my little olive orchard only if it were carrying a chain saw.
For the last six years or so, I've been on a pruning rampage. I have reduced tree height to about eight feet, and it is now possible to walk between the trees.
Fortunately, olive trees are forgiving and can handle heavy pruning. Some fruit trees have a narrow window for pruning but not olive trees. I now do a heavy pruning in the winter and prune to shape and to remove suckers and water sprouts all year long. Someday I hope to witness a bird fly through my trees rather than over or around them.
It seems that all trees have an enemy or two, and olive trees are no different. I discovered early on that yellowed leaves with dark spotting and a halo around each spot were suffering from a fungal disease called peacock spot. This fungal disease causes partial defoliation, which weakens the tree and reduces fruit set. The fungus thrives when we get significant fall, winter and spring rain such as we had this past year.
The only preventive measure is to spray your trees with copper fungicide as early as possible after harvest. If you, like me, were lulled into a false sense of security by four years of drought and did not spray last year, there is nothing you can do now about peacock spot other than to hope it doesn't get worse. Note to self: spray this fall.
The major enemy of olive trees in our area is the olive fruit fly. An adult is only about a quarter-inch long, but these critters run in a gang and can ruin an entire crop. Three years ago, none of my olives was acceptable for curing or pressing. They all ended up in the garbage as they were not fit for compost either.
If you have any olive trees, you must take measures to combat the fruit fly even if you don't intend to harvest your olives. Doing nothing is akin to allowing an olive fruit fly hotel and spa to flourish before going on to your neighbors' trees where they will wreak havoc. If you want more information about control, you can find a wealth of information online.
I now have 22 olive trees. I have to say I enjoy them even when they present a problem or two. I find pruning to be therapeutic and the time spent harvesting in the fall most rewarding when I see those buckets of olives awaiting milling or curing.
Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will hold a workshop on “Growing Olives” on Saturday, July 9, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at Big Dog Ranch, 1020 Congress Valley Road, Napa. Learn what varieties to plant, where to plant them and how to maximize fruit size and yield. Presenters will also discuss drought tolerance, irrigation, harvesting methods and managing olive pests. On-line registration (credit card only) Mail-in/Walk-in registration (cash or check only).
Guided Tree Walk: Join U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County for a free guided tree walk through Napa's Fuller Park on Monday, July 11, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There is no charge for the walk but registration is recommended as space is limited. Meet at the corner of Jefferson and Oak Streets. Online registration or call 707-253-4221. Trees to Know in Napa Valleywill be available to purchase for $15 each. Cash or check payable to UC Regents. Sorry, we are unable to process credit cards.
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.edu/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.
Some people may think of daylilies as ordinary garden plants without any special characteristics. Yet no other plant has blossoms that compare to the daylily in variety of color, form and size.
In addition, daylilies (Hemerocallis) are edible and nutritious. Their buds and blossoms have almost as much protein as spinach, more vitamin A than green beans and about as much vitamin C as orange juice.
Daylily colors include multiple shades of yellow, orange, red, wine, purple and peach. There are no pure white blooms, but there are near whites, such as ‘Ice Carnival,' a very pale yellow.
On some daylilies, all the flower segments are a single color; others are polychromes, with different flower parts in different colors. On some blooms, the edges are lighter or darker than the rest of the petal and may be ruffled. Some have a pronounced eye, with a darker or lighter area just above the throat of the bloom.
Daylilies also come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The normal daylily has three petals and three sepals. Double daylilies have up to six extra petals above or below the normal petals. There are circular and triangular daylilies. Some are spider-shaped with long, narrow petals; others have petals that curve and twist. Sizes range from miniatures with blooms under three inches to those with flowers that measure seven inches across or more.
In northern California, daylilies flower from late spring to fall. They bloom more prolifically in full sun, but they will still bloom in partial shade. Some varieties are early-season bloomers; others flower later. Some are repeat bloomers, flowering more than once during the season. Iin my garden, repeat bloomers include ‘Pardon Me' and ‘Panache.'
Although each flower lasts for only one day, many varieties produce multiple buds on each stem, or scape. Some are extended bloomers, with individual blossoms remaining open for 16 hours or more. My favorite extended bloomers are ‘Strawberry Candy' and ‘Custard Candy.' Most daylilies bloom during the day, but some are nocturnal, opening late in the afternoon and staying open through the next morning.
You can increase daylilies easily by dividing the clumps. First cut back the leaves to about eight inches in length. Dig up the whole clump and shake off the soil. Depending on the size of the clump, divide it with a sharp knife, spade or shovel. Remove the old portion of the roots to encourage new roots to form. Now the divisions are ready to plant.
Some daylilies have small plants, called proliferations, on the stems of the flowers. You can plant these in wet sand in a small pot. Keep them moist until the little plants develop roots, then re-plant in a larger pot or in the garden.
To plant a bare-root daylily in an existing bed, dig a hole larger than the root mass—at least 12 inches deep and 12 inches across. If the garden soil has not been amended, add about 20 percent compost to loosen the soil. Mound soil in the center of the hole until the top of the mound is just below ground level. Place the daylily on top of the mound and spread the roots. Fill the hole with dirt, covering the roots. Firm the soil and water thoroughly.
If the bare-root plant has been out of soil for several days, soak the roots in water for a few hours prior to planting. If you can't plant a bare-root daylily immediately, put it in a shady place with the roots in damp sand or peat moss.
If you have gophers in your garden, consider lining the planting hole with wire, especially if this is the only specimen you have in that variety. Alternatively, grow the daylily in a pot until the roots become established, then plant it in the garden.
There are growers who specialize in daylilies. Check out their websites for more information on available varieties. The American Hemerocallis Society lists display gardens on its website at www.daylilies.org. California has four display gardens, of which three are open to the public. I have visited the Amador Flower Farm in Plymouth been amazed by all the beautiful daylilies.
Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will hold a workshop on “Growing Olives” on Saturday, July 9, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at Big Dog Ranch, 1020 Congress Valley Road, Napa. Learn what varieties to plant, where to plant them and how to maximize fruit size and yield. Presenters will also discuss drought tolerance, irrigation, harvesting methods and managing olive pests.
On-line registration (credit card only) Mail-in/Walk-in registration (cash or check only)
Guided Tree Walk: Join U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County for a free guided tree walk through Napa's Fuller Park on Monday, July 11, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There is no charge for the walk but registration is recommended as space is limited. Meet at the corner of Jefferson and Oak Streets. Online registration or call 707-253-4221. Trees to Know in Napa Valley will be available to purchase for $15 each. Cash or check payable to UC Regents. Sorry, we are unable to process credit cards.
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.edu/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.
