I have never been much of a trendsetter. The clothes in my closet today look quite a bit like the clothes in my closet in the 70s with the exception of a few Hawaiian shirts that I added 10 or 12 years ago. However, today I find myself in the forefront of a trend—namely, growing my own food. When I planted my first vegetable garden in a Chicago suburb in the early 1970s I had no idea that what I was doing would be a trend 40 years later.
According to the National Gardening Association, more than 43 million American households planted a vegetable garden in 2009. That represents 37 percent of all U.S. households and a 20 percent increase over 2008.
So what's driving people to grow their own food?
- Economics: In 2008, Americans spent $2.5 billion on their food gardens. The return on this investment was $21 billion. The average household with a 600-square-foot garden spent $70 a year and, in return, received $600 worth of veggies. Sure beats the stock market.
- Food safety: Reports of food-borne illness appear regularly in the news. The use of pesticides in farming is a continuing concern. Many processed foods contain additives and preservatives that a growing number of people want to avoid. If you grow your own food, you know exactly what is in and on it.
- Exercise: Gardening provides an excellent cardio and aerobic workout. Studies show that an hour of gardening can burn as many as 300 calories for women and almost 400 calories for men. Spend some time bending and stretching in the garden and you'll feel like you've been to an exercise or yoga class.
- Taste: There's simply no comparison between a tomato you pick from your own garden and one purchased from a supermarket. Food you grow will always be fresher and therefore tastier.
- Environment: If you grow your own food, you're not supporting industrial agriculture. One family's impact may be small, but collectively, the environmental benefits add up: fewer pesticides polluting the water supply and fewer chemical fertilizers causing soil erosion. In a home garden, you're not using the fossil fuels that heavy farm equipment requires. You and your family provide the energy, and you control the amount of water used.
- Family: Gardening can help bring your family together to learn about how food is grown and what it takes to put fresh produce on the table. It's a great way to teach children and grandchildren responsibility and to develop a strong work ethic.
- Social: Gardening provides the opportunity to expand your social circle. Truly serious gardeners may want to become a certified U.C. Master Gardener as I did. Since becoming a Master Gardener last year, I have probably tripled the number of people I know in Napa Valley.
- Community: If you have enough room to grow your own food, then maybe you have enough room to grow food for others. Nothing like dropping off 10 pounds of excess tomatoes at the local food bank to make you proud and happy.
If you don't have room for a garden, you can still grow food. Consider container gardening if you have a sunny patio. You'll be pleasantly surprised by how many tomatoes, peppers, eggplant or zucchini you can grow in pots. Alternatively, you can rent space in one of Napa's community gardens.
One downside to growing your own food is that you risk becoming a garden geek or food snob. You may become fascinated with exotic garden tools like the Japanese horihori knife. You consider calling the water police when you see your neighbor watering not only the lawn but also the driveway, sidewalk and street. You turn up your nose when you see someone buying chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides and have to resist telling them off. You gravitate to people using terms like integrated pest management and pinching off. Worst of all, you may become convinced your tomatoes are better than anyone else's and enter them in the Napa Town & Country Fair.
No matter what drives you to grow your own food, I think you will find that your new hobby gives you and your family great pleasure and improved health while saving money and helping the environment.
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “Cool Season Veggies” on Sunday, August 17, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville.Grow your own vegetables even when days are short and nights are cold. Learn which vegetables thrive in cooler temperatures, how to protect them from heat when they are getting started, and how to time planting to ensure months of harvest.To register, call the Parks & Recreation Department at 707-944-8712 or visit their web site. Workshop fee is $10 for Yountville residents, $12 for others.
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.
Napa County Master Gardeners welcome the public to visit their demonstration garden at Connolly Ranch on Thursdays, from 10:00 a.m. until noon, except the last Thursday of the month. Connolly Ranch is at 3141 Browns Valley Road at Thompson Avenue in Napa. Enter on Thompson Avenue.
Three varieties of beets were planted last July for fall harvest in an informal field test by UC Master Gardeners of Napa County. Golden, Bull's Blood, and Cylindra were the varieties we chose for color, shape, and variety.
Twenty plants of each variety was our goal. Some participating gardeners found beets easy to grow and produced large crops. Other gardeners met some stumbling blocks from the start, including spouses mistaking seedlings for weeds, problems with germination, and at least three of our gardeners lost their entire crop to earwig damage. Marauding chickens ate some of the beet seedlings at the Master Gardener demonstration garden, and fowl were also blamed for seedling loss in some of our home gardens. Finally, in a description expressing the angst of a classic tragedy, one gardener reported waging war with gophers, only to watch her young beet plants disappear to the rodents, one by one.
There was a huge variation in total crop yields, from the low end at approximately three pounds to a high of 35 pounds. There was no marked difference in the yield among the three varieties, although Cylindra had a slight edge over the rest.
As their name suggests, Cylindra beets are long, cylinder-shaped vegetables that can be sliced into uniform sizes. Because of their shape, more beets can be planted in the same amount of space as with a typical round beet. Cylindra beets have smooth, easy to peel skin, with a bold, earthy flavor, typical of long beet cultivars. Bull's Blood beets have beautiful red tops that make a delicious addition to salads. These beets should be harvested when young for the best taste. Golden beets have a sweet flavor and they also have tasty greens. Mom wasn't wrong when she told you to eat your beets because they're good for you. Beets contain lots of vitamins and minerals, are low in calories and have 2 grams of fiber per serving.
Beets are best when grown as a cool season crop, either in the spring or late summer. Higher temperatures cause rapid growth and white rings, called zoning, in the interior of the beet. Plant your beets in an area that for a few years hasn't grown any Chenopodiaceae family members, including other beets, chard, and spinach, to avoid soil borne diseases. Beets prefer uniform loose, deep, well-drained soil. Adding organic matter to the soil is always desirable and will improve the tilth of your soil. Beets can be grown in more clay-like soil, but harvesting is more difficult and root growth may be distorted or impaired. Beets are less tolerant of soil acidity than many other crops. Lime applications can be made if you know your soil is very acid, 5.8 or below.
Beet seeds are compound, meaning that each "seed" can actually contain up to six seeds. However, this doesn't improve germination and beets are known for spotty germination, so you may want to sow moderately heavily to assure a full crop. Once the plants do germinate, you will have a lot of thinning to do. Sow seed every two or three weeks to provide a continuous harvest. Plant your beet seed two to three inches apart, in rows approximately two feet wide. Beet plants should be twelve to twenty-four inches apart. The beets we grew averaged about 60 days until harvest.
As with all crops, avoid irrigation mistakes. When growing your beets, pay special attention early in the season to avoid overwatering, especially in our drought situation. Excessive irrigation can lead to damping off and root rot disorders. Small beet seeds are unable to emerge from encrusted soil, so irrigation in this period requires frequent, light irrigation. In the rest of the season, soil shouldn't dry out. Beets develop most of their size during the second half of their growing period, so be sure they get enough water.
Like other root crops, beets store well. They should be topped, dry, and free from dirt for best storage. Either cold storage or cool-cellar storage is suitable for beets, provided the humidity is sufficient to prevent shriveling. Cellar storage temperatures should not exceed 45F degrees to prevent sprouting and decay. Store your beets in well-ventilated containers, such as slatted crates, and you'll have fresh beets for many weeks to come.
UC Master Gardeners of Napa County is recruiting for the Class of 2015! Applications are available at the last informational meeting on Tuesday, July 22, 6-7:30 p.m. at 1710 Soscol Ave.; Suite 4; Napa, CA 94559.
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 email 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.
For gardeners in July, water is the thing. If you have a drip system, visit your garden and check in with each plant. Make sure all emitters are free of dirt and debris and that water can flow freely. Adjust water timers so plants are not watered at night; many plants are susceptible to mold and fungus, and a long, damp night can encourage disease. Better to water in the early morning, when the rising sun will dry the leaves, and the roots will be hydrated for the heat of the day.
Citrus trees, stone fruit and flowering trees will appreciate a deep watering every week or two through the hottest months, but remember to cut back on water before harvest to intensify the flavor of stone fruits, and avoid peaches and nectarines that are watery and tasteless.
Check hanging baskets and potted plants under eaves. Are they getting enough water to look their best? The July sun can be pretty brutal. Occasionally soak your potted and hanging plants to completely hydrate, especially if water seems to run off quickly when you water, and the soil is dry if you prod a few inches down. Move suffering potted plants to cooler locations until temperatures ease.
Bougainvillea is an exception to the rule. Its flashy beauty does better when kept on the dry side, so do not water them until the soil is dry several inches down.
If you have dahlias in your garden, trim them back as the first flush blooms. They have worked hard. Deep water and fertilize to encourage another bloom.
If you planted zucchini, winter squash, beans or cucumbers early, you can plant them again in July. Planting another hill of zucchini or other summer squash, or cucumbers and early melons can extend your season after your original spring planting is spent. Pull out the used-up plants. Work in some new compost, water well and think about what you want to plant there next.
For fall gardeners, your choices to plant from seed are many; bush beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, green onions, peas, spinach, and turnips. Winter squash and winter greens can also be planted. Kale, basil, spinach, bulb fennel, well-watered radishes, lettuce and mesclun mixes can also be sown now. Just water regularly and never allow new seedlings to dry out.
Remember when you plant seeds that the beginning is the most important. After germination, if that fragile little seedling dries out just once, it will not grow.
If you notice that your plants start to lose their vibrant green and look a little yellow around the gills, they are trying to tell you they have used up all the energy in the soil. Following the instructions on your jug of fish emulsion, or the labels on other amendments or fertilizers can help green them up and help them produce abundant crops. When your crop is harvested and the bed is empty, replenish with compost and other organic matter or plant a cover crop to furnish the nutrients your next plants will need.
Remember your garden hygiene. Keep fallen fruit and overripe vegetables picked up off the ground to avoid attracting rodents, raccoons, skunks and other pests to the garden. Rake plant material up and add to your compost pile.
After you harvest your blackberries, raspberries or ollalieberries,cut this year's spent canes all the way to the ground to refresh your plants for next year, and tie up the new canes as they begin to grow.
You can start new perennial plants from cuttings now. Choose 5-inch long shoots of fresh growth with no flowers or buds of plants including dianthus, Shasta daisies, geraniums, salvias, verbenas and many other herbaceous perennials. Choose a rooting hormone at your local nursery or garden center, and follow the directions for using it. Rooting hormone greatly improves your chances of successes with many cuttings. Use seed starting mix or succulent mix for your cuttings or make your own mixture of half perlite or vermiculite, and half peat moss. When your plants are rooted, transplant to the garden or a container with a nutritious potting soil or mix.
Whether your chores are simply picking tomatoes and watering the zucchini, or getting your greenhouse in full swing for your fall crops, take the time to look at all you have accomplished since spring. Or, if the early planting season got away from you, vow to have your first cool season garden this year. The main thing is to enjoy July. It is summertime.
UC Master Gardeners of Napa County is recruiting for the Class of 2015! Applications are available at two information meetings:
Friday July 11, 12.30-2.00
Tuesday July 22, 6-7.30
At 1710 Soscol Ave.; Suite 4; Napa, CA 94559
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.
Bougainvillea ( Bougainvillea spp.) are tropical vines from Brazil that are happiest close to the Equator, so success with these beauties will depend on your ability to make them feel at home. At least five hours of direct sunlight a day is necessary for the colorful blossoms and bracts that make bougainvilleas vibrant standouts, and warm temperatures and excellent drainage are a must. Heat lovers, they can handle temperatures over 100 degrees, but do not like temperatures below 60 degrees. (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 9-11) Vines that are damaged by cold or frost in our area can usually be cut back and will regrow when the weather warms.
Grown primarily for their brilliantly colored carpals, a close look reveals the actual flowers of bougainvilleas are small, insignificant and usually white or cream colored. But each flower is surrounded by several sets of papery carpals in colors so brilliant, they can be seen for miles.
Colors range from deep purple, magenta, cerise, pinks, reds, yellows and whites.
They can be grown in the ground, or in pots or baskets: enjoy them in the summer months, and bring them in when it gets too cold.
Bougainvillea are drought tolerant once they are established. They do not like wet feet, so if you plant them outside, higher ground is best. Drainage is important whether you plant them in the ground or in a pot. If you plant in a pot, do not use a saucer or water dish. Too much water or waterlogged roots can cause bracts to drop, or your plant to stop blooming completely.
Bougainvillea in pots and baskets do very well, provided they get enough light. They also do better with constrained and crowded roots, so do not be in a hurry to repot.
Bougainvilleas grow best in quick draining, loamy soil that is equal parts clay, sand and silt, and amended with compost or organic matter to allow oxygen and nutrients to easily reach the fragile roots. Do not use any water retention types of mixes or ingredients. The excess water can cause root rot and leaf spots to appear.
Water only when the surface soil has dried, or the plant is slightly wilting. Then water deeply.
Avoid frequent, light watering; it promotes a weak root system and weakens the color of your plant.
The blooming cycle for bougainvillea is typically four to six weeks. Since bougainvillea blossoms only on new growth, pruning and pinching are important techniques to promote abundant growth and flowering.
Pruning can be done at any time of the year, and is used to shape the plant. Bougainvillea can be pruned hard to restrict growth, and stems can be pruned to create branching. Shaping your plant depends on if you want it to grow aggressively for a hedge, vertically to cover a trellis, or want it to be full, bushy and overflowing for a pot or hanging basket.
Pinching is important. Pinching is the method of removing the soft, growing tips of young plant stems to encourage fuller growth. The more you pinch, the more your bougainvillea will branch and bloom, so prune and pinch after a flowering cycle has completed.
For great color and abundant blossoms, feed your plant. Bougainvilleas are heavy feeders, but have delicate root systems. Specialized fertilizers for bougainvillea are available, and one of their distinguising factors is the inclusion of iron and other micronutrients. Read your fertilizer label and follow the directions. Applications will be more frequent during the flowering months, and should be cut to half during the non flowering months, especially when temperatures are cool.
Bougainvillea should come with warning signs. Long, sharp thorns can tear clothes and puncture skin, and often cause dermatitis or small infections for many gardeners and passerbys who are allergic to the thorns. One source I read suggested planting them 3 feet away from paths or patios, and to avoid planting them near swimming pools, play area or other areas of the garden people may be more likely to be scraped or scratched.
While the leaves of bougainvillea are not toxic, the sap of the plant is mildly toxic and a prick from the thorns can result in itching, swelling, burning, blisters or sores. Of course, this can also be used to your advantage. Bougainvilleas are aggressive growers and can be easily shaped into massive hedges. Many homes with yearlong warm temperatures plant bougainvillea as an effective and colorful security fence.
UC Master Gardeners of Napa County is recruiting for the Class of 2015! Applications are available at two information meetings:
Friday July 11, 12.30-2.00
Tuesday July 22, 6-7.30
At 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 4, Napa, CA 94559.
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners ( HYPERLINK "http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/" 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.
Napa County Master Gardeners welcome the public to visit their demonstration garden at Connolly Ranch on Thursdays, from 10:00 a.m. until noon, except the last Thursday of the month. Connolly Ranch is at 3141 Browns Valley Road at Thompson Avenue in Napa. Enter on Thompson Avenue.
What you need to know:
Pruning is used to train the plant, maintain plant health, improve the quality of flowers, fruit, foliage, or stems, and sometimes even to restrict growth.
Understanding plant structure helps the home gardener select the limbs or flowers that require removal to improve the health or look of the plant. Resources such as the American Horticultural Society book Principles of Pruning and Training, or Sunset's Western Garden Book, are filled with specific plant life details. Knowing what a bud union is, or a tree crown, or a scaffold branch, or a crotch angle, and the difference between a tree and a shrub, is vital information when a homeowner is ready to begin the pruning process.
The next concern is timing—when to prune. Spring-flowering shrubs and trees that bloom on last season's growth, including azalea, lilac, rhododendron, redbud, Japanese quince, fringe tree, honeysuckle, and viburnum should be pruned soon after they bloom. This allows for vigorous summer growth and plenty of flower buds the following year.
Several years ago, my lilacs were getting tall and sprawly, so I took my loppers to them in the fall in an effort to ‘shape them up'. The following spring, I had tidy lilac shrubs, but very few lilac blooms. I had removed most of the lilac's growth from the previous spring and summer, not knowing lilac is one of the shrubs that bloom on the previous year's growth. Recently, our prolonged cold winter devastated my hydrangeas, resulting in the loss of all last summer's growth. I have very few hydrangea blooms now.
Abelia, butterfly bush, Hills of Snow (a hydrangea variety that does not bloom on the previous year's growth), hypericum, crape myrtle, and most shrub roses bloom after spring from buds which are formed on shoots that grow that same spring. Prune these shrubs in later winter to promote vigorous shoot growth in spring.
Broad-leaved evergreens, such as gardenia, camellia, pyracantha, holly, and photinia require very little pruning. Go several years without pruning, except to remove dead or weak stems, or to keep them neat. Prune broad-leaved evergreens grown for showy fruit such as pyracantha and holly during their dormant season when needed for shaping. If these plants become old and misshapen, cut back to 6 to 8 inches from the ground before spring growth begins. Be mindful of cutting back too early, however, as pruning stimulates new growth, especially vulnerable to frost damage.
Understand the reasons for pruning landscape shrubs and trees, arm yourself with structural and growth knowledge about your specific plant, and be willing to take a hands-on approach to the pruning process You can accomplish the task!
Home gardeners who want to learn more about landscape pruning will find abundant information in the books referenced earlier as well as from these University of California websites:
http://cesutter.ucdavis.edu/files/102457.pdf
http://ceventura.ucanr.edu/Environmental_Horticulture/Landscape/Pruning/
UC Master Gardeners of Napa County is recruiting for the Class of 2015! Applications are available at two information meetings:
Friday July 11, 12.30-2.00
Tuesday July 22, 6-7.30
At 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 4, Napa, CA 94559.
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners ( HYPERLINK "http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/" 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.
Napa County Master Gardeners welcome the public to visit their demonstration garden at Connolly Ranch on Thursdays, from 10:00 a.m. until noon, except the last Thursday of the month. Connolly Ranch is at 3141 Browns Valley Road at Thompson Avenue in Napa. Enter on Thompson Avenue.
