First, don't rush to get those tomatoes in the ground. Wait until the danger of frost is past and the soil is sufficiently warm. Cool temperatures make tomato plants more susceptible to disease and slow growth. Prior to planting, “harden off” the plants by placing them outside in a sheltered location for about a week. Gradually expose them to more sun during the day. If frost threatens, bring the plants indoors or cover them to provide protection.
When you buy tomato plants, pick stocky transplants with healthy green leaves. Inspect the bottom of the container; the plants should not be root bound.
Evaluate locations before deciding where to plant. Choose a spot with full sun. Do not plant tomatoes or other members of the nightshade family (potatoes, eggplants and peppers) in the same location two years in a row to keep soil-borne fungal diseases from getting established.Ideally, wait at least three years before planting nightshades in the same location. If you grow your tomatoes in pots, clean the pots first, and then fill them with new potting mix.
Your plants will be more productive if you give them plenty of room. If you intend to support the plants with stakes or cages, space plants in rows 30 to 42 inches apart, leaving 24 to 30 inches between the plants. If you're going to let the plants sprawl,give them even more room. If you use pots, choose large ones.
Water the plants and the planting areaa few hours before planting. Wait until late afternoon to plant. Pinch off all but the top two sets of leaves, and then bury the plant in the soil up to those top leaves. Avoid handling the stem. New roots will form along the buried stem.
If the plants are in biodegradable pots, break up the pots slightly so the roots can easily grow into the soil. Bury the pots completely to avoid water wicking away from the roots. If the seedlings are in plastic pots, gently remove the seedlings and loosen the roots before planting. Press the soil firmly around the plant, and then water the area thoroughly.
Most tomato plants benefit from some type of support. Cages keep the tomatoes off the ground, maximize garden space, and make harvest easier. Install cages soon after planting to avoid damaging plants. Place two strong stakes on both sides of each cage for additional support when the plant becomes heavy with fruit. Make sure your cage is tall enough for the plant when it's full grown.Cage openings should be large enough for you to reach in and harvest.
Another option is to stake plants. Select stakes 6 feet long and 1-1/2 to 2 inches wide. Drive them 1 foot into the soil approximately 4 to 6 inches from the plant. As the plants grow, pull the stems toward the stakes and loosely tie them to the stakes at intervals of 10 to 12 inches. Use flexible material for ties, such as garden tape or strips of rags. Prune the tomato plants to a few main stems to keep the plants from becoming too heavy.
Water tomatoes to a depth of three feet, generally once a week but more often in hot weather.Apply a three- to four-inch layer of mulch to reduce weeds, retain soil moisture and moderate soil temperature. Extreme fluctuations in soil moisture can cause fruit cracking and blossom end rot.
Wait to fertilize until the plants are flowering and fruits are forming. Feed witha nitrogen fertilizer every four to six weeks, following label instructions. Water thoroughly after fertilizing.
Harvest tomatoes when they develop full color. Keepat room temperature to maintain that just-picked flavor.
Tomato Sale and Education Event: Napa County Master Gardeners are hosting their third annual Tomato Sale on Saturday, April 18. Join us in the South Oxbow parking lot in Napa, 9 a.m. until sold out. We have a bountiful selection of strong, young plants: heirlooms, hybrids, cherry, paste and just plain good eating tomatoes of all sizes. Remember to bring your own box to safely transport your plants home. Click on the link above to read descriptions of the varieties for sale.
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.
The allure of stalking game wasn't something I understood until I spent a perfect day planting seedlings only to discover the next morning that said seedlings had disappeared. In cartoons, you have probably seen red-faced people with steam coming out of their ears. That was me.
I am now on a mission. I hunt the information highway for ammunition and stalk game in my yard. I now understand the thrill of the hunt. Learning how to vanquish a certain pest and implementing the technique in my garden makes my day.
Early on I decided that I was going to avoid chemical warfare. So I comb the library and the Internet and question acquaintances and sometimes complete strangers for information and success stories. Here is my hit list:
Earwigs are one common problem in my garden. I was surprised to learn that they are considered somewhat beneficial as they eat soft-bodied insects and their eggs. I chose to control them because they damage seedlings and soft fruit.
Earwigs like moist, dense undergrowth and debris, so control them by installing a drip system and cleaning up detritus. Check plant support stakes. If they are hollow, replace them. Earwigs hide inside hollow stakes during the day.
Trap earwigs with rolled-up newspaper, short pieces of hose or toilet paper rolls. Place your choice of traps near the affected area at dusk. In the morning, collect traps and shake them out over a bowl of soapy water.
Another tactic is to bury a tuna or cat-food tin up to the rim. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and a small amount of bacon grease or fish oil as an attractant. Check daily and dump out any dead insects; refill with oil and replace the trap. After a week of diligence, you should notice a marked decrease in population. Then just stay on top of it. If it looks like earwigs are returning, repeat the process.
Hornworms are a huge pest, literally. One of my friends said that the first time she saw one, she screamed so loud that her husband came running. The best way to deal with these meaty monsters is to don garden gloves and either hand-pick them or, as my friend does, use kitchen tongs. If you have chickens or other fowl, you will make their day by flinging this rotund pest into their area.
There are not many plants that aphids don't like. However, they rarely kill plants, and you can usually wash them off with water or squish them. Interestingly, they tend to avoid plants that have their squashed brethren on them.
To control aphids, I make a 10 percent blend of non-detergent liquid dish soap and water and spray it directly on the plant. Wherever you find aphids, you will likely find ants. Get rid of the ants and the aphids have no protection from predators. When aphid populations climb, natural enemies like lady beetles and lacewings descend to feed on them.
According to lore, a Frenchman introduced snails to California during the Gold Rush—a food crop that went horribly wrong. Their overwhelming number today substantiates my belief that messing with Mother Nature has consequences. Snail presence in the garden is unmistakable because of the slimy trails they leave behind. Remove moist environments and clean up debris to control them. In my experience, the best traps are 12”x12” boards randomly laid around the yard. I go outside early in the morning, turn each board over and smash the attached snails. Keep at it for a week and you will prevail; then you just need to monitor for signs of their return.
Beneficial insects play a role, too. My kids and I purchased lady beetles one year and enjoyed the experience. Purchase lady beetles that have been kept under refrigeration and release them at dusk for best results.
The University of California's IPM web site (http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/) has extensive information on pest control. I have had great success implementing this research in my garden, and I believe that you, too, will reap the rewards.
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.
Sweet potatoes aren't started from seed like most other vegetables. Rather, they are started from slips, which are shoots from a mature sweet potato. When I wasn't able to find sweet potato slips at local nurseries, I did what I usually do when I have a need. I Googled “sweet potato slips” and found quite a few online sources.
Most of them did not ship to California. On the California Department of Food and Agriculture's website, I learned that certain states are prohibited from shipping sweet potatoes to California because of the presence of the sweet potato weevil in those states. If I wanted sweet potato slips, I would have to find a source that was not in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee or Texas. Fortunately there is a source in Virginia.
Sweet potatoes slips are shipped from Mid-May to early June. Once received, they should be planted within a few days.
Before your slips arrive, you have a little work to do. Sweet potatoes need loose, well-drained soil to form large tubers. Loose soil is more critical than almost any other factor. You don't want the roots to face resistance when they try to expand.
If you have clay soil or drainage problems, work in lots of compost. I have both, so I grow all of my vegetables in raised beds to which I have added four to five inches of compost. Sweet potatoes grow best in moderate to slightly acidic soil so pH should be in the 5.5 to 6.5 range. If your soil pH is higher than that, add more compost but don't expect the pH to change overnight.
Plant slips 2 to 3 inches deep and 12 to 18 inches apart, with the leaves above ground. Space rows 3 feet apart if possible to accommodate the sprawling vines. Plant in late afternoon so that the slips can settle in before being exposed to direct sun.
Give plants a thorough soaking after planting. Water daily for the first week, then every other day the second week. Each week, space the watering a little farther apart until you're watering once a week. Sweet potatoes can withstand drought but they'll produce less, so make sure you keep the ground moist during the hottest part of the summer. Regular watering will assure a larger harvest, and even moisture will help prevent splitting and cracking.
Like other vegetables, sweet potatoes don't like to compete with weeds for soil nutrients and water. Start with a weed-free environment and then keep it that way. Your sweet potatoes will soon produce foliage that will crowd out weeds, so you only need to be vigilant for a short time.
Historically, sweet potatoes have been regarded as a poor-soil crop, one that produces a decent harvest in imperfect soil. But they do much better with a little fertilizer. About two weeks after planting, feed with a balanced organic fertilizer such as 5-10-10. Use about 2 cups per 30 square feet (the size of a 4x8 raised bed). Gently scratch the fertilizer into the soil. Then cover soil with an inch of your favorite mulch.
Harvest sweet potatoes when they reach your preferred size. Dig one up when your crop reaches the recommended growing time for the variety (generally between 90 and 120 days.) If the tubers are still too small for your liking, try again in a week. Sweet potatoes left in the ground will continue growing until frost, although growth slows as the weather cools. For best storage quality, harvest sweet potatoes before the soil temperature drops below 55°F.
Sweet potatoes require a curing process to heal any scratches or other damage, develop sweetness and improve storage quality. Immediately after harvest, let the sweet potatoes dry fully, then shake off excess soil. Do not wash the sweet potatoes. Cure them by keeping them at 90 percent relative humidity and 85°F for seven to ten days.
For long-term storage after curing, choose firm, round, bruise-free, well-shaped sweet potatoes with fairly even coloring. Store them in a cool (over 55°F), dry, well-ventilated area away from light. Do not refrigerate sweet potatoes unless they are already cooked. Cold temperatures will give sweet potatoes a hard core and affect the flavor. Properly cured sweet potatoes should store for 5 to 12 months unrefrigerated.
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “Habitat Gardens at Home or School” on Saturday, May 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at Skyline Park, Martha Walker Garden, 2201 Imola Avenue, Napa. Participants will tour the Martha Walker Garden to discover the plants and garden elements that attract bees, birds and pollinators. Master Gardeners will explain the value of habitat corridors whether the garden is in a rural, urban, or school setting.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. 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.
Sure enough,a little research enlightened me about the good side of this troublesome weed. The dandelion that grows in the Napa Valley (Taraxacumofficinale) is, in my opinion, a major problem in the garden. Thriving in just about any garden venue, dandelions have a taproot that is hard to remove permanently.
The dandelion has been used as a pot herb and medicinal plant since Roman times. The seeds were so valued that people carried them on the Mayflower to the New World. High in vitamins and minerals, the young leaves are eaten in salads; the mature blossoms scent dandelion wine; and the roots are brewed for a coffee substitute. The dried leaves can be steeped for a mild tea, and the dried roots are a mild diuretic. I remember, as a child, seeing my dad come in from the yard with fresh dandelion leaves for the salad. My mom was not amused.
I am sure that my fellow gardeners agree that these plants are persistent. Although the taproot does break up the soil and provide nutrients for other plants, I'm not ready to give it any encouragement yet.
I have worked and worked to remove dandelions from my lawn, positive that I had the entire root structure only to have this annoying plant re-emerge in a few weeks. Dandelions prefer moist areas in full sun but can survive in some shade and dry soil if they get established.
The plant grows pretty much year-round in California except in the coldest areas, where it lies in wait for warmer weather. The taproot, while usually only 6 to 8 inches long, can reach 10 to 15 feet. No wonder I have a problem getting it all.
The leaves grow in a rosette.They have no true stems. Leaves are usually two to four inches wide and about up to fourteen inches long. Some have smooth edges; others have a jagged, tooth-like appearance that explains the plant's name. Dandelion comes from “dent de lion,” which is French for lion's tooth.
As a child, I picked the flowers to make necklaces, and then blew on the seed balls to watch the puffs float on the wind. No wonder this plant is prevalent. The seed heads have up to 300 seeds, which can travel by wind, sometimes helped by the breath of children, for miles.
There are more than 60 dandelion species. Taraxacumofficinale has small leaves, so harvesting them is labor intensive. If you are thinking of selling your crop, that idea is probably a “no go.” The summer dandelion is more upright, with larger leaves that are easier to harvest. For the most part, the variety sold in grocery stores is a hybrid of the chicories‘San Pasquale' and ‘Catalogna'. Commercial dandelion farmers are required to control their seed in some manner. Can you imagine living downwind from a dandelion farm?
The most interesting species of dandelion by far is the Taraxacumkoki-saghyz, also known as TKS or Russian dandelion. This variety has greyish upright foliage and more natural latex than the others types. During World War II, rubber supplies were sorely depleted. The Swedish Seed Association conducted a dandelion breeding program to increase the latex content in the root. The new TKS produced four to five times more usable latex than the common dandelion.
The Swedish study had been back-burnered until recently, when automotive-industry researchers began investigating TKS as a source of rubber for tires. Other scientists are looking closely at the hypoallergenic properties of the latex from this species, and exploring whether it could be used as a source of ethanol.So as you wrestle with dandelions in your landscape, keep its positive attributes in mind. One gardener's weed is another person's dinner.
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “Habitat Gardens at Home or School” on Saturday, May 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at Skyline Park, Martha Walker Garden, 2201 Imola Avenue, Napa. Participants will tour the Martha Walker Garden to discover the plants and garden elements that attract bees, birds and pollinators. Master Gardeners will explain the value of habitat corridors whether the garden is in a rural, urban, or school setting. 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. 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.
- Author: Susanne von Rosenberg
How much water a plant needs is driven by day length,temperature and wind. Plants lose water as long as they are photosynthesizing—in other words, as long as it is light out. The hotter and windier it is, the more water a plant needs.
Usually plants need the most water in early summer, at the end of June and beginning of July. A few weeks can make a big difference. Six weeks before that peak and six weeks afterward, your garden needs only about two-thirds as much water. By the end of September, plants need only about one-third the water that they did at the peak.
How much water your plants need also depends on how you use it. It can be scary to cut back when you've been successful with your watering regimen.To help you, here are some tips for conserving water in the vegetable garden and orchard:
Start with improving your soil because healthy soil holds more water. Amend with compost or other organic matter. Soil rich in organic material retains five times as much water as depleted soil does. So the healthy soil on my one-acre property holds an extra 100,000 gallons of water. Make sure your soil is thoroughly moist before you plant.
Mulch your garden. A generous layer of mulch will keep soil moisture from evaporating. As a bonus, organic mulches enhance soil fertility and water-holding capacity in future years and reduce the weeds that compete with your plants. Apply mulch to moist soil and make sure that irrigation water penetrates the mulch and reaches the underlying soil. Planting vegetables closer together will also help shade the soil and reduce moisture loss.
Water at the right time and in the right way.Use drip irrigation to apply water where it is needed, and irrigate when wind and temperatures are low to reduce evaporation. Early morning is best; evening is second best. Probe your soil for moisture. If it feels dry two inches down, it's time to water.
Get to know the signs that your vegetables are thirsty. Rather than a “set it and forget it” watering routine, look at your plants. Are the leaves getting dull? Is the plant a bit droopy? Then it's probably time to water. Squashes and pumpkins are an exception; they often look wilted in mid-afternoon. As long as they recover in the evening, they probably still have sufficient soil moisture.
Give new plants a good start. Apply adequate water early on and then taper off.As the plants mature,water less frequently but more deeply to encourage deep roots.
Avoid or minimize your plantings of the “thirsty” vegetables. Corn, soybeans, squashes, pumpkins, most watermelons and some cucumbers require a lot of water. If you can't live without them, look for varieties bred for drought tolerance and consider planting “bush” varieties if available. Plants with less foliage will use less water. Good vegetable choices include tomatoes and pole beans. Both yield over a long season without requiring large amounts of water.
Shade your vegetables during extreme heat with an umbrella, shade cloth or floating row cover. Remove the shading as soon as temperatures return to normal; summer vegetable plants prefer at least eight hours of sunlight per day.
In late summer, plant a cool-season garden. Even with below-normal rainfall, cool-season vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and greens require less water. In a wet year, you might not have to irrigate at all after the plants are established.
Finally, if water rationing means that you have to choose, let your annual vegetables go and water your fruit and landscape trees instead.
What's your best tip for saving water in your vegetable garden? Leave us a note on our Facebook page. And if you'd like to learn more about the physiological adaptions that plants make to water stress, take a look at this blog post on the Master Gardener website: http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=13978
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “Habitat Gardens at Home or School” on Saturday, May 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at Skyline Park, Martha Walker Garden, 2201 Imola Avenue, Napa. Participants will tour the Martha Walker Garden to discover the plants and garden elements that attract bees, birds and pollinators. Master Gardeners will explain the value of habitat corridors whether the garden is in a rural, urban, or school setting. 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. 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.
