David Layland's favorite for the past two seasons has been ‘Bloody Butcher'. At three to four ounces, the tomatoes are relatively small but pack a lot of rich flavor. Best of all, they mature in about 55 days and are still producing up to the first frost.
Jill Rae enjoys many of the cherry tomato varieties. She likes to combine ‘Black Cherry', ‘Miller's Cove Currant', ‘Snow White' and ‘Sungold' cherry tomatoes in a salad with basil. The combination of colors makes for an attractive dish and the flavors mix well. Jill also likes to grow ‘Big Mama' for tomato sauce. Jane Callier counts ‘Big Mama' as a favorite also. Her bush was prolific last year and the tomatoes were sweet.
Pat Hitchcock enjoys growing tomatoes of different colors. In addition to ‘Sungold', her favorites include ‘Amana Orange'. In her experience, this tomato is sweet, late maturing, of good size and relatively resistant to disease. Steve Rae says that ‘Marvel Stripe' is not only great tasting but colorful. Orange and yellow outside, this large tomato displays internal streaks of red, yellow and orange.
Several Master Gardeners sing the praises of ‘Cherokee Purple'. One of the so-called “black” varieties, this heirloom has a deep purplish-red hue. It produces relatively late in the season, but it has such a rich, complex taste that it is worth the wait. Others say that if they could only grow one tomato, it would be ‘Early Girl', an early-to-ripen tomato that is great for salads and sandwiches. It produces until the first frost and is disease resistant.
If you are looking for new tomato varieties to try in your garden, ask yourself a few questions. Do you want tomatoes for cooking and preserving, or primarily for eating fresh? Do you have a large garden, a small one or just enough space on a patio to grow your plants in containers?
Depending on how you answered these questions, you might want to know whether a tomato variety is determinate or indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes grow to a certain size, generally between three and five feet, and bear most of their fruit within a four- to six-week period. Determinate tomatoes are often chosen for canning since the yield comes within a shorter time period.
Indeterminate tomatoes grow and bear fruit all summer, until the arrival of frost. These types need support, such as trellises, stakes or cages, to keep them from sprawling on the ground, where the fruit tends to rot.
Also consider the plant's susceptibility to disease. Many hybrid varieties have been bred to resist diseases that often plague tomatoes. Look on plant labels or in catalog descriptions for the letters V,F,N,Tand A. If present, these letters indicate that the variety is resistant to verticilliumwilt, fusariumwilt, nematodes, tobacco mosaic virus or alternaria stem canker.
The popular heirloom tomatoes offer a wide spectrum of choices in taste, color, texture and shape, and they are expensive at the grocery store. While heirlooms are sometimes not as productive as hybrids and tend to be more susceptible to disease, many home gardeners appreciate their unique characteristics. What's more, their seed can be saved for replanting next year. In contrast, saved hybrid seeds will not produce identical plants the following year.
Whichever varieties you choose, be sure to wait until the danger of frost is past and the soil is sufficiently warm to plant your tomatoes. Soil temperatures below 57ºF delay growth and leave the plants more susceptible to insect damage and disease. Tomatoes planted later usually catch up with those planted in cold soil. I am waiting until May 1 to plant mine.
Tomato Plant Sale: Napa County Master Gardeners will hold their second annual “Tomato Plant Sale and Education Day” on Saturday, April 19, in the South Oxbow parking lot on First Street in Napa. The sale will be held from 9:00 a.m. until sold out. All the seedlings have been started from seed and grown by Napa County Master Gardeners. More than 50 varieties of heirloom and hybrid tomato plants will be available. Master Gardeners will staff information tables on tomato support structures, common tomato pests and diseases, composting, good bug/bad bug displays and a mobile help desk. For a list of available tomato varieties, visit http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa or call the Help Desk (hours below).
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “The Small Home Vineyard” on Saturday, March 29, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville. The morning session will focus on bud break to harvest. Learn the basics of managing a small vineyard including grape physiology, canopy management, vine nutrition, fertilization, irrigation and cover crop. The afternoon session will focus on identifying and managing the most common vineyard pests, especially powdery mildew. To register,call the Parks & Recreation Department at 707-944-8712 or visit its web site.
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.
The first decision is what to plant, a choice that should be based on what you and your family like to eat. If only one person in your family of five likes okra, you may be better off buying it occasionally at the farmers' market. If everyone enjoys tomatoes, chiles, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, snap beans, cucumbers, sweet corn and cantaloupes, then these are the fruits and vegetables to focus on.
Next you must decide where to plant. Maybe in years past, your vegetable garden started out in full sun, but by Labor Day, the sun's path had moved behind the trees. If so, your tomatoes were probably still green at Halloween. Did gophers and voles enjoy too much of last year's crop? Consider building a few raised beds with hardware cloth on the bottom. You will need a sunny spot away from trees, preferably with a hose bib nearby.
Let's imagine that you have three new 4- by 8-foot raised beds to work with. Now you need to decide how much to plant. A raised bed of that size can accommodate four to six tomato plants, so there goes one bed. In a second bed, you can fit 10 to 12 plants of chiles, bell peppers, eggplants, or snap beans. Now you have one bed left.
If you planted two zucchini plants last year, you probably discovered that the yield was more than your family could eat. Maybe you took the excess to the Napa Crop Swap but found that everyone else also had zucchini to swap. So one zucchini plant should suffice this year.
If you want snap beans throughout the summer, leave space for succession planting. You'll want to set out two or three plants every three weeks. One or two cucumber plants satisfy most households, so you've now used up half to two-thirds of your last raised bed. Still left to plant are cantaloupe and corn, and you don't have enough room for both. Corn grows more thaneight feet tall andmay cast shadeon yourother sun-loving crops. Better to plant cantaloupe in the remaining space and buy your sweet corn at the farmers' market.
If you want to start plants from seed, you need to get started right away. It takes six to eight weeks for the seeds to germinate and the seedlingsto grow large enough to transplant. If you prefer to plant nursery seedlings, you can relax as you don't need to purchase those until you are ready to plant. Wait to plant summer vegetables until the danger of frost has passed, which is usually around mid-April. To be safe, plant no earlier than the last week of April.
Although we have had rain recently, we are still in a drought. Consider this when you make your vegetable selections. It may be wiser to plant a ‘Stupice' tomato that matures in 62 days rather than a ‘Cherokee Purple' that needs 85 days to reach maturity. (Seed packets indicate days to maturity.) Faster maturation means fewer days of irrigation.
To help your soil retain moisture, work in several inches of compost. Don't feed plants too much nitrogen as this will encourage leafy growth that requires water to sustain. Once your garden is planted, add a layer of mulch several inches thick. Mulch will keep the soil cool, conserve water and inhibit weeds.
Tomato Plant Sale: Napa County Master Gardeners will hold their second annual “Tomato Plant Sale and Education Day” on Saturday, April 19, in the South Oxbow parking lot on First Street in Napa. The sale will be held from 9:00 a.m. until sold out. All the seedlings have been started from seed and grown by Napa County Master Gardeners. More than 50 varieties of heirloom and hybrid tomato plants will be available. Master Gardeners will staff information tables on tomato support structures, common tomato pests and diseases, composting, good bug/bad bug displays and a mobile help desk. For a list of available tomato varieties, visit http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa or call the Help Desk (hours below).
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “The Small Home Vineyard” on Saturday, March 29, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville. The morning session will focus on bud break to harvest. Learn the basics of managing a small vineyard including grape physiology, canopy management, vine nutrition, fertilization, irrigation and cover crop. The afternoon session will focus on identifying and managing the most common vineyard pests, especially powdery mildew. To register,call the Parks & Recreation Department at 707-944-8712 or visit its web site.
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.
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.
If so, maybe these plants were trying to tell you something. Your soil may require some help providing the structure and nutrients that plants need to thrive.
You can't just put your plants in dirt and expect them to flourish. Remember: there is a difference between soil and dirt. Dirt is what you get on your clothes and hands while working in the soil. Soil is made up of elements that have been decomposing since the earth was created.
Soil is composed of bedrock and mountain stones broken down over eons by wind and rain. Since Napa Valley is in a volcanically active area, much of our soil is made up of volcanic matter deposited by the river. In addition, plants, animals and bacteria contribute to the composition of our soils. We have heard a lot about how chemicals used in the garden do not break down in the soil but remain in our streams and rivers. Natural materials are a better choice.
Consider having your soil tested to see what minerals it contains, what minerals it lacks, and how much fertilizer you need. Online merchants sell bacteria and mycorrhizae (beneficial fungi) that can help restore life to your soil. Adding manure from cows, horses or other grain-eating animals will improve the soil, but be sure the manure has been aged to kill any weed seeds. Otherwise you can expect a major weed crop wherever you spread the manure.
I live on the valley floor, where the soil includes a lot of silt deposited by the Napa River during flooding. This silt, which is clay like, creates a hard layer on top of the soil when it dries. Where the river floods its banks, this layer can be two to three inches deep or more.
Clay soils hold a lot of water but don't provide much opportunity for plants to grow. The soil particles are tiny. For comparison, if a clay particle were the size of a penny, then a particle of sand would be the size of a house. The area between soil particles is where air and water reside, and plants need both to grow. Plants in soggy soil often die of root rot.
One of the easiest ways to improve clay soil is to add compost and other organic matter. Compost is composed of organic matter that has broken-down to form humus. It has little nutrient value but it does aerate the soil and improve drainage. In contrast, worm compost (vermicompost)—the castings produced by worms that eat food scraps and other organic matter—is a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Earthworms happily munch on kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, newspaper, even cardboard.
If you would like to learn more about composting, attend one of the nine composting workshops that will be conducted this year by Napa County Master Gardeners in conjunction with partnering agencies. One workshop is entirely devoted to worm composting, and the workshop on April 12 will be conducted in Spanish. Register online at www.cityofnapa.org/compost. You can help your soil produce the healthiest plants in town. To learn more about the soil food web, I recommend the book Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis.
Workshops: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “Warm-Season Veggies” on Saturday, March 15, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, at the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Prepare now for your most successful vegetable garden ever. Learn what to plant from seed, how to choose transplants, and when to plant for a bountiful harvest from spring into fall. Online registration (credit card only)
Mail in registration (cash or check only)
Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “The Small Home Vineyard” on Saturday, March 29, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville. The morning session will focus on bud break to harvest. Learn the basics of managing a small vineyard including grape physiology, canopy management, vine nutrition, fertilization, irrigation and cover crop. The afternoon session will focus on identifying and managing the most common vineyard pests, especially powdery mildew. To register,call the Parks & Recreation Department at 707-944-8712 or visit its web site.
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.
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.
March in the garden is all about decisions. Should I plant now, or wait? Are three zucchini plants too many? Is one enough? Will all my beans be ready to pick while we are on our month-long road trip? Will the new flower bed be in bloom for our summer party? Shall I plant my tomatoes from seed, or plan to buy them at the Master Gardener Tomato Sale? Hmm.
We have had a bitterly cold winter, but that does not give us a clue whether or not our last frost will occur in March or May. Be prepared to water young seedlings if the rains do not oblige, or to throw some row cover over delicate plants that might not be hardy enough to withstand a late frost.
While the University of California experts do not recommend early planting with cloths or other plant protectors, they do endorse planting early if you pre-warmed your soil, perhaps by laying down plastic sheeting after last month's rains. If your soil measures at least 65°F three inches deep, plants set out now can get a head start, but keep the row cover handy for especially chilly nights.
If you did not start seeds of peppers, eggplant, basil and tomatoes last month, get those started as soon as possible. Seeds for heat-loving vegetables germinate more quickly with bottom heat of 75°F.The warmth helps the plants develop a strong root system. Wait to put stocky seedlings in the ground until the soil is warm, in late April or May.
Pet your plants. Research has shown that gently brushing your tomato and pepper seedlings with your hand causes them to grow shorter, sturdier stems, with shorter spaces between branches. This response may be the plant's way of defending against animals. In any case, it is fun to pet plants.
Some vegetable seeds can go directly in the ground this month, if the soil is not too wet. Radishes, kale, spinach, chard, parsley and peas all grow well in cool spring weather. Cole crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbages can all be planted now, too. Be sure to give larger plants enough space in the garden to reach their full potential.
Seeds for other crops, such as leaf lettuces, spinach, green onions, some peas and beets, can be broadcast in beds. Water after sowing, then wait to water again until your plants have their first true leaves. Too much moisture on tiny sedlings can rob the fragile roots of oxygen and make them succumb to root diseases, such as damping off.
Thin seedlings as needed to allow the others more space. Don't toss these thinnings; they are edible and can give you an extended harvest, beginning with micro-greens and baby vegetables and ending with full-grown heads of lettuce, beets or spinach. When you sow thickly, there is little room for weeds and the abundant plants actually form a micro-climate that can conserve water.
Sow flower seeds in flats or directly in the ground. Marigolds, nicotiana, dusty miller, Shasta daisies, nigella and cosmos can all be started now. Over-wintering perennials appreciate a haircut now to stimulate new growth and help them look pretty after the hard, cold winter.
Plant seed potatoes this month, but not in soil that recently hosted other members of the nightshade family. Nightshades include tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Any soil-borne disease that affects a nightshade vegetable can survive in the soil and inflict the next nightshade crop, too. Instead, plant potatoes where you formerly grew beans, squash or leafy crops.
If you lost a citrus tree to our early, killing frosts, March or April would be a good time to replace it.
Local nurseries offer so many tubers and bulbs to choose from in March: calla lilies in soft and bold colors; tuberoses with their luscious petals and sensuous fragrance; dinner-plate dahlias and many more.
As shrubs and herbs begin to show new growth, give your plants some nourishment. Read fertilizer and amendment labels carefully first.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs like lilac when they finish blooming and feed them, too. Cut and remove suckers and watersprouts from trees and roses. Water sprouts are the shoots that grow straight up toward the inside of the plant. They promote disease and insect problems by restricting air flow in the center of the plant.
Watch for pests, including slugs, snails and aphids. Wash aphids off with a blast of water, and if you come across some bugs you do not know, bring them into the Master Gardener office for identification (hours below).
Workshop:Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “Warm-Season Veggies” on Saturday, March 15, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, at the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Prepare now for your most successful vegetable garden ever. Learn what to plant from seed, how to choose transplants, and when to plant for a bountiful harvest from spring into fall. Online registration (credit card only)
Mail in registration (cash or check only)
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.
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.
In my college days, sprouts were all the rage. Every sandwich in every bistro and deli included fluffy mounds of little green and white sprouts of alfalfa escaping their sandwich-bread bounds.
Our kitchen counter sported sprouts of mung beans, radish, fenugreek and sunflower from seeds we scooped from big jars on health-food store shelves. We would bring our treasures home in little labeled bags, dole them by the tablespoon into clean glass jars and soak them overnight in cool water. The next day, we would drain them through wire mesh or stretched pieces of old nylon, then wait for them to sprout on our kitchen counters and back porches.
Twice a day, someone in the household would rinse the seeds until the water ran clear, then drain them and tuck the jars back into a dark corner. Soon the seeds would show a speck of white as germination began, and little pale, curling tails would begin to push.
Then we would move the jars to a sunnier spot and let the magic of photosynthesis begin. Watching seeds sprout into beautiful greens that signal vital, nutritious seedlings is very satisfying, especially for beginning gardeners. Within a few days, we had crunchy sprouts to fill our sandwiches, taco shells and pita pockets and garnish our salads. On a college-student budget, homemade sprouts were the best green bargain in town.
Sprouts are simply germinated seeds that we eat whole: seed, stem and root still attached.
Sprouts continue to be popular, sold in grocery stores and farmers markets. Garden shops and online gardening-supply sites have extensive products to help you sprout seeds at home, from the simplest quart jar with a screened lid to multi-tiered and misted sprout hotels.
Sprouts are lauded for their high nutrient value and their ability to provide a “vegetable” year round. Always rinse and drain them thoroughly to avoid ending up with a slimy mess. Because sprouts are grown in water, they are hospitable to bacteria. Some food-borne illnesses have been linked to sprouts, especially alfalfa sprouts. The FDA has now issued guidelines for commercial sprout growers.
In the meantime, sprouts have grown up. Meet microgreens.
Microgreens are not grown in water. They can be grown in potting soil, on sterile fiber mats or on clean cut burlap. They are a safer food option than sprouts because of lower seed density, increased air circulation and different harvesting techniques. For microgreens, unlike for sprouts, greens are harvested without the roots.
Microgreens pack a lot of punch. They can add color, variety and nutrition to your family's diet. Intensely flavored micro-radish and micro-mizuna add a spicy, peppery zing, while red, purple, white and green cabbages, colored chards, brightly hued amaranths, blue kales and sour sorrels bring interest, color and abundant phytonutrients to everyday meals.
Growing microgreens is not difficult. With a few supplies, you can be harvesting your own microgreens or micro-mixes in just a couple of weeks. For soil-less growing, check www.suretogrow.com. and related video links. YouTube also has some basic instructions.
Recycle clean plastic 10- by 20-inch trays from a local nursery, or use plastic produce containers with holes for drainage. Fill two-thirds full with potting soil. If you plan on letting your greens grow a little taller, fill the containers all the way to the top. Lightly compact the soil so seeds don't sink too deep and sprinkle seeds generously around the tray. Press lightly into the soil and water gently. To keep seeds moist until germination, lay a clean paper towel over the seeds and water again gently.
Follow instructions for your seeds. Some prefer to sproutin a cool, dark location. Others want warmth and light. When seedlings begin to push up the paper towel, remove it, but do not let your seeds dry out. Ever. Water twice a day if necessary, but do not let seeds sit in water. If you are growing sprouts on mats in trays, simply drain off excess water after the mat is fully absorbed. If white fuzzy stuff appears, don't worry. It is not mold and will soon disappear. Once all seeds have sprouted, move them into the sunlight. They need at least 12 hours of light a day.
On gray days, put the trays under fluorescent lights. Begin snipping your harvest when true leaves appear. Rinse, dry and enjoy.
Microgreens can be habit forming. Consider buying seeds in bulk for beets, arugula, parsley, cilantro, cabbage, kale, peas and wheatgrass. One-quarter pound will not cost much more than a small amount. In most cases, with one-quarter pound of seed you can sow three to four large nursery trays of soil or mats. You'll realize how much you are saving when you spot microgreens in the market for more than $15 a pound.
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “Warm-Season Veggies” on Saturday, March 15, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, at the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Prepare now for your most successful vegetable garden ever. Learn what to plant from seed, how to choose transplants, and when to plant for a bountiful harvest from spring into fall. Online registration (credit card only)
Mail in registration (cash or check only)
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.
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.
