I fell in love with the idea of growing potatoes after hiking the Inca Trail in Peru several years ago. There I saw the steep terraced hillsides where the local people grow corn and potatoes with no tractors to assist them. The gardens were outlined with rocks.

I imagine that these farmers high up in the Andes are growing potatoes much as their ancestors did when the tubers were first domesticated between 5000 and 8000 B.C. It's pretty staggering to think how long humans have been growing potatoes.

An estimated 4,000 varieties exist worldwide, but here in Northern California we have a smaller selection. Still, seed catalogs offer a variety of types, such as fingerlings and russets, and a range of skin and flesh colors, including pink, white, red, purple and yellow. Varieties vary in size and number of days to maturity. Some are best for baking, others better suited to frying or boiling.

After returning from Peru, I began to grow potatoes in my own garden. I have since learned a lot, having planted them in many different conditions. Potatoes need well-drained soil rich in organic matter; they do not do well in heavy clay. They have shallow roots and need constant moisture but will rot if the soil is too wet. Full sun is required. Being sensitive to frost and heat, they do best as a spring or fall crop in Napa County.

Local nurseries have seed potatoes available for sale now. Potatoes are susceptible to a host of diseases (remember the Irish potato famine?), so you should always plant certified seed potatoes rather than starting with supermarket potatoes.

Potatoes are members of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), which also includes peppers, eggplants and tomatoes. To prevent soil-borne diseases, rotate these crops so that you never grow nightshade plants in the same plot two years in a row. A three-year rotation is even safer.

A day or so before planting, cut your seed potatoes into chunks, each containing one to three eyes. The eyes are the buds from which your potato plant will sprout. If your store-bought potatoes have ever sprouted, they sprouted from an eye.

Bury seed potatoes four inches deep. A few weeks after the leaves emerge, you need to “hill” the plants by mounding more soil around the stems. Hilling will increase your yield because new potatoes grow between the original seed and the soil surface.

Each growing season, Napa County Master Gardeners select a fruit or vegetable to “field test” in our home gardens. We compile and analyze our results for the benefit of the public. We now have a blog called “Spill the beans "where you can find the results of our field trials and other timely gardening information. You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our blog on our website (http://ucanr.edu/sites/ucmgnapa). 

Last year the field-test committee trialed three different potato varieties: ‘Mountain Rose' (an early-maturing variety with rose-colored skin and flesh);‘Russian Banana' (an heirloom fingerling variety); and ‘Sieglinde' (a yellow, waxy mid-season type). With more than a dozen Master Gardeners participating, representing a variety of growing conditions and irrigation techniques, it was interesting to see the results.

The greatest yield came from raised-bed gardens with drip irrigation. Several participants planted their potatoes in Grow Bags (porous fabric pots), while others planted in the ground. Some watered by hand while others had drip systems. Some gardeners had success burying their seed potatoes in a tower of straw instead of planting in soil. As the plants grew, the gardeners added more straw.

For all of us, the take-home message was that gardens with regular watering and well-drained and well-cultivated soil produce the greatest yield. I confess that I planted mine in a bed without irrigation. They did not do well in the summer heat, and I never harvested anything. But I am happy to note that the potatoes are coming up again in that bed, and I will try to take better care of them this time.

My family's favorite part of potato growing is the harvest. Early-maturing varieties may be ready after only 60 days. My children and I get very excited when the plants start to flower. That's a sign that you can plunge your hand into the soil and find some new potatoes.

At this point, you should stop watering and let the foliage turn yellow and die back. If you leave the new potatoes in the ground for at least two more weeks, the skins will harden and the potatoes can be harvested and stored in a cool, dark place. Alternatively, you can leave them in the ground until you are ready to eat them.

For more information, consult “Growing Potatoes in Napa County” by former county farm advisor Dean Donaldson. You can find this document online on our website(click on Gardening Resources, then on Healthy Garden Tips). Or pick up a copy during our office hours (address below).

Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will host a workshop on “Fruit Tree Pruning” on Saturday, February 22, from 9:30 a.m.. to 11:30 a.m. (indoor lecture) and from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (outdoor hands-on workshop). Lecture location is the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Outdoor location to be determined. Now is the best time to prune your fruit trees. Learn techniques to keep them healthy and productive. Please dress for outdoor weather. 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.

 

 

Whether February days are stormy and wet or cold and dry, there is plenty to do in the garden.

When we finally have some rainy days, take the opportunity to do some garden “bookkeeping.” Set up a garden calendar or journal. Have a page for seed-starting dates, fertilizer dates, watering schedules, first harvest, and a space for notes on what did and did not work. Include a page for daily temperatures and rainfall.

I have an inexpensive indoor/outdoor thermometer inside on my counter, with an additional sensor outside. I can check inside and outside temperatures from the kitchen by just pushing a button. Rain gauges come in a range of styles and prices, so check your local nursery or home-improvement store. Depending on your organizational style, a computer-based gardening program might work for you. Or perhaps you would prefer a spiral-bound notebook in a waterproof case that you can take into the garden.  

If we finally get ample rain and the soil becomes saturated, cover sections of the garden to get a head start on spring crops. Use clear plastic tenting to exclude excess rain and raise the soil temperature. Remove the plastic between rains (I'm obviously an optimist) to evaporate excess moisture.

It might seem early to be thinking about planting, but fruit trees, shrubs, vegetables and flowers can all go in the ground this month. If the soil is not too wet, you can dig up and divide overcrowded clumps of perennials.

Valentine's Day is imminent. Potted red camellias, cerise azaleas or white gardenias make lovely romantic gifts that can transition to long lives in the garden. Even if you're not buying for a Valentine, February is a great month to visit nurseries to view color options on blooming camellias and other winter-flowering shrubs and plants.

Bare-root asparagus and rhubarb are still available, but not for long. Both are long-lived crops that will produce for years in an area they like.  

Potatoes are also in nurseries now and can be planted along with carrots, peas, onions, radishes, lettuce, spinach, parsley and chard. To these familiar vegetables, consider adding Asian greens, cresses, arugula and kales.

If you grow warm-season vegetables from seed, it is time to pull out your warming mat and set up your lights or find your sunniest window. Early in the month, start seeds for cabbage, cauliflower, onions, parsley and lettuce. Later in the month, sow seeds for your favorite tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and basil. 

If you have raised beds in your garden or hills with ample compost, winter squash and pumpkin seeds can go directly in the ground now. I began popping in a few pumpkin seeds this early after noting that volunteer squash seedlings always came up much sooner than I felt safe planting them. They ripened and were ready to harvest sooner, too.

If you are craving color, shop now for penstemon, dianthus, coreopsis and sages. Or trade with gardening friends who have an excess.  

Shop for dahlias now. These Escher-like flowers, geometrically complex and available in a huge range of sizes and colors, make fanciful additions to the garden and can create whimsical memories for little people. If you buy dahlia tubers, select those with several “eyes” on each stem and plant late in March. Until then, keep them in moist wood shavings so they don't dry out. Prepare their bed according to the planting directions that come with them.

If you see evidence of snails or slugs (slimy trails are one clue), try setting out inverted flower pots, propped up a tad on one side so the pests have a way in to the “snail hotel.” Collect your victims in the morning and throw them away or feed to your chickens. Thisnon-toxic approach keeps chemicals out of your garden and away from pets and children.

Spray peach and nectarine trees to prevent peach-leaf curl just when the buds begin to bulge and show color. Alternatively, you can pick off the crinkled leaves as they appear, put them in a bag and dispose of them.  Eventually the tree will replace them with healthy leaves.  

Weeds begin to appear now. Tackle them with pre-emergent herbicides, hula hoes or your favorite implement. Try to catch weeds early, before they go to seed. If they have set seed, toss them in the yard-waste bin. Weed seeds often survive home composting.

Drought alert: Yes, you should be watering your plants since nature is not. Water any plants that still have leaves. Many California native plants need water now and should be your top priority, followed by newly planted trees, fruit trees,other large trees and any plants pushing buds. Dormant plants that leaf out early should be watered before those that leaf out later. Make small plants a lower priority as they cost less to replace than trees and large shrubs. Fruit trees that get irregular or insufficient water may drop fruit or produce undersized or malformed fruit.

Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will host a workshop on “Fruit Tree Pruning” on Saturday, February 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (indoor lecture) and from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (outdoor hands-on workshop). Lecture location is the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Outdoor location to be determined.
Now is the best time to prune your fruit trees. Learn techniques to keep them healthy and productive. Please dress for outdoor weather. 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.

 

 

After a recent extended Arctic wave settled over the Napa Valley, turning plants to slime and sending heating bills through the roof, our usual green landscape was left cloaked in ice. Not many plants escaped damage.

In my yard, a few violas and the camellias, with their thick, shiny green leaves, grew as usual, as if there had been no change from our usual moderate winter weather. Years ago, during a long summer drought, I noticed the same thing. All around my property, plants were dying of thirst while the camellias remained unaffected.

This year, the sasanqua camellia ‘White Doves’ warmed my heart with masses of double blooms while my dog’s water dish was solid ice. These are tough plants.

They have withstood all kinds of extreme weather for centuries and revealed their versatility over time. Shoots and leaves have been used for teas, while seeds and nuts were used to make cosmetics and oils for cooking and heating.

Many of the original small, white species camellias were fragrant. The species C. lutchuensis is mainly used for hybridizing to create more fragrant camellias.

Camellias have five different flower forms: single petals, semi-double, formal double, anemone and peony form. They may be tough plants, but many of the petals appear to be as fragile as the finest china.

Because the Napa Valley Camellia Society’s annual show is early this year, on February1, I was concerned about the status of available flowers. I called avid camellia grower, Peggy Aaron, and mentioned that my camellias were noticeably smaller than usual. She said that some of hers were also smaller but felt confident that there would be an abundance of beautiful blooms for the show.

According to the commercial camellia growers at Nuccio’s Nurseries in Altadena, a mature flower is 90 percent water. So when a plant dries out, the result may be undersized blooms and sometimes bud drop. Our prolonged freezing temperatures in December produced a drying effect that caused the puny flowers.

But I also have more blossoms on my bushesthis year and they are remaining longer than usual. That’s a good thing. These plants want to bloom no matter what the weather gives us.

In addition to coming in a variety of forms and colors, camellias may be low, medium or tall, upright or arching. Some are useful for informal hedges; others make good ground covers or small trees. They may provide focal points in containers ora handsome espalier against a fence. Valued for their tiny leaves, the species and sasanqua types show well in the art of bonsai.

I usually look for camellias with unusual petals or fragrance that attracts honeybees. If you use camellias as an informal hedge, note that pruning with electric shears will displace birds’ nests, cut out much of the flowering and expose old wood. Prune lightly to shape only about every five years.

Camellias have few needs. Digging around them disturbs tiny feeder roots. Give them a mulch of peat moss or leaf mold, light-weight materials that allow air to reach and protect the roots.

Camellias appreciate fertilizer as soon as there are signs of growth. But if you forget to fertilize, no problem. Camellias don’t like to be over fed. Use a fertilizer formulated for camellias and follow the directions on the container.

Camellia blight is more prevalent during wet winters. This fungal disease is caused by spores released by splashing water. Remove damaged flowers and keep the ground beneath the plant clean. In general, camellias like well-drained, slightly acid soil and protection from hot afternoon sun. They make excellent understory plants and grow well beneath redwood trees.

The annual Napa Valley Camellia Society show is a perfect place to learn more about camellias. The growers are more than happy to help you choose the right plants for your garden, and there will be plants for sale at nominal prices. If you choose wisely, you will have flowers for years to come that will bloom from October until April.

I’ll see you on Saturday, February 1, at the Napa Senior Center. Leave those winter doldrums at home and enjoy all the magnificent color. Admission is free and you may find a treasure for your garden.

Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will host a workshop on “Success with Veggies All Year Long,” on Sunday, February 2, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville. Learn how to keep your garden soil healthy and productive, find out which vegetables to plant in what months, and be introduced to many reliable resources. To register, call the Parks & Recreation Department at 707-944-8712 or visit their 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.

Of all the tasks that await the gardener in January, my favorite is reviewing the offerings from seed companies. In past years, the catalogs would start arriving before Christmas, and I would stash them for a post-holiday treat. In these electronic times, I am just as likely to receive an enticing e-mail with news of the latest hybrids, rediscovered heirlooms and recently developed strains of old favorites.

January is perfect for assessing your collection of saved seeds and making plans for the next round of gardening. If you enjoy starting your own vegetables and annual flowers, order seeds from catalogs now to get them before you need them, at the end of January or early February.

My least favorite winter task is watering, but in this dry winter, we must water to keep plants healthy. Vegetable gardens planted in the fall with winter greens, broccoli, onions and garlic will not thrive unless watered.

Water vegetables when the top one to two inches of soil have dried out, and moisten the soil to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. Perennial plants that grow and bloom in winter, which includes most native plants, will also need regular watering. Plants that go mostly dormant in winter, such as roses and fruit trees, still need some water to stay healthy. And frost-tender plants like citrus need to be kept well-hydrated to help them fend off frost damage.

In our climate, January is historically the coldest month. However, we can hope that we will not be repeating December’s run of below-freezing nights. Be sure to protect tender plants when frost threatens.

If the rains do come, expect an increase in weed growth. Control weeds while they are small, hoeing or pulling them out. Whenever possible, use mulches to control weeds and conserve soil moisture. If you use organic mulches, the material will break down over time and improve your soil.

Insect pests tend to be less of a problem in cold weather, but I noticed that aphids on my cauliflower and broccoli survived December’s frigid temperatures. Control these plant-sucking pests by spraying them off with water. Vegetables tolerate a few aphids, but these insects seem to multiply quickly if not addressed early.

Deciduous fruit trees should be dormant now, with all leaves gone. Now is the time to prune and shape them. First remove all broken, diseased or dead wood, then look at the tree from all sides and tackle pruning for shape and for fruit. Different types of fruit trees require different amounts of pruning, so consult a knowledgeable tree source if you do not know how much growth to remove.

Winter is also the time to spray fruit trees to control pests. Copper-based fungicides control fungal diseases such as peach leaf curl and powdery mildew. Spray on a dry, wind-free day and be sure to follow all precautions on the product label. Dormant oil sprays can help control insect pests such as scale and mites by smothering their eggs. Delay spraying until close to bud break in late winter or early spring.

Nurseries have a good supply of bare-root fruit and shade trees now. Bare-root trees are an economical way to add to your orchard or beautify your landscape. Keep the roots moist after purchase and plant as soon as possible. When preparing the planting hole, do not amend the native soil too much. Add no more than 25 percent compost to the soil that covers the roots to encourage the roots to dig deeper for nutrients. Plant the crown of the tree higher than the soil surface to allow for settling over time and to keep the crown from being inundated with moisture during rainy periods. Mulch well, keeping the mulch four to six inches away from the trunk to prevent crown rot.

Bare-root choices also include roses, ornamental vines, artichokes, strawberries and asparagus. As you would for bare-root trees, keep the crown of the plant at or above soil level when planting.

Any vegetables you planted in fall are probably growing slowly now, but check them often for maturity and harvest as ready. These might include lettuces, parsnips, beets, carrots, cabbages, broccoli and radishes. You can get an early start on the spring planting season by sowing seeds now for kale, parsley, radishes and spinach. These crops can be direct-sown outdoors, while the brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower) should be started indoors for transplanting next month.

Enjoy the slower pace of January gardening. And if you have any influence with the weather gods, have them send us some rain.

Workshop: Join Napa County Master Gardeners for a workshop on “Rose Pruning” on Saturday, January 18, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the University of California Cooperative Extension (address below). January is the best time to prune your roses. Come learn pruning techniques from a certified Rosarian. Bring your rose questions. 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 11:00 a.m. until 1 p.m., 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.