Although each of these claims may be true, for me the answer is simpler: I grow food for my table. As I have become a more knowledgeable vegetable gardener, I have wanted to increase the variety of crops I grow and to harvest year round.
Plants are adapted to grow at specific temperatures. Some annual vegetables prefer warm weather; others perform best when it’s cool. Warm-season plants grow best in daytime temperatures of 65°F to 95°F. They thrive when night-time temperatures stay above 50°F. Most of them tolerate high temperatures but are damaged or killed by frost. Cool-season crops prefer cooler soil and air (55°F to 75°F), perform poorly when temperatures are high, and tolerate or are improved by frost.
When researching average temperatures for Napa County, I found some useful graphs on the Weather Channel’s website (www.weather.com). From May to October, our average lows range from 49°F to 55°F, while average highs for the same months are 76°F to 83°F. The months of November to April see average lows of 39°F to 45°F degrees, and highs of 57°F to 71°F. If our weather is not too extreme, we can accommodate cool-season vegetables six months a year and warm-season vegetables during the other half.
So growing vegetables year-round in Napa County is just a matter of timing: growing the right plants at the right time.
Year-round vegetable gardening uses soil intensively, so maintaining fertility is critical.
Soil is comprised of four principal components: minerals, organic matter, air and water. Minerals and organic matter make up about half of the volume of typical California soils, with minerals being by far the largest part. Soil minerals are basically decomposed rock. The size of the particles determines whether your soil is sandy (large particles), loam or clay (small particles).
Organic matter consists of decomposing plant and animal residue, living soil organisms (earthworms, fungi, bacteria) and the substances they synthesize.
The other half of the soil’s volume is the pore spaces between the solid particles. In soils with ideal moisture content, the pore spaces are about half water and half air. Typical soil by volume will be about 45 percent minerals, 25 percent water, 25 percent air and 5 percent organic matter.
Soils can be coarse and sandy or fine and clay-like. Their texture reflects the mineral content, which is difficult to alter. However, increasing the organic matter in sandy or clay soils changes the way the soil aggregates, or clumps, and improves the conditions for growing plants.
Although the living organisms in soil comprise a small percentage of its volume, mounting scientific evidence suggests that these organisms play a significant role in helping plants fight disease and pests. Many soil microorganisms live in beneficial relationships with roots. These organisms digest organic matter over time and need air and moisture to survive. Even when you don’t have a crop in the ground, you need to provide an environment that encourages this soil life. In a year-round vegetable patch, you should add compost or other organic amendments at least twice a year, or each time a new crop is planted.
Our California soils tend to be low in nitrogen, a major nutrient for growing plants. Your soil may also be lacking in other nutrients. Year-round vegetable gardening can quickly deplete soil nutrients. If your organic amendments are not relatively high in nutrients, you will need to fertilize several times a year. Although you can use synthetic fertilizers, they can harm the natural soil life. Use all fertilizers carefully, following package directions and never using more than recommended.
Plants interact with soil in different ways. Just as farmers do, home gardeners should rotate crops to prevent soil-borne diseases from getting established and to foil pests that prefer specific crops.
So here’s 12-month gardening in a nutshell: plant the right plants for the season;feed the soil with organic amendments; use fertilizers as needed; and rotate plants. Then proceed to enjoy homegrown food year round.
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “Success with Veggies All Year Long” on Saturday, January 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. 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. 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.
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.
You can certainly give a gift certificate to a favorite nursery, but here are some other suggestions for items readily available at local shops and nurseries.Whether you surprise your favorite gardener with something practical or fun, luxurious or a bargain, he or she will likely thank you later with something homegrown.
Nearly every gardener can use new gloves as these items wear out or get misplaced over time. A rose gardener might appreciate gauntlet-style thorn-proof gloves for working with thorny plants. Nice leather gloves are a small luxury for many garden tasks. Vegetable gardening calls for a flexible type, like neoprene-dipped bamboo fabric gloves. These come in a variety of fun colors and can be thrown into the washing machine for easy cleaning.
Many gardeners have designated gardening pants and shirts. This clothing is often a step or two away from the rag bin. Your favorite gardener might appreciate durable jeans with pockets, tool loops and reinforced knees. Add a sturdy, long-sleeved shirt with pockets and your gardener may be thanking you daily. Also consider other protective gear like knee pads or a new sun hat.
Cutting tools make good gifts. High-quality pruning shears can last a lifetime. Gardeners with fruit trees might appreciate a heavy-duty pair of loppers or a sharp new pruning saw. Many gardeners also appreciate lightweight snippers for collecting flowers and herbs.
I polled a dozen Napa County Master Gardeners about their favorite hand tools, and they were all enthusiastic about Hori Hori knives. Those who had them endorsed them, and those who didn’t have one wanted one. The Hori Hori knife is a Japanese tool that looks like a narrow trowel. It’s serrated on one side for cutting and is used for digging, planting and weeding. It can take the place of several other hand tools in the garden.
Plant pots come in endless variety. A vegetable gardener might appreciate small pots for seed starting. For a gardener who delights in containers on the patio or deck, consider giving a one-of-a-kind pot from a local artist or a set of glazed pots from a nursery. Include a bag of potting mix to make it easy for the gardener to put the containers to work immediately.
Gardeners also need containers for corralling tools and for gathering their harvest. These containers may be strictly functional, like five-gallon buckets, or handmade works of art. Think about baskets, trugs and totes. Whatever your budget or your recipient’s taste, there is a container to fit. Add a few seed packets and a bow and you’re done.
Consider a garden book. The New Sunset Western Garden Book, published in 2012, is certain to please any gardener who doesn’t already own it. Napa County Master Gardeners have written a helpful Month-By-Month Guide to Gardening in Napa County, available at the University of California Cooperative Extension office (address below). Or select a book on a specialty topic such as succulents, vertical gardens or art in the garden, or a book of gardening essays. Another option would be a blank book or a garden journal for record-keeping. Browse your local bookstore to see some possibilities.
Most gardeners keep an eye on the weather. Rain gauges and minimum-maximum thermometers are inexpensive devices that many experienced gardeners consider necessary tools. Some gardeners might appreciate more sophisticated electronic weather stations that track multiple aspects of the weather.
And what about the essential items that every garden needs: compost, fertilizer or other soil amendments? A gardener with a large garden might appreciate a truckload of a favorite soil amendment, such as compost from one of the county waste facilities. If you were to offer to help unload it or spread it as well, you would probably find yourself at the top of that gardener’s sharing list next season. For the gardener with less space, the nurseries sell packaged amendments of many kinds. Peek into your gardener’s storage area to get an idea of what he or she prefers.
Still can’t decide what to give your special gardener? Offer the gift of some time. Physical labor is almost always appreciated, as is technical support in setting up a new irrigation system or figuring out how the garden planning software works. And don’t forget to thank your gardener the next time he or she brings you that perfectly grown something from the garden.
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 Thursday mornings, from 10:30 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.
The Watershed Awareness Calendar for 2014 is back from the printer. Drop by the Napa County Resource Conservation District and pick one up. (Call the NRCD at 707-252-4188 for address and hours.)This year’s calendar includes information and ideas on how to manage and conserve storm-water runoff on your home property or business.
This month-by-month guide strives to help Napa County residents keep watersheds and waterways healthy. A watershed is an area of land with a common water course. In other words, all the water the land receives drains to the same place. Napa is blessed with three watersheds: the Napa River, Putah Creek and Suisun Creek.
Even if you live in town, you live within a watershed.
Watersheds collect water from rain and snow melt, absorbing it into the soil to replenish the water table. Runoff finds its way into storm drains, creeks, rivers and eventually to the bay and ocean.
These informative calendars are provided by the Napa County Resource Conservation District, The Watershed Information Center and Conservancy of Napa County and Friends of the River. All of these organizations are focused on protecting our natural resources and watersheds.
The calendar’s back cover offers a directory of local resources, including the Native Plant Society, The Land Trust, Carolyn Parr Nature Museum and the U.C. Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. The list includes e-mail addresses, websites and phone numbers.
The document also provides contact information for other organizations with resources to help businesses, homeowners and property owners replace thirsty lawns with more water-efficient landscaping or install other water-conserving or storm water-diverting systems.
If harvesting rainwater to irrigate your garden and reduce your water bill sounds good to you, consider the rebate plan offered by the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. This plan provides a rebate for installing rain barrels and cisterns and even reimburses some residents for designing and installing a rain garden.
Each month of the calendar highlights a different technique to help gardeners and property owners slow, spread and sink fast-moving storm water. These techniques can be used singly or in combination on your property.
One impressive and inspiring project is part of the sustainability plan at New Technology High School in Napa. New Tech’s landscaping is drought resistant but still needs some water to thrive, so a 20,000-gallon cistern was installed to collect rainwater. This effort has reduced the amount of potable water used for landscaping by 63 percent.
Capturing 20,000 gallons may sound daunting, but Napa normally gets 20 to 60 inches of rainfall a year, providing plenty of opportunity for harvesting. One inch of rain on a 1500-square-foot roof generates close to 1,000 gallons of runoff. In one winter, your roof alone could shed 20,000 to 60,000 gallons of water.
Sometimes the goal is not to capture water but to slow its race over hard surfaces to storm drains or creeks. Often, this fast-moving water dissolves and transports pollutants along the way.
As you drive by Oxbow Public Market in Napa, you can’t see the bio-retention basins under the raised beds. But they are there, carefully designed to hold and slowly release water into storm drains. Oxbow’s downspouts drain into the basin where the water is filtered before being released into storm drains. One rain chain leads the gutter water to a trench drain, watering a row of grass plantings, which also slows and filters the water before it enters storm drains.
The Yountville Community Center also showcases several best-management practices for storm-water runoff. Drain inlets along the side of the building are equipped with filters to keep debris from clogging pipes as runoff from the roof collects in a basin behind the parking lot. Landscaping takes advantage of swales, basins, drains and drought-resistant plants to maximize beauty while managing the large amount of runoff from the building roofs.
These are big projects, obviously, but even small projects can be effective. In this helpful calendar, you’ll read about permeable paving, swales and rolling dips. The many suggestions and photos will open your eyes to possibilities as you view sustainable residential developments and sustainably managed vineyards and hillsides. Even property owners with small gardens and yards can make changes that have a positive impact on our watersheds.
Napa County Master Gardeners welcome the public to visit their demonstration garden at Connolly Ranch on Thursday mornings, from 10:30 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.
The process I use is called sheet composting, and it is simply a method of building a compost pile in place. You can not only use this procedure on well-turned vegetable beds but also on a lawn, or part of a lawn, that you would like to use differently.
I gather materials for sheet composting throughout the year so that by fall I have a big pile of clean cardboard. I avoid the type of cardboard with slick sides because it takes longer to break down and contains clay. I also gather dried leaves, newsprint, decaying plants without seeds, some compost and aged chicken manure. In short, I use the same materials you would use in a compost or worm bin.
If you plan to sheet compost in an area that has never been dug, then turn the soil to a depth of two feet. This process aerates the soil so air and water will move through it more easily. If you are sheet composting in a grassy area, then loosen and turn the sod over so it will die. You will build your pile on top.
If I have old vegetable plants still in the beds, I cut them up and leave them in place. I may also put some kitchen waste on top of that. Then I build alternating layers, as if making lasagne. You can use whatever organic materials you have. I usually use cardboard, leaves and newsprint (laying them out in sheets – no need to cut up) or shredded paper. Then I repeat the layers. I top off the pile with aged compost and chicken manure. If my garden plot has diminished in height during the growing season, I may add more clean soil or compost when I construct the layers. I moisten each layer, then wet everything again. Then I cover with a plastic tarp, making sure it is secured on the sides so it does not go flying in the wind.
Watering each level is important because it encourages the microbes and other creatures to wake up and go to work. The red wigglers used in worm composting will start to move in and munch on the foods they love. They especially like cardboard and will move inside the corrugation. They enjoy the glue that keeps the cardboard together, and I often find that the cardboard layer disappears first.
Depending on the rain, you may not have to water the pile during the winter. However, it is a good idea to check the pile from time to time and water again if necessary to keep the layers moist.
In late April or early May, remove the plastic and see what has happened to your compost pile. It should be full of red wigglers and other creatures, and you may see some little white bugs hopping around. These creatures worked the pile for you, so you don’t have to do spring digging. As they worked through the compost, they turned the soil for you.
Sometimes the cardboard or other items are not completely decomposed by spring. I plant in the bed anyway by cutting holes in the cardboard where I want my plants to grow. On other occasions, I have covered the soil with cardboard and cut holes for my plants. This cardboard layer helps conserve soil moisture.
I once sheet-composted a bed in July and covered it with plastic. In late September I removed the plastic and found no trace of the materials I had layered just a few weeks before—only a bed of wonderful soil.
The droppings that the worms leave behind (known as worm castings) are beneficial to plants. They are a mild natural fertilizer containing all the trace elements. Some call these castings “worm gold.” It sells for about $600 a yard. When I plant in the spring, I do dig in some more chicken manure and worm compost from my worm bins.
Napa County Master Gardeners welcome the public to visit their demonstration garden at Connolly Ranch on Thursday mornings, from 10:30 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.