by Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
According to a long-term forecast I heard recently, we may not see substantial rain until April and could be facing drought by summer. With that possibility in mind, you can take steps now to help your plants survive.
First, don't rake up those leaves. They protect the soil, help retain moisture and slowly break down and improve the soil.
I cover my vegetable beds with plain cardboard and leaves for the same purpose. Worms adore cardboard glue and will come to the area, add their manure to the soil and aid the soil bacteria. Worm droppings, also called worm gold, is expensive so it's smart to encourage worms in your garden.
If the cardboard has not completely decomposed when you are ready to plant, just cut a hole in the cardboard for the plant. Several years ago, I did an experiment and planted some plants in plain soil and the rest in holes in cardboard that I laid for that purpose. The ones planted in cardboard did better as the soil retained more moisture.
If you have space, dig a few swales. You can make them artful by putting in curves and planting drought-tolerant plants on the edges. When it rains, runoff will be captured in the swales rather than in the gutter and will slowly percolate into the soil. Ideally, runoff should drain in three days to avoid standing water that attracts mosquitos. And your garden will benefit by having water stored a few feet below the soil surface. Some people fill in their swales with sticks, straw or other material and cover them, but I like to see when the swales are full of rainwater.
Do some research on drought-tolerant plants from other regions of the world with a Mediterranean climate. Also consider California native plants, which have evolved to require little water. About three years ago, I planted Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans), which is native to the island of Madeira. I haven't watered it in two years and it just keeps going. Other choices may not be this hardly and may need water occasionally, especially when first planted.
Group plants with similar water needs so you can irrigate more strategically. Sunset's Western Garden Book can advise you on the water requirements of a plant you're considering. You can also find a chart on the water needs of plants at https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/arboretum-all-stars
Set up a rain harvesting area. I devised two different systems some years ago and both work well. They are attached to downspouts and collect rainwater for use on my plants. I don't have pumps on either system, but I built them higher than ground level so they drain well. Make sure to use screens or other covers where the water collects to foil mosquitos.
When you do irrigate, water deeply. The feeder roots of most plants are deep in the ground. Water that just penetrates the first few inches of soil won't reach the feeder roots on most plants.
If you're designing a new landscape, choose paths over concrete walkways. Paths allow rainwater to soak into the soil. Choose gravel, bark mulch or steppingstones, all of which allow water to penetrate.
And remember to compost, compost, compost. You can make your own or purchase finished compost. Compost is not a great fertilizer, but it improves soil tilth, so your soil will retain more water. Work compost into the soil. In contrast, materials used for mulch should remain on top of the soil to minimize evaporation, keep the soil cooler and control weeds. Weeds will steal water from plants so controlling weeds is important.
Be sure to deadhead most of your spent flowers, although you may want to leave some to benefit the birds. Setting seed takes energy so a plant that isn't deadheaded may require more water.
Napa Library Talks: First Thursday of each month. Register to get Zoom link. http://ucanr.edu/wildlifehabitat2020
Got Garden Questions? Contact our Help Desk. The team is working remotely so please submit your questions through our diagnosis form, sending any photos to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org or leave a detailed message at 707- 253-4143. A Master Gardener will get back to you by phone or email. For more information visit http://napamg.ucanr.edu or find us on Facebook or Instagram, UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.
By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
Napa County Master Gardeners had many compost classes planned for last spring. Then the shelter-in-place order came through. We still wanted to tell people about the importance of composting, so we decided to collaborate with the City and County of Napa to do a public workshop via Zoom.
I had no idea what an undertaking this would be. We met to discuss how to do this event, where to produce it, what the script would be and what props we would use. We had to research our presentations and gather materials to show.
Because we would be doing the presentation from a home garden, we had to figure out where the sun would be during the live workshop so we could situate the presentation table properly.
To test our setup, one Master Gardener managed the camera outside while another was inside checking on how the workshop would look when we went live. A third person was in an off-site office monitoring the picture and sound.
We reassembled one more time to rehearse so that the webinar would go smoothly. Prior to that, we sent an event announcement with a Zoom reservation link. Luckily, we had an audience.
I have given a hundred or more compost presentations during my years as a Master Gardener, but I have to admit I was nervous about this one in a new-to-me format.
New Master Gardener Lonnie Payne-Clark opened the session with the argument for why people should compost. The short answer is: to enrich our gardens and keep organic matter out of the landfill. I once read an article about a study in which workers had drilled several feet deep into a New York City landfill. They came up with a 25-year-old newspaper wrapped around a hot dog. The newspaper was still readable. In a landfill, material is packed so tight that no air gets in. Without air, the material can't decay.
Regular additions of compost improve the tilth, or texture, of the soil. Worm compost is a mild fertilizer that benefits all plants.
Following Lonnie, Master Gardener Sue Helms spoke about various methods of composting: hot compost, cool compost, the do-nothing “compost happens” method and the so-called lasagna method.
I spoke next, about using worms to compost kitchen waste. Master Gardener Cindy Watter described how to build a pile for hot composting and other methods. She also discussed the types of bins used for composting and the various tools used to manage compost piles. We took questions at the end and then congratulated each other on a job well done.
For help making this Zoom workshop happen, we thank Kendra Bruno from the City of Napa, Amanda Griffis from the County of Napa and Napa County Master Gardener coordinator Yvonne Rasmussen. You can watch this workshop here.
The following week we did a worm composting workshop and distributed worm bins to 17 people who had signed up in advance. During the workshop, we built a bin and put in a banana peel and 500 worms to get things going. The worms will be fed more once they settle in and the banana peel starts to disappear.
For further soil building guidelines, click to find credible, relevant, practical (how-to) information to help you build and protect your soils, gardens, farms, ranches, environment!
https://ucanr.edu/sites/soils/
Click here to view more Master Gardener online workshops on a variety of gardening topics.
Food Growing Forum: Join Napa County Master Gardeners on Sunday, July 26, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., for a free Zoom forum on “Watering, Irrigation and More.” This forum on food growing will continue monthly on the last Sunday of every month, with future topics announced soon. To receive the Zoom link for the July 26 forum, register at http://ucanr.edu/FoodGrowingForum2020.
The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County are volunteers who provide University of California research-based information on home gardening. To find out more about home gardening or upcoming programs, visit the Master Gardener website (napamg.ucanr.edu). Our office is temporarily closed but we are answering questions by email or phone. Send your gardening questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org or leave a phone message at 707-253-4143 and a Master Gardener will respond. Please include your phone number in your e-mail or voice message.
By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
During this uncertain time, many of us have become more committed to growing our own vegetables. A logical next question is: how can I produce more vegetables in the space I have available? Keep in mind these four principles if you want to increase the yield from your garden: picking the right vegetables, planning carefully, interplanting and extending the season.
Picking the right vegetables simply means picking vegetables that are high producers. One watermelon plant will take up at least as much space as a large tomato plant and you might get only four or five small to medium watermelons. If you plant the right kind of broccoli, you can harvest the main head and then harvest side shoots for many more weeks. If you plant cauliflower, you get exactly one cauliflower.
Also look for varieties that mature relatively quickly. Some broccoli varieties produce a main head in 60 to 90 days from transplant. Some tomatoes can produce ripe tomatoes in as few as 55 days after transplant; big beefsteak tomatoes may take 90 days. Quick-maturing varieties are often referred to as early varieties.
Planning carefully is essential to growing more vegetables in the same space. Know exactly what you're going to plant and where. By having more seedlings ready to plant whenever you finish harvesting a crop, you can substantially increase the volume of vegetables you harvest.
Let's say you planted lettuce, and you plan to replace the lettuce with beans once the weather warms up. With such a plan, at the very least you will have the seeds ready. You can get a little further ahead by starting the beans two to three weeks before you're ready to take out the remaining lettuce, and then planting them as seedlings.
When you know how much food a plant yields and how quickly it will produce, you can figure out how many plants you need and when. You can also plan to save space by “going up.” A trellis on the north side of a garden can allow you to grow pole beans, cucumbers, melons and other vining crops vertically, saving you a lot of space.
I also use flat trellises for my tomatoes rather than space-hogging cages. I tie the vines up with twine made from natural materials. Keeping your trellis on the north side prevents it from shading the rest of your vegetables. If you live in a hotter part of the County, consider using space behind the trellis for plants that prefer some shade during hot weather.
Interplanting, also known as intercropping, is the concept of tucking smaller or faster-growing plants in among larger or slower-growing plants to take advantage of available place. There are many opportunities for interplanting, such as planting basil between tomato plants. Another common grouping is radishes and carrots. Radishes sprout and grow quickly; carrots usually take quite a while to sprout and are still small by the time the radishes are ready to harvest.
Many greens such as arugula, tat soi, mizuna, and Swiss chard grow to harvest size quickly, so you can usually grow them between larger plants, such as cauliflower and broccoli. The greens will be ready to harvest by the time the bigger plants start to fill out. Small plants, such as leeks and garlic, can be tucked in just about anywhere. Cool-season herbs such as dill and cilantro are also good for interplanting because they only last a few months.
If you really want to increase your yield, grow vegetables all year. We are lucky to have a mild Mediterranean climate that allows us to grow cool-season vegetables well into the fall. Planning your garden carefully is even more important for year-round vegetable gardening. As the days gets shorter and cooler, plants take longer grow to maturity.
Your more casual gardening friends will probably be surprised when you tell them in mid-July that you just seeded broccoli and cauliflower for your fall garden. But when you plant out seedlings in mid-August, you will have mature broccoli by mid to late October. Because there is less sunlight and the days are getting cooler, broccoli seedlings you set out at the end of August may not mature until mid to late November. Planting just two weeks later in the fall means that you harvest about a month later.
One final thought: As you increase the productivity of your garden, it's even more important to amend your soil and provide adequate fertilizer for your plants.
What are you going to do this year to get more food from your garden?
The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County are volunteers who provide University of California research-based information on home gardening. To find out more about home gardening or upcoming programs, visit the Master Gardener website (napamg.ucanr.edu). Our office is temporarily closed but we are answering questions remotely and by email. Send your gardening questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org or leave a phone message at 707-253-4143 and a Master Gardener will respond shortly.
By Julie Pramuk, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
About a year ago Master Gardeners of Napa County received a request to provide a speaker for a nursing home. The topic was: How do plants and trees make us feel? How do they interact with us? How can they affect us psychologically, in our homes, parks or forests?
The Japanese have studied this topic extensively. They call it shinrin-yoku, or the art of forest bathing. The practice of shinrin-yoku asks us to detox from the busy-ness of our lives, to turn off our devices and eliminate distractions. As you wander in nature, allow your walk to bathe you in the wonder and beauty of the earth. Breathe deeply and relish the fragrances from the trees and plants around you.
While we shelter in place, we are restrained from gathering. Workplaces are shuttered and consequently many of us are taking more walks in our neighborhoods or strolling in our city parks or nearby forests. As we do, we become more aware of how plants and trees make us feel.
Walking outdoors and taking time to observe plants and trees relieves stress, refreshes the spirit and helps us build a more positive mental state. Since most of us are spending more time indoors, getting outside can relieve tension.
Finding a spot of solitude and allowing your surroundings to play with your senses can be energizing. But we don't have to go too far to experience the positive effects of nature. The opportunity may be as close as your back yard.
When my mother-in-law moved into an apartment with a small, sunny balcony, we planted pots with seasonal flowers, and she delighted in watching blooms appear and change. She was able to water, nurture and care for her small pot garden easily. When I visited her, I would often find her snipping spent blossoms, watering or just sitting and observing the birds that came to investigate. Her little garden was a source of solace and joy.
What better time for us to get into our gardens and observe what is growing? Maybe you have shade trees or fruit trees, flowering shrubs or bushes that provide habitat for insects and bees. Perhaps, like me, you started seeds or young plants that you did not have time to care for and they failed.
No matter how your garden looks now, I encourage you to engage with it and try not to become overwhelmed. Focus your attention on a few containers, a single raised bed or a small plot of ground.
Before you plant, check out the soil. Is it soft and loamy? If not, find that pile of leaves and organic matter in the corner of your yard. Dig down several inches. If it has been sitting six months or more, you may find some dark, loose soil. Aha! Compost. Just what you need to mix into your planting area.
If you do not find this little gift in your garden, you can purchase organic compost and add it to the area you plan to cultivate.
Note the sunlight in the area you intend to plant. Is there a water source nearby? Make sure you check the sun and water needs of the plants you hope to grow. Read seed packets and consult plant labels, then select the right plants for the right place.
Before you begin, just sit outside and be still. Observe how garden life around you changes. Breathe deeply and note the spring fragrances in your yard. Then make a plan for the space that has called you.
Once you have started gardening, you may begin to feel a bond with nature that you soon can't do without. Humans interact with plants every day, in ways that might not be immediately apparent. With a little time and effort, you can experience for yourself the primal relationship that humans have with plants and the entire natural world that surrounds us.
The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County are volunteers who provide University of California research-based information on home gardening. To find out more about home gardening or upcoming programs, visit the Master Gardener website (napamg.ucanr.edu). Our office is temporarily closed but we are answering questions remotely and by email. Send your gardening questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org or leave a phone message at 707-253-4143 and a Master Gardener will respond shortly.
By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
Growing some of your own vegetables is one way to contribute to a more sustainable world. Locally grown food, if grown correctly, has a much smaller environmental footprint than food imported from elsewhere. The good news is that you can make your vegetable garden even more sustainable by a few simple practices: reducing the inputs, minimizing waste and building your soil.
Building your soil is the best thing you can do for healthy plants. It helps sequester (store) carbon, and it provides an opportunity to reuse garden waste on your property. I hope you compost your fruit and vegetable scraps (nothing diseased, though) and other garden waste.
Compost is a wonderful soil amendment and mulch. Natural biological processes will help break down those materials that need to break down, and earthworms and other soil critters will mix the amendments into the soil without you having to lift a finger.
Other things you can add to the soil include shredded newspaper (if your newspaper uses soy-based inks) and cardboard. You can use overlapping layers of cardboard covered with a layer of mulch to help control weeds. In those parts of your garden that stay moist, the cardboard will break down completely in three to four months.
It's also a good idea to avoid tilling or turning your soil. Tilling or turning your soil reduces the organic matter in your soil. Most plants, once you're done harvesting, can simply be cut down. Leave the root mass in the soil to add organic matter.
You can further improve your soil and sequester more carbon by growing cover crops. Don't turn the cover crops into the soil; just cut them down, chop them up and leave them in place as mulch.
Reducing inputs simply means buying less stuff to support your garden and using less water. By now, we all know how to reduce our water use: use drip irrigation, mulch and monitor your plants to make sure that you don't over- or under-water them.
So how can you buy less “stuff” such as plants and seeds, fertilizer and weed- or pest-control products? To reduce your need for fertilizers, you can plant cover crops in the winter, especially legumes such as fava beans to fix nitrogen in the soil. In healthy soil, nutrients already in the soil are more available to your plants.
If your soil does need more nutrients, try to find local sources of manure. (Manure should be composted before it is applied to your garden.) If you buy fertilizer, apply the same principles that you do for your other purchases: figure out where the ingredients come from, and buy as local and sustainable as possible.
To reduce your purchases of plants and seeds, grown your own plants from seed, share your seeds with other gardeners, and save seeds from open-pollinated varieties. It makes sense to share your seeds because fresh seeds (no more than two years old) produce the best plants.
Growing your own plants from seeds is fun. It allows you to grow more varieties than you can purchase and to have plants when the nurseries may not carry them. For example, the ideal time to set out broccoli and cauliflower seedlings for fall harvest is in mid-August, but just try finding seedlings for these crops in nurseries in August.
Some of the best ways to control weeds are to control where you water using drip irrigation. Mulching also helps minimize weed germination, or you can hand-pull or hoe weeds, of course. As long as a weed has not set seed, add it to your compost. It's just more organic matter. Bindweed (field morning glory), blackberries and Bermuda grass can sprout from bits of stems and roots, so allow them to dry out completely before adding them to compost or using as mulch.
Healthy plants, properly tended, will be most resistant to pests and diseases. For insect pests, you can hand-pick the critters. (I sometimes shake plants over a bowl if a plant has been invaded.) Or you can wait for natural predators to arrive and take care of them for you. Look first to non-toxic methods, such as spraying aphids off with a garden hose
If you hand-pick critters, cool mornings or evenings are best because insects will be much slower when it's cold. Plants also have their own forms of defense. They produce compounds in their tissues to help deter predators. Consider ignoring some damage. Plants communicate with each other through hormonal signals from their roots, and the plants near the one that is being attacked will also produce defensive compounds.
There are many ways to make your vegetable gardening more sustainable. The important thing is to keep improving.
For more about caring for the soil:
Healthy soils for a healthy California. Check out the Home and Garden section.
https://ucanr.edu/sites/soils/
Building soil health:
https://ucanr.edu/sites/Nutrient_Management_Solutions/Management_Goals/Build_Soil_Health/
Tips to improve home garden soil:
https://ucanr.edu/sites/soils/Soils_for_Homes_-_Gardens/
Master Gardener Workshop: “Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden” on Saturday, April 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Learn tips and tricks for cultivating great tomatoes including the latest research on care. On-line registration (credit card only) or Mail-in/Walk-in registration (cash or check only) or call 707-253-4221.
The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County are volunteers who provide UC research-based information on home gardening and answer your questions. To find out more about upcoming programs or to ask a garden question, visit the Master Gardener website (http://napamg.ucanr.edu) or call (707) 253-4221 between 9 a.m. and noon on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays.
