Napa Master Gardener Column

By Janice Mathews, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.Healthy soil is not just dirt under our feet.  It is a living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans.Healthy soil has four components.  About 25 percent is air, allowing soil organisms to return essential nutrients to the soil while…

By David Shubin, ISA Certified Arborist and UC Master Gardener of Napa County.Fall in Napa Valley brings that familiar mix of cool air and golden light and, for many of us, the instinct to start cleaning up.  Out come the rakes, clippers and green bins. It feels good to set things right. But before you…

By Aileen Carroll, UC Master Gardener of Napa County. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted a garden of my own.   Not just a few pots on a patio, but a real piece of earth to tend. One that no one else could trample, paint or accidentally “weed.”  When I was a college student living in a…

By Bob Nikelwicz, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.  Last February I did a talk at the Napa County Library on dahlias and planting them in containers.  I like growing in containers as the shady areas in my backyard shift over the course of the year.  Dahlias need at least six to eight hours…

By Carol Glaser, UC Master Gardener of Napa County. When our first fall rains arrive, we gardeners breathe a sigh of relief. We need this moisture, and so does the soil after the long, hot dry spell of summer. Our fall and winter rain is precious, but home builders and engineers have worked hard to move…