Spring in the Garden

Mar 22, 2021

Spring in the Garden

Mar 22, 2021

by Julie Pramuk

Julie pic
February 10… It's a bright sunny morning in our Alta Heights garden in Napa. Sweet peas planted in early November are reaching for the fence. Garlic planted in front of the sweet peas are shooting up. 
 
Weeds are happy in my raised flower/ vegetable beds and there are little birds flitting about picking at the ground.
 
Several years ago a generous master gardener brought a tree kale in a gallon container to our seminar. Mine has grown to 5 ft. or so and the leaves are shades of deep gray- green and purple and magenta. It is a beautiful plant. Tree kale is a perennial. There has been increased interest in growing perennial vegetables as an action to mitigate climate change.

One of these benefits is reduced soil erosion. Perennial plants develop a greater root mass than an annual crop and protect the soil year-round. Another benefit of perennials is reduced chemical runoff. Perennial plants also conserve water better than annuals plants. Annual crops lose more water than perennials meaning they demand more irrigation. Another logical feature of perennial crops is that it uses less fuel and energy to produce. My regular kale and chard thrive in this cool weather as well.

Pincushion flowers (Scabiosa spp.) another perennial, have wintered over from fall and are still producing white flowers. I'm going to leave them in and see what happens as the garden gets more sun in the spring.
 
March 7… All of the paths in the garden have volunteer California poppies so we have been weeding around them. We discovered free wood chips on at a local tree service in Napa — just what we needed after weeding and hoeing our paths.

Master Gardeners are following recommended social distancing guidelines that keep everyone safe, Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143.  Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.

Photo credits: Julie Pramuk

Resources:

UC IPM

sweet peas http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FLOWERS/sweetpea.html

Weed management http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7441.html

Mulches http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/mulches.html

UCMG Solano County-Tree Collards https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=20042

UCMG San Joaquin-definition of Perennials https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=15639

Missouri Botanical Garden-Pincushion plant

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=f490

Calscape-California Poppy https://calscape.org/Eschscholzia-californica-(California-Poppy)

 

By Jane Callier
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