A few terms that catalogs use describing plants are valuable to know. “Vigorous” plants can mean they can become invasive in your garden and may need to be pulled from places they are not wanted. “Cut and come again”, and “everbearing” plants yield multiple crops if dutifully harvested before seed sets. “Drought resistant” or “Mediterranean” plants are an excellent choice for Napa County needing little, if any, summer water. “Winter keeper” or “keeper” fruits and vegetables can be successfully stored for several months. When a catalog says 78 days, it should indicate the time to harvest from the average day of planting seed or transplanting indoor-started seedlings into a home garden. Use these figures for comparison only. At best, they are only approximations.

Hardiness Zones. Catalogs generally adhere to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zone map. Historically, most of Napa County was in area 9b, at 25F to 30F for low temperatures. Using updated climate data through 2010, zip code 94558 is in Zone 9a, 20F to 25F.  More comprehensive are zones determined by Sunset's “Western Garden Book.” Sunset zones in Napa County are Zone 7, called “Foothill-Digger Pine”; Zone 14, “Coastal Warm”; Zone 15, “Coastal Cool”, and Zone 17, “Marine”. The margins of all climate zones vary. Each zone contains microclimates created by elevation, slope and exposure.

Hardy. Not injured by light frosts and seed will germinate at rather low temperature. May be planted about two weeks to a month before the average date of the last killing frost in the spring.

Half-Hardy. May be planted about the time of the last killing frost. The seeds of this group will germinate at rather low temperatures, but the young plants are injured by frost.

Tender. Injured by the light frost and does not thrive at low temperatures even though frost does not occur. These should not be planted until all danger of frost is past.

Very Tender. Does not thrive until the soil has become warm and the seed will rot in the ground unless the soil is warm.

Pollination Type.  If you want to collect seeds from your garden for next year's plants, you will need to know whether a particular seed you are looking at is an heirloom or open pollinated (OP), or self-pollinating (SP). OP and SP seeds will grow true to type. Certain plants need to be pollinated by a different cultivar of the same species. Most sweet cherries are self-unfruitful including Bing and Royal Ann.

Size of Tree & Grafted Root Stock.  Fruit trees and grapevines are generally grafted to increase plant vigor, fruit size, disease resistance and determine the mature size of the plant.  Dwarf trees are 5'-12' high, semi-dwarf 10'-15', and standard 15'-20' high.

Hybrid plants (Hb) (F1) or (F2) are bred from two or more different parent stocks, with traits that have the best characteristics of both strains. Only by again breeding from the same two parent stocks again will you have the same plant. Don't save hybrid seed and plant it; you'll grow something, but it won't be like its parent plant.

Light Requirements. Catalogs often use symbols to specify whether plants prefer shade, semi-shade or sun. Shade is classified as less than 2 hours of direct sun each day, while full sun is more than 6 hours of direct sun. Part shade is in middle. If an area in your yard gets part shade in the morning, you might want to choose plants that favor shade. If the sun falls in the afternoon when it is warmer, you might favor sun loving plants.

Annual, Perennial, or Biennial.  Annual plants (A) have a lifespan of a single growing season while biennials (B) grow for two years and bloom and fruit in their second year. Perennials (P) will grow for multiple growing seasons.

Plant Spacing.  Indicates how close together seeds and plants that are similar should be planted to provide maximum plant health and good crop yields under normal growing conditions for that plant. If your soil or other conditions are less than ideal for that plant, you may need to use wider spacing.

Plant Height.  This is an indication of how high a plant is likely to grow in your garden if you provide the plant with its preferred growing conditions.

Planting Time.  Tender plants and cold sensitive plants cannot be sown outdoors until all danger of frost has passed, generally mid- to late April in Napa County, or the soil temperature is warm enough. Catalogs provide this information in their plant descriptions or on the seed or bulb packets.

Disease and Pest Resistant.  Plants are grown for certain traits such as taste, color, vigor or disease resistance. Catalogs may say which pests and diseases a particular plant may resist or only that plants are disease or pest resistant. Catalogs can also provide information on plants less palatable by deer.

Tomato Types.  Tomatoes are classified as either determinate or indeterminate.  Determinate tomatoes are bush types that grow to a relatively compact height, set fruit, ripen all of their fruit at about the same time, then die. Indeterminate tomatoes continue growing, need a strong staking system, and set fruit until they are stopped by a hard frost.

Peas and Beans.  There are two major types, bush and pole.  Bush plants can be mounded while pole plants require a tall trellis.