Napa Master Gardener Column

By Carrie Strohl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County Gardening has always been a great way to grow food, connect with nature and stay physically active, and these benefits are no different for children.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County I still remember my first fresh figs. My family was traveling in Southern Europe and my dad stopped at a roadside stand. He was so happy that they had figs.

By Pat Hitchcock, UC Master Gardener of Napa County One of the pleasures of having a large, messy vegetable garden is that plants that get ignored past their useful life as an edible still have value. I've learned this slowly over time.

By Gayle Keane, U. C. Master Gardener of Napa County For me one of the most welcome sights of spring is when my bearded iris bloom. I particularly love the combination of bright blue and lemon-yellow blossoms. But iris come in almost every color of the rainbow, even the dusky colors of autumn.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County For me, this past year has been very distracting, so I'm not as far along with planting my summer garden as I normally would be. If you can relate, the good news is that it's not too late to have a successful summer vegetable garden.