Napa

I keep running into the words regenerative agriculture, a movement first promoted by the Rodale Institute in the 1980s.

Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious vegetables you can eat and you can easily grow them in pots on your patio. High in fiber, beta carotene and antioxidants, they promote a healthy gut, a healthy brain, good vision, and a strong immune system.

I had a beautiful cherry tree many years ago that produced a lot of fruit. If I wanted to pick cherries before the birds ate them all I had to use a ladder. This really wasn't safe because I was leaning over the ladder trying to reach the cherries without getting off said ladder.

I strive to be as environmentally responsible as possible. A decade ago, my wife and I had a solar system installed that provides 90 percent of our energy. We farm our small vineyard and olive trees organically.

I'll bet you did not know that some of your plants have sports. Not the athletic kind, these sports are chance offshoots that are genetically different from the parent plant.

Procrastination is rarely one's friend, but never is this truer than when dealing with weeds. Some gardeners say, breezily, that a weed is simply a plant in the wrong place. I say that it is something that you didn't plant and don't want.

Broccoli is categorized as a cool-season crop, and the best-flavored broccoli forms heads during mild weather. In our Napa Valley climate, we have two prime times to grow it in home gardens: early spring and fall/winter.

The other day I as was walking down my hall during the middle of the day, I saw a strange creature crawling across the hall. What was a millipede doing in my house? The creature had to climb nine steps and come through the kitchen and a few doors to get to my hall.

Last week, during a respite from the downpour, I decided to plant a potted shrub that needed to go into the ground. I had put off that task because who likes to dig in rock-hard soil? I decided now was my chance.

The University of California Master Gardeners was begun in 1980 to help home gardeners with science-based advice on horticultural practices. The Napa County chapter was formed in 1995.