Tips for success in the garden in Napa County

We begin the new year with a renewed sense of joy and hope, and with the goal of a successful garden that has fueled me through the spring, summer and fall. Now I am ready to plan for the 2024 season.

A bountiful harvest does not magically happen. Sure, nature intends for plants to grow, but if we want specific plants and not just weeds, the human touch is necessary. The preparations I did this month are the same tasks I do every January. I will share this list with you with a few tips that will also bring you success.

I have 12 raised beds. A few of them are full of perennial herbs that come back every year. The remaining beds I use for seasonal veggies.

Every year I create a map of what I planted that year. For what? Because it is important to rotate certain crops to avoid soil diseases and insect pests. I used a simple process clockwise, moving tomatoes, potatoes and all brassica crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, turnips, collards and mustard.

At the beginning of November, I started dreaming about what I want to plant next year. I look online to learn what grows best in my climate zone; There is more than one Sunset weather zone in Napa County, so check your zone.

In January I usually receive catalogs full of tempting ideas. January is also a good time to visit your local grocer to pick fruit trees and berry plants. They can go ashore now.

You can also start seeds at home now. The Napa County Master Gardeners maintains a planting calendar that lists seed starting times by season and plant type.

I bought a sterile seed starting soil mix and sterilized some used containers saved from the previous year. Sometimes I also use small paper cups, perforated for drainage, to start the seeds.

Keep the bread in a warm and dark place in the house until the seeds sprout, then I take them outside to a bright light source, like a counter by a window. Plant the seedlings outside when the soil temperature is warm enough. Please refer to the Napa County Master Gardener website for more detailed instructions.

I filled my raised beds with compost in the fall, mow the fallen leaves and use them as mulch. The mulch keeps my soil warmer all winter and makes sure the weeds don’t get a foothold.

If I want to start a new garden bed, I use the “lasagna method”. This technique involves layering old cardboard sheets and compost in the bed in the fall. First, I lay down some hardware cloth to keep out the gophers, moles, rats and flies. Then I add soil, cardboard and compost in layers. Winter rain and worms break down the cardboard and mix the compost into the existing clay soil, thus creating a great start. In the spring it is usually ready for use, although I can add a little fertilizer.

Each of my raised beds was started this way. I also use this method to clear weed infested areas that may have been neglected last year.

I spend a lot of time in my garden during the winter months because my two border collies love to play ball. It is also easy to remove dead plants and branches. Use basic sanitation practices to ensure you don’t spread pathogens. My pruning tools are clean when I start, and I use rubbing alcohol to disinfect my pruners between different plants. When the weather warms up and the danger of frost has passed, I rake leaves and mulch away from the ground around my fruit trees so the sun can continue to lower the ground.

Turn off your irrigation or, better yet, invest in a smart irrigation controller. A control app on my phone also lets me know when there will be a saturation jump in the calendar because it is smart enough to know when it has rained. They are also able to start or stop watering depending on the weather.

We use a simple rain gauge to find out how much rain we’ve had. If you don’t have a smart irrigation controller, you’ll want to monitor the weather closely. My garden has received almost 10 inches of rain this season. I might just turn off the irrigation system for the season, but I like knowing the control was doing its job.

Here are some of the steps I take each winter to ensure future success in the garden. With these practices, I feel that I can at least give the plants a good start. You can do the same.

Pruning workshop: Join the UC Marin County Master Gardeners for “Winter Deciduous Pruning” with Nancy Brown on Wednesday, Feb. 7, from 10 am to 1:30 pm, via Zoom. Brown is a professional aesthetic pruner and experienced teacher. Whether pruning a fallen tree or renovating an overgrown or under-formed tree, this class will demonstrate best practices for tree beauty and health. The cost is $ 30. Register for the Zoom link at https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=40751

Discussion in the library: Napa County Master Gardeners and the Napa Library will host a discussion on Thursday, March 7 on “Agaves – More Than Tequila and Century Plants” from 7 to 8 pm via Zoom. Learn more about adding these deer-proof, beautiful, and low-maintenance plants to your garden. Register here: https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=41734

Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions Monday and Friday from 10 am to 1 pm at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number and a brief description.