Napa Master Gardener Column

Spring is in the air and it is time to plant milkweed for the Monarch butterflies. Milkweed (Asclepias) provides food for the butterfly larvae, and its flowers provide nectar for the other pollinators in our area.

Who knew that Napa harbors a beautiful yet potentially lethal tree whose strange habits could satisfy Agatha Christie's search for the perfect murder weapon?

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.