Napa Master Gardener Column

Heal the earth by healing the soil? Are we really able to slow global warming by manipulating dirt? Humans have been stripping mother earth of her verdant, life-supporting cloak for a long time, but the damage has shot up to a critical stage in recent years.

The first time I saw soldier fly larvae in my worm bin I did not know what they were other than maggots. I picked them out with a long tweezer and dropped them on the ground. My intention was to kill them when I was done.

Cucumbers are an easy summer vegetable to grow in Napa County gardens. I'm sure of that, because last summer I participated in the Napa County Master Gardeners' field test of three different varieties, and we had more cucumbers than we could eat for a couple of months.

Here's a word to add to your garden vocabulary: Euphorbia. This is not to be confused with euphoria. How did a plant family get such a curious botanical name? The family is named for Euphorbos, a Greek physician who lived more than two thousand years ago.

By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County For me, the great question at the plant nursery these days is whether to buy the little plant or the big one. The small Hot Lips' salvias I bought two years ago are fat and fluffy and covered with flowers today.