One of the frustrations of maturing (read: getting old) is that my desire to create and produce has grown dramatically, but my ability to sustain that desire is pitifully lagging. The garden is where it’s most evident. After two full days getting the winter vegetable garden ready to plant, I am suffering the consequences this morning. Thankfully, it’s Sunday and there’s football on TV. I wonder if Susie is going to buy this story? Like many Southern California gardeners, I fight two particularly invasive weeds in the veggie garden. If they are ignored, even for a short while, they take over. The weeds are Bermuda grass and nut grass. One bird flying by and pooping on the garden can be all it takes to drop the seeds, which start the battle. In my case, it doesn’t help that our Icelandic horses eat dried Bermuda grass, so the seeds are everywhere, including in the horse manure I use to fertilize everything on the property. After years of irrigating the vegetable patch with soaker hoses, I decided it was time to add the new low output rotor sprinklers instead. It seemed like a good time to tackle the encroaching Bermuda at the same time. Using the bucket on my garden tractor, I pushed the top 8” or so, of topsoil to the back of the patch. Taking the mat of summer Bermuda with it. Next, I laid out the irrigation-system, using half inch PVC and 6 MP rotor heads with a 360 degree pattern and a 5’ throw. I placed them about 5’ apart, so each will overlap the next heads spray pattern. The ideal distance between heads is 10’, since each is throwing 5’, but I’m hopelessly poor at planning these things. Once the irrigation was hooked up and tested, I started returning the soil by hand using an 18” landscape rake. It’s important to sift the soil in such a way that even the smallest pieces of grass, roots and runners are removed. Even small pieces are viable and can start the problem anew. Since the grass is dormant during our cool season, I’ll see how well I did next June as things heat up around here. Along the edge of the garden where my Bermuda lawn and the garden interface, I added an extra bit of deterrent. I scraped the ground clean of any Bermuda, and then laid a line of old chicken feed bags end to end overlapping one another by and inch or two. On the top of the bags I laid, a 4” inch flake of alfalfa. Next, I’ll cover the hay with compost and soil. The bags and hay will eventually break down, but should provide a year or two of added barrier from the invading grass. Every two weeks we shoot my Garden Guru segments for Fox 5, and I spend the time in between preparing the garden we plan to use next time and getting plants, soil, bugs etc. camera ready. For example, next time we shoot I’ll be doing a segment on growing lettuce and herbs in pots. Not everyone has room for a garden. If I plant a couple pots now, in two weeks they will be over their transplant shock and should look good on camera. I also plan to show how to grow a pineapple from a store bought fruit. Part of the process is to dry the pineapple top, in preparation for planting. I need to start now to be ready by then. The biggest job has been getting the vegetable patch ready and partially planted. Now that the irrigation is in place and the soil is back in the bed, I’ll add about 6” of fresh compost, and turn it in. I also need to erect a potato cage so we can plant potatoes in a separate environment. It helps avoid nematodes, and makes harvesting a snap. The winter garden is my favorite in Southern California. It’s warm enough to grow crops all season, and cold enough to grow a large variety of cool season plants. My favorites are, onions, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, Swiss chard, kale, kohlrabi, cauliflower, potatoes, and of course, lettuce. Lettuce can be planted every 2 weeks and you’ll never need to depend on over priced, over sprayed store bought stuff again. It grows well in a pot, and can be placed on a small deck or balcony in easy reach, of the kitchen. That’s all for now…the game is on…I mean my back is killing me, I better go to the couch.

It's going to be a scorcher this week. Temperatures even at the coast may be in the 90's. Housefly populations are going to spike in the warm weather. Here are a few non toxic tips to help keep them in check. First off get rid of breeding areas...If you have a dead cow in your front yard you're going to be overrun with flies. (no duh!) Even a dead mouse can be huge source for flies, so it you are trapping or baiting rodents, wrap up the dead ones and get rid of them. Even a dog as small as a Pekinese can cause a fly problem if its waste is left on the ground. Pick up the poop! Trapping flies works. Rescue fly traps sold at garden centers and big box stores will help reduce fly numbers dramatically, but must be used outdoors. They stink! You can also make your own traps using plastic soda, water or whatever bottle you have with a small opening. I like wine bottles since the neck is long and tapered. Place some old leftover meat in the bottle. The stinkier the better, and then pour in some water. Make sure your bait is still sticking above the water surface. Flies fly in to eat and lay eggs but can't get out. They eventually tire and fall in the water, or when you walk by the trap, put your thumb over the top and give it a shake, for a quicker demise. Make sure to wash your hands. For more great tips please register for my newsletter on the home page and check out my segments on Fox 5 News at 6PM M-W-F.

I'm back on TV and doing what I love, talking about gardening and hopefully handing out useful tips you'll try. Check me out most evening during the 6PM news. This week I talked about composting. I hear from so many people that composting doesn't work for them. I get it. If the pile is not the right size or not urned often enough or kept wet enough, nothing seems to happen. Composting is basically breaking down organic matter just as nature will do. Nature takes its time though, and by controlling the conditions we can speed things up. But it can be tricky, and backbreaking work....so the easiest compost in the world is my goal. All you do is dig a hole, or trench and dump the daily kitchen scraps , like eggs shells, vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, melon rinds (no meat, cheese, oil, etc) into the hole. Make it about 12" deep and back fill it. That's it forget about it. Micro organisms like bacteria and fungi will get to work and before long that patch of soil will be richer for the effort. Just keep moving from spot to spot, or bury it in foot paths in your veggie garden and next planting season more you foot path over and plant on the improved soil. Voila!

The ants which are climbing up and down your trees, plants and kitchen counter are called Argentine ants. They are not native to our area, and while ants are important to the environment, these are not. They kill our native ants, are harmful to both exotic and native plants and are just plain annoying.

Books by Loren
Dead Snails Leave No Trails
Dead Daisies Make Me Crazy
The Worm Book
Loren can help you with your ant problem with his special ant bait. You'll find it effective, but be patient -- it may take a week to 10 days to be fully effective.

In the meantime kill ants in the house with Windex or another ammonia-based cleaner. Clean and kill, all in one motion.

Recipe:
    •   
    •    1 part 20 Mule Team Borax or Boric acid
    •   
    •    9 parts of a sweet sticky liquid like maple syrup, honey or Karo syrup

Mix the ingredients. Heating in a double boiler may speed the process. Take an empty margarine tub and poke 4 holes around the bottom edge (entry holes for ants to walk in).

Place a spoon full of the mixture in the middle of the tub, then put the top back on. This bait is not non-toxic, however it is less toxic, and that's the key to its success.

The ants carry it back to the nest where they feed it to the entire colony and wipe out the nest.

Tomato season is in full swing in home gardens, and so is the bragging war as to which gardener in a neighborhood is the king/queen of the crimson orb. My job, as I see it, is to encourage those of you who do not grow your own food, to start, and give you the confidence to know your veggies can be beautiful and great tasting, without breaking your back, or resorting to chemical warfare. The typical American packs away 20 pounds of tomatoes, in an average year. At my local grocery store, they are selling for about $3 a pound right now. So that’s about $60 per family member, and at my house that means $300 for tomatoes each year. In my little vegetable patch there are a half dozen various tomato plants growing and at least 100 pounds of fruit hanging right now. My total investment to get them where they are is way under $20 i n plants, fertilizer and water. Total work preparing the soil, planting, and staking is another hour, tops. I don’t count harvesting as work invested, because it’s so much fun to poke around the plants, looking for that first flush of color. By the way, the first bit of color on the fruit is a good time to pick your tomatoes. They will ripen just fine in a sunny window or porch railing. When kept on the vine, they are more susceptible to pests, and the energy you save the plant by harvesting can go into the next flush of fruit. Every article I write on gardening has a similar theme, and that is the soil. If you take time to improve your garden soil, you will be rewarded with fewer pests, healthier plants and a lot less work. Loose, rich soil, that is filled with organic matter, will also be teaming with beneficial life. Microorganisms will thrive and do much of the work of gardening for you. There will be communities for earthworms, bacteria, fungi, arthropods, and nematodes which will feed your plants and battle the bad guys. In my world, the simpler something is, the more apt I am to do it. Sorry, but the path of least resistance is the road I most often travel. My soil prep consists of compost laid on top of the soil at the end of each crop cycle. In other words, when one season’s plants mature, produce my food and die back, I pull them and cover the soil with several inches of compost. If I do not plan to replant immediately, I just let it lay. Earthworms will begin to carry the fresh compost below ground soon enough, and save me the work of digging it in. If you'd prefer to dig, go right ahead. The best way is a method called double digging, which is pretty easy. You remove one big shovel full of garden soil and lay it aside. Then you just start taking more shovels full and laying them into the hole created by your last shovel full. In either method, it’s a good idea to water it in if you are working in a dry climate or a dry spell. If rain is forecast for tomorrow, then don’t bother. Growing tomatoes from seed is for people with more time than I have. I look for healthy young tomato plants which are hopefully on sale and I like to look for a few reliable varieties and a few odd balls or a few heirlooms. With the vast majority of plants, it’s important to plant them to the exact depth of the soil in the pot in which you bought them. Not so with tomatoes. It’s a good idea to bury about a third of the stem of your new plant. New roots will form along the buried trunk and provide a better foundation for your quickly growing plant. With tomatoes, it is very important to add calcium to the soil to prevent blossom end rot, which turns the bottom of your tomatoes ugly and brown. You can find liquid calcium in your favorite garden store, or sprinkle gypsum into the hole. Bone meal, pulverized eggshells, dolomite, soft rock phosphate and even wood ash also work nicely. The only other thing that really must be done is staking. If tomatoes are allowed to vine on the ground you’ll loose most of the crop to pests, fungus, and big clumsy feet. Since we grow bamboo on the ranch, I use that, but any good sturdy stake or trellis structure will work. Take the time to occasionally tie a few branches to the stake and you’ll find it is well worth the effort. My personal choice is to go to the garden with a glass of wine at the end of the day and spend 15 minutes unwinding, enjoying my garden and tying a couple branches to the stake. Water DEEPLY a couple times a week and then somewhere betw een 55 and 85 days later depending on the variety you’ll be harvesting, sharing, eating and I hope you’ll be bragging too. In a couple days I'll post my killer roasted tomato soup recipe. It's easy and a great way to avoid drowning in a sea of red tomatoes.

Incorporating wildlife into the garden is one of my favorite things to do. Sadly, the trade in reptiles has created a huge number of very unhappy, sick and mistreated animals. Turtles are a good example.

In a moment I'll pitch an organization, but first let me throw out a gardening idea. I suggest you try creating a turtle garden.

A turtle garden is very simply a place created for plants and a fun and interesting animal to have around.

The garden should be large enough to give the turtle(s) room to roam and explore. It should have attractive plants which create room for the turtles to hide, burrow and forage.

The garden should have a clean water source, which can be as simple as a large saucer, or as complex as a large excavated pond.

It must have a heat room where the turtles can find 85 degree temperatures year round. Perhaps the most important element is a wall (not fence) to keep the turtles from escaping.

If you plant a turtle garden and add one or a few turtles, please understand that they require a diverse diet of fruits, vegatables and a senior dog food. They also love grubs, and beetles, earthworms and caterpillars.

Some pet stores still sell turtles and tortoises, but please don't buy them there. The turtle trade is cruel and may ultimately aid in the destruction of wild populations.

In many large cities including San Diego, there is a turtle and tortoise society (P.O. Box 619, Imperial Beach, Ca. 91933-0519)

The society rescues turtles and tortoises which have been cared for improperly. Sadly, there is no shortage of these animals in need of a good home.

If you have an appropriate turtle garden, you may adopt these animals for the cost of joining the society.

Skunks generally visit our homes looking for food. If people feed their pets outside, skunks will share that food. Move it indoors to stop the raiding.

Skunks also eat a variety of subterranean (underground) pests. They really like grubs, which are the larval stage of beetles. They dig up our yards to get at the grubs.

Beneficial nematodes are microscopic parasitic worms that destroy more than 200 pests which live in our yards, including subterranean termites, fleas and grubs. 

Beneficial nematodes can be found at most good nurseries (not Home Depot, Target, Home Base, etc.) They are only available during late spring and early summer, so don't delay your purchase.

Here's a safe alternative to getting that skunk stink off of you or your pet:

1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda

Combine the above with enough Dawn dishwashing liquid into a gravy-thick substance. Shampoo as you normally would. Discard any leftover solution.

It happens every year during the spring.

People are shocked and frightened when huge clouds of honey bees swarm overhead and through whatever happens to be in their way. It is an awesome experience.

First, one hears the buzz of tens of thousands of bees and then they either pass overhead or seem to surround you in what looks like an aggressive mass.

Quite the contrary.

During swarming season, bees are far less likely to sting. Here's what's going on...

Like most communities, bee hives can grow and become over-crowded. When this happens, the hive raises a new queen and splits it's population roughly in half. The new queen leaves the hive and thousands of her devoted followers trail behind.

When she flies, they fly and when she stops to rest so do the workers. That is why we sometimes see thousands of bees in a squirming mass on the sides of buildings, trees and cars.

The swarm stopped because the queen stopped. When she decides to move on, so will the swarm. It can be as much as 24 hours before they leave.

If the swarm stays longer, it is likely to set up housekeeping -- which is great if it's an appropriate spot -- but if it's your attic or in a piece of farm equipment, then it's time to call a bee keeper or exterminator to remove the hive.

I mentioned that bees are far less likely to sting while swarming. This is because the bees fill themselves on honey before leaving the original hive. Simply put, they are fat and happy.

If you see a swarm during spring, relax and enjoy the experience, Mother Nature is hard at work.

In recent days our gardens have come alive with black beetles running around looking under plants as though they are on a mission. I'm happy to share with you that it is an important mission which will help keep our gardens free of pests.

The beetles are a wonderful glimpse at how nature works to stay in balance.

For the past several weeks you may have noticed far greater numbers of moths flying around and sipping nectar from blooming plants. They are particularly active just after dark. The moth population exploded in response to well timed winter rains and the October wild fires which pushed them closer to the coast. As you probably know that as the moths lay eggs, a similarly large population of caterpillars will soon follow. We urged people to resist using pesticides to deal with the caterpillar boom which will occur and instead let nature work first. The black beetles are nature's answer to the caterpillars. The black beetles look like common stink bugs and in fact do send off a interesting scent when agitated, but they are far different than the stink bugs we typically see around here. They are much quicker and they don't stick their bum in the air to warn off threats. The beetles are in the carabidae family and commonly known as ground beetles and caterpillar hunters. We watched one attack and eat a large fig beetle grub yesterday and it was ugly. These are aggressive little predators that will work hard to keep the caterpillar numbers from exploding. Enjoy them and thank them if you get the chance. They are definitely good guys.

Each year millions of pounds of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are poured, spread and dumped on California lawns. The result is polluted waterways and groundwater, and lawns strangled with thatch and compacted so badly it seems aerating is the only solution.

Wrong! Here are a few tips to create a healthy chemical-free lawn.

First have your soil tested. Take a small sample to the S.D. County Agriculture Agent. Your soil should contain 5% organic material. If the test reveals yours does ... congratulations! If not, begin by adding compost.  

One-half inch of compost a year would be terrific. When you fertilize I suggest using composted chicken manure which is available at all garden centers under the brand name E-Z Green.

It will do a wonderful job of greening your lawn and adding even more organic material.

When it's time to buy a new mower, make sure you buy one that mulches. Why throw away clippings that are high in nitrogen and feed the beneficial soil organisms?

As you increase organic material in your soil, earthworms will thrive. They come to the surface to feed and benefit you three ways.

First their waste is a very good fertilizer. Next, as they feed they break down organic matter and thatch so you never need to dethatch your lawn. Lastly they prevent soil compaction, making aeration a thing of the past.

It's also a good idea to set your lawnmower higher than most of us normally do. Grass two to three inches tall is healthier and needs less water.

Follow these simple tips and I bet you'll have the prettiest lawn on the block. Kids and pets will be safe playing in it and you will be contributing less to the very real problem of polluted runoff in San Diego County.