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.

Growing food in a home vegetable garden is one thing, but making sure that food doesn't go to waste is another. Anyone growing tomatoes right now knows that it can be feast or famine. We spend much of the year waiting for the joy of home grown tomatoes, and then freak out when bushels of them start overwhelming ones ability to think of new recipes with tomatoes as a main ingredient.  My friend, Sunni Black, continually impresses me with her ability to grow more tomatoes than anyone else I know, manage them well, and turn her hobby into cash. Each of the past few years, Sunni has bought more than 100 heirloom tomato plants at the big plant sale, Quail Botanical Gardens holds each spring. Not only has she filled a big freezer with sauces, soups, and salsas, and quail breasts (that's for another posting) but she made more than a thousand dollars this summer, selling some of the crop to her local market. Nice! I've been harvesting at least 10 lbs of tomatoes a day, for the past several weeks, and am running out of ideas. I need your experience. So here's the deal, I'll share a recipe for killer tomato soup, that my kids love on cool Sunday evenings, and I ask that you share a favorite tomato idea too. It can be a salad, a salsa, a sauce whatever...it just has to be good. I'll let ya'll decide which one is the best, and I'll send a copy of Dead Snails Leave No Trails to the person with the most votes. Loren's roasted tomato soup about 10 medium tomatoes, washed, cored and cut in half 8 cloves of garlic (peeled) 3 medium white or yellow onions, quartered 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 qt. of chicken broth (vegetable broth okay for vegan version) 2 cups heavy cream ( I should be using low fat milk, you can if you want) 1/2 cup of basil 2 bay leaves kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper half a stick of butter (4 tablespoons) Arrange tomatoes, garlic and onions on a large pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the pan under the broiler for 15-20 minutes, or until some of the tomato tops and onion tops start turning black. Just enough to add some roasted flavor. Pour the chicken broth, tomatoes, onions and garlic in a big soup pot and turn up the heat. Add bay leaves, and butter and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the basil and either transfer to a good blender like a Vita Mix, or food processor or use an immersion blender. Be careful to add small amounts, since hot soup gasses expand in a blender. I like to push it through a screen colander next, just to make sure its r eally velvety smooth, and then add the cream to your desired richness and color. For big hearty bowls of soup use less cream, but for a really rich small portion before a main course....cream it up baby! Garnish with a little chopped italian parsley or basil and you're good to go. Top that!