Harvesting Your Tomatoes
Harvesting tomatoes requires a gentle hand to remove the fruit without damaging the plant or unripe fruits that may be closely associated with the one you are picking. In addition, you must know how to pick tomatoes at the right stage of maturity. Tomatoes will ripen naturally off the vine once they have reached the stage of maturity known as "hard green," but a tomato is considered to be mature only when it has reached the "breaker stage" of development. The breaker stage is indicated by the appearance of any pink or red color on the fruit. At this point, all the chemical actions associated with ripening will proceed identically either on or off the plant, so the tomato that is picked at this point will be indistinguishable from one that has ripened fully on the vine. If a tomato has been picked prior to full ripeness it should be stored at normal room temperatures of about 65-75°C until ripe.

Check Your Water

Lawns are put to the test this time of year. Any weakness in water coverage, soil nutrition or weed control shows up in the heat of summer.

Now is the time to recheck your sprinkler system. Plugged or broken heads need to be fixed or replaced. Brown patterned circles in your lawn generally indicate a sprinkler head has been plugged by a grain of sand or has become a victim of a vicious lawn mower attack. The irrigation system in the flower beds should also be inspected. Many times we plant in front of a sprinkler. This is not a problem when the plant is small, but can result in disaster for other plants in the bed as the new guy grows and blocks the water for the others. Make the necessary adjustment and watch your plants flourish.

WEST NILE IN THE LANDSCAPE
	The West Nile Virus is showing signs of life in the community, it seems so strange to find Crows dead in the street, victims of the virus. A bird so seemingly cunning and adaptable can't escape this disease carried by mosquitos. There have been a couple of people affected by the Virus in our area and they were able to fight off the virus.
Information on mosquito control is available on the Orange County Vector Control District's Web site at www.ocvcd.org . The public can report dead birds (crows, ravens, magpies, sparrows, jays) to the California Dept. of Health Services' toll-free hotline, 1-877-WNV-BIRD, or use the online reporting form on CDHS' Web site www.westnile.ca.gov . Insecticides can be directed against either the immature or adult stage of the mosquito life cycle. Chemicals used by mosquito control agencies must comply with state and federal requirements. Public health pesticide applicators and operators in most states are required to be licensed or certified by the appropriate state agencies. Come in for a large selection of mosquito dunks and granules that will kill larvae in standing water in ponds or bird baths. These dunks are safe to use with fish or other wildlife. Understand mosquitos can breed in broken pots or bottle caps, anything that holds water. Accuracy of application is important because missing even a relatively small area can cause the emergence of a large mosquito brood resulting in the need for broad-scale adulticiding. We sell a few products that can be applied in the garden. When dealing with West Nile virus, prevention is your best bet. Fighting mosquito bites reduces your risk of getting this disease, along with others that mosquitoes can carry. Take the commonsense steps below to reduce your risk: Avoid bites and illness; Clean out the mosquitoes from the places where you work and play; help your community control the disease. Something to remember: The chance that any one person is going to become ill from a single mosquito bite remains low. The risk of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50 years old, although people of all ages can become ill.

Product in the Spotlight: Organic Advantage

This is the time of year when Bakersfield lawns begin to show the stress of the summer heat. What's the Advantage? The organic base in the Organic Advantage® line is derived from purified humus concentrates, called humic acids. These nontoxic humic acids are the secret of a fertile soil! They break down soil salts, improve nutrient availability, and create a more healthy soil. These liquefied humic compounds improve soil structure, for better oxygen and moisture retention. They increase flowering and fruit set. Using our new Iso-Molecular Technology, we blend additional plant nutrients into these humic acids creating a superior organic complex. Your garden will be at at its peak, with healthier sweeter tasting produce, and your trees, shrubs, and flowers will be more beautiful than ever before! Organic Advantage® Lawn Food 18-0-0 A lush, green lawn starts at the roots. This organically complete liquid goes to work deep down, breaking down soil salts to improve nutrient availability and stimulate root formation. The compounds improve soils structure for better retention of oxygen and moisture. Using new Iso-Molecular technology, we blend nitrogen rich nutrients with humic acids to create a superior liquid organic-based concentrate. The result: a lawn in peak condition, with rich, carpet-like grass. Available in 2.5 gallon, 1 gallon and 32oz. sizes. Apply with a hose-end sprayer, backpack or hand-held sprayer, or through sprinkler systems with HumaTech's hands-free TurboFeeder™. One gallon covers minimum 5,000 sq. ft.