Watching vibrantly plumed hummingbirds flit between flowers is one of life’s little pleasures. We are fortunate to be able to enjoy this throughout the year here, but you may see fewer as spring blossoms subside and food sources become scarcer in the summer heat. If you would like to attract hummingbirds to your yard for the colorful and entertaining show, their assistance in naturally controlling the insect population, their prowess as pollinators, or just to help them out as they adjust to warming temperatures causing flowers to bloom earlier, you can take several simple steps to provide a welcoming habitat. 1. Add a hummingbird-friendly water source. Other birds may love bird baths, but hummingbirds are quite particular about many things, and stagnant water is one of them. An inexpensive, solar-powered fountain pump can turn your bird bath into a hummingbird oasis. 2. Create rest areas for travel-weary hummingbirds. Even traveling from one yard to the next could be exhausting if you flap your wings somewhere between 75 and 200 times per second. If your yard has trees and shrubs with lots of branches, a clothesline, or a trellis, you may already have enough perching opportunities available for visiting hummingbirds. If not, consider adding perches to provide resting spots in your yard. 3. Make sure there are nesting spots available. Remember how we said that hummingbirds are particular and don’t like stagnant water? Well, they also don’t really like birdhouses. So, no matter how many birdhouses you hang around your yard, it will probably not increase your chances of hummingbirds choosing to nest there. The best way to provide nesting options for hummingbirds is to plant native trees and shrubs that provide sheltered, safe spots for nest building. 4. Do not clear spider webs off your fascia and eaves. Spider webs provide access to protein and nest-building materials, so leaving them intact allows hummingbirds to use them for these purposes. 5. Let native flora and fauna reign. According to Audubon, hummingbirds “consume half their body weight in bugs and nectar, feeding every 10-15 minutes and visiting 1,000-2,000 flowers per day.” (Audubon.org) Leaving spider webs intact is a start, but you can help hummingbirds even more by creating a habitat where beneficial insects, such as smaller pollinators, are also attracted to your yard. One way to do this is to stop using pesticides to kill off bug populations. Another way is to plant native plants that attract beneficial insects to your yard. When selecting native plants, include options with bright, tubular flowers that produce a lot of nectar. Hummingbirds are particularly attracted to bright red, orange, and yellow blooms, so choosing plants that fit this description will attract both hummingbirds and the insects that hummingbirds like to eat. 6. Add a brightly colored hummingbird feeder to your yard. Hummingbirds are attracted to bright colors and are most likely to use feeders that are easy to see when they are flying by, easy to access, and safely out of reach of cats, dogs, and other predators. Skip store-bought nectars and make your own sugar water by mixing one part sugar to four parts boiling water. Stir until the sugar dissolves, allow the mixture to cool, and then fill your feeder. Avoid adding red coloring, which might be harmful for the birds, and make sure you change out the sugar water at least twice per week and more often when it is especially hot out. You will also want to make sure that your feeder always has sugar water, since they will remember and will look elsewhere if this food source is regularly unavailable. You might consider hanging more than one feeder in your yard, since one more thing hummingbirds are not fond of is sharing. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
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Commercial air fresheners will cover up odors for a while, but they are often laden with toxic chemicals and can exacerbate respiratory issues, cause headaches and dermatitis, and be toxic to pets. Naturally fragranced candles, potpourri, simmer pots, diffusers, and room sprays all tend to mask odors without eliminating them. This is fine if you need a quick fix or for use with odor elimination options while they are working their magic. But to really get to the source of the problem and make your house smell better, you need to eliminate the odor, rather than cover it. Here are six ways to naturally neutralize odors. Windows and Fans – Airing out the space is a good first step for odor elimination. If the walls, floors, and textiles are holding the smell, this is not going to be a long-term solution, but it is a good start. Open windows and turn on fans to increase air circulation and air out the space. Baking Soda – Baking soda has so many uses around the house that I always keep a big bag of it on hand. For carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture, and other textiles that are holding smoke, pet, or other household odors, baking soda is a great option to try. This natural odor eliminator can be sprinkled on carpet or fabric to absorb odors. Leave it on for at least 30 minutes – longer for more stubborn odors – and then vacuum it up and empty the vacuum in your outside garbage can. You can also use baking soda in a bowl or box for deodorizing closets and refrigerators, sprinkle it in shoes to absorb odors, or add a cup to a load of laundry to help eliminate tougher odors in clothes and bedding. If you are not concerned about animals or children getting into it, it is best to leave baking soda for at least 24 hours before tossing it out or vacuuming surfaces where it has been sprinkled. Activated Charcoal – Small bags of activated charcoal can be placed in closets, shoes, drawers, cars, pet areas, and around the house to absorb odors. They are inexpensive, easy to use, and can be reused repeatedly after setting them outside in the sun for a few hours to release the odors they have absorbed. Distilled White Vinegar – Like baking soda, vinegar is one of those household staples that seems to be good for everything. To allow it to work its odor-elimination magic, put a small amount of vinegar in a bowl and place it in the area that is need of deodorization. You can also mix it with water in a spray bottle to neutralize odors in the air. Vodka – Fill a spray bottle with unflavored vodka to use as an air and fabric deodorizer. Vodka kills odor-causing bacteria, neutralizes odors in fabrics, and dries quickly. I have never had an issue with vodka causing discoloration or damage to fabrics and have never heard of this happening, but if you have a favorite garment or chair that you are concerned about, make sure to try it in an inconspicuous area first. Some folks like to cut their vodka with water or to add a few drops of essential oil to the spray bottle. Cheap vodka works perfectly fine for odor elimination, so you can just buy the cheapest, unflavored vodka you can find. Of course, if you prefer to use the good stuff, I am not here to tell you how to live. Coffee Grounds – The nitrogen in coffee grounds helps make them effective for neutralizing odors in your home. A small bowl or sachet of dry coffee grounds can help eliminate odors in smaller spaces, such as closets or refrigerators, as well as in whole rooms. You can use fresh grounds or used coffee grounds, but if you use used coffee grounds, be sure to spread them out on a cookie sheet to dry first. Like with vodka, you can use the cheapest coffee you can find, since nitrogen is nitrogen, so, if you are not a coffee drinker, buy the cheap stuff for this. If you are a coffee drinker, use the grounds from whatever coffee you are drinking. For ongoing odor control, make sure you stay on top of household tasks that can lead to smelly situations when left undone. This includes regularly taking out the trash and recyclables, emptying the kitchen scrap bucket into your backyard composter, changing bedding, doing laundry, vacuuming carpets and rugs, changing the air filter on your HVAC system, bathing your pets, and checking for spoiled food in the refrigerator. It is also good to regularly clean your dishwasher, washing machine, garbage disposal, and trash and recycling bins. If you are trying to deodorize a house that was exposed to smoke or pet odors over a long period of time, you may need to replace the carpet, wipe down the walls and ceiling with vinegar, and repaint the walls and ceilings to remove the odor. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
With all the rain we have been receiving lately, my garden beds are rather abundant. Unfortunately, almost all the greenery is weeds. I have been quite busy so far this year and am only now getting around to trying to set aside some time to get a spring garden planted. Of course, now I must first contend with the weed situation before I can move on to the fun part. Since all this much-needed rain has left me dealing with weeds in my garden beds right now, I thought some of you might be dealing with them as well and could maybe use some ideas about how to limit weed growth among our food plants. I know I have talked about natural weed prevention in past columns, but many of those methods are not suitable for use around food plants or other desirable plants. Options like salt, cornmeal, boiling water, and vinegar do not discriminate between weeds and wanted plants, so we need to move beyond these easy options when we are removing weeds from our vegetable gardens. 1. Hoe or pull existing weeds. Whether or not you have already planted your desirable plants, you need to remove the undesirable ones before we can do anything else about it. So, if your garden beds do not have food plants (or you can hoe around them) and are low enough and large enough to hoe, use a hoe to remove weeds. If they are raised beds or it is difficult to get to the weeds around wanted food plants, pull them by hand. While hoeing and weeding can put stress on your body and are not the easiest way to kill weeds, they are the most effective way to make sure the entire weed plant and roots are removed. I use a Hori Hori garden knife for removing weeds – and lots of other tasks in the garden – which makes weed removal much easier. 2. Mind the weeds in surrounding areas. Most weeds did not start out in your garden beds. Those seeds blew over from some other part of your yard or were left by a bird or other critter visiting your garden. While you cannot stop weed seeds from migrating from your neighbors’ yards, you can keep the weeds down on your own property to help limit seeds finding their way into your garden. 3. Irrigate carefully. Water only the areas where there are wanted seeds or plants and avoid watering bare areas of your garden where weed seeds might be waiting for an opportunity to sprout. The easiest way to do this is to install a drip system or use soaker hoses. 4. Disturb the soil as little as possible. The less you disturb the soil, the lower the risk of weed seeds germinating in your garden. Mix in compost and amendments to prepare your soil but avoid tilling the whole garden to remove weeds and prepare the ground. 5. Use non-living ground covers around food plants. Cover any bare earth in your garden with non-living ground covers, such as mulch, bark, wood chips, or straw. If you choose bark or wood chips, make sure to choose natural options that have not been dyed. Cover the ground around your plants with at least two inches of one of these natural materials to prevent weed growth. Make sure you to leave the base of your food plants clear by keeping the ground cover a few inches away from the base. 6. Try growing your food plants closer together. Rather than thinning out your carrots, beets, and other food plants, allow them to grow closer together. They will not all perform equally, but you will end up with a larger harvest and less space for weeds to take hold. 7. Stay on top of weed removal. It is easiest to remove weeds when they are first emerging, so stay on top of pulling weeds while they are seedlings. If you do not have time to check for weeds every few days, at least make sure you pull them before they go to seed and exacerbate the problem. Spring is here, which means it is time for the annual ritual of spring cleaning. Since I love any excuse to clean and organize some part of my house, I love this ritual and usually start making my to-do list well before spring arrives. Most of us who participate in this tradition will include tasks like cleaning out the refrigerator, washing the windows, scrubbing the baseboards, shampooing rugs and carpets, and cleaning out closets. If you think you might still have a bit more energy to put towards cleaning after completing these tasks, here are four more you might consider adding this year: 1. Clean and maintain your garden tools. This is the perfect time of year to take an afternoon to clean, sharpen, and maintain your garden tools. This might be particularly true after all the rain we have had so far, which might have left some of your tools a bit rusty. For anything with a wood handle, apply linseed or another skin- and plant-safe oil, let it sit for about 20 minutes, and then wipe off the excess with a rag. If you have shovels or hand tools that need sharpening, use a mill file or flat file to sharpen the edges, or have them professionally sharpened. If some of your tools have gotten a bit rusty, use a wire brush or sandpaper to remove it. You can then apply a coat of linseed oil and store them with the metal part in a bucket of sand mixed with linseed or vegetable oil to help prevent future rusting. 2. Clean your patio furniture and outdoor textiles. While you are outside getting things ready for spring, grab the covers for your patio cushions and outdoor dog beds and bring them inside to launder. Wipe done plastic and metal patio furniture with soap, water, and a rag, and check wood or painted furnishings to see if they need a new coat of oil, stain, or paint. 3. Clean out your shed. The extra storage offered by sheds is rather handy, but it is easy to just keep tossing stuff in there and forgetting about it. Spring is a good time to take everything out of the shed, see if there are items you no longer need that can be given away, sold, or discarded, and then organize what is left to maximize the space and make it more functional. If you free up space in your shed, this will also make more room for storing garden tools, pool toys, or other items that might be cluttering your outdoor living areas. 4. Clean your refrigerator coils and dryer vent. Help your appliances function better and reduce the risk of a house fire by cleaning your refrigerator coils and dryer vent. All of your refrigerators – the main one in the kitchen, the extra one in the garage, the mini fridge in your outdoor kitchen, and the wine refrigerator in your pantry – all have coils that need to be cleaned at least twice per year. This is an easy task you can do yourself with a screwdriver and a vacuum. The dryer vent is usually also easy to clean, but you can hire a professional if you are not comfortable doing it or want to make sure it is properly cleaned to reduce the risk of fire. Side note: If your spring cleaning includes donating items you no longer need, check local organizations, such as Humane Society of Ventura (HSVC.org) or Ojai Raptor Center (OjaiRaptorCenter.com) to see if the items might be on their list of needs. Alternatively, donating general goods to the 2nd HELPings thrift store in Ojai allows the items to be sold to support HELP of Ojai. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living, and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
According to the Forbes Health/OnePoll survey conducted in October 2023, improving physical fitness is a top priority for folks making resolutions for the new year. Forty-eight percent of respondents reported improving fitness as their top goal in 2024. This is followed by 38% prioritizing improving finances, 36% looking to improve their mental health, 34% prioritizing weight loss, and 25% wanting to make more time for loved ones. (Forbes.com) I’m guessing this means we are going to see even more folks hitting the pickleball courts this year, and they might even be doing it with their families to combine the goals of fitness, weight loss, and spending time with loved ones. Being more active is always on my list of resolutions and, going into my fifth year as a widow, spending as much time as possible with loved ones is a priority every day of the year. For 2024, I am thinking that I also want to focus on home organization and continuing my seemingly never-ending list of projects around the house. If you, too, also seem to always be in home repair or home improvement mode, here are some resolutions for you and me to consider adding to our lists this year. 1. Use local contractors. If your house project list includes maintenance, repairs, or renovations that require a professional, support your neighbors and the local economy by hiring local contractors. If you plan on completing home improvement projects on your own, head to one of our local hardware stores, nurseries, or the lumberyard for the materials, tools, and garden features you need. 2. Support local businesses. If redecorating your home or improving organization is more in line with your goals for 2024, shop local to help build community and support the local economy. 3. Donate your gently loved clothing and household items to local charities. Clearing clutter is always on my to-do list. One of the bigger projects I am planning for this year is to finally really clean out and organize the garage. As I slowly work on this project, I have come across so many items I no longer need. If you could also stand to let go of belongings you no longer need or use, consider clearing your clutter for a cause by donating them to local organizations that help folks in need. For example, donations to 2nd Helpings Thrift Store (841 East Ojai Avenue) help provide lower-cost necessities for local families while also supporting the important services HELP of Ojai provides. 4. Set up home maintenance reminders. Add reminders to your phone, calendar, or other preferred system to help you remember regular home maintenance tasks. This includes tasks like changing your furnace filters every one to three months, cleaning your refrigerator coils every six months, cleaning your dryer vent at least once a year, and having your chimneys cleaned and inspected before you start using your fireplaces each winter. 5. Check your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. It is best to test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors once a month and to check the batteries every six months, but, since I know you are not testing them monthly, let’s at least get it on your list of home maintenance resolutions to check them now. Then, see #4 above and set up a reminder to regularly perform this very important home maintenance task. Happy new year, everyone! May 2024 bring you health, joy, love, prosperity, and adventure however you define each of those. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
Rental properties can be a profitable investment but only when managed properly. This is particularly true in areas with higher property values where it is even more important to maximize rental income by reducing expenses, increasing your property’s appeal, and limiting turnover. Whether you have just purchased your first investment property or are an experienced landlord with a full portfolio, there is almost always something you can do to increase your profit margins. Here are seven tips to get you started: 1. Replace carpet with LVT. There are two reasons to replace the carpet in your rental with luxury vinyl tile (LVT) or a similar product. The first is that people just do not like carpet anymore. Having carpet in your rental automatically shrinks your pool of potential renters. The more folks interested in renting your house, the more likely you are to find a great, long-term renter at your asking price. The second reason is that LVT is an easy-care, durable option that holds up well to traffic, pets, and kids and is far less likely to need to be replaced between tenants. 2. Complete simple updates. You may not have the budget for major renovations, but there are plenty of simple updates you can do to increase your rental’s appeal and function. If cabinet hardware, sink faucets, ceiling fans, switch plate covers, doorknobs, or light fixtures are dated or have just seen better days, consider replacing them with modestly priced upgrades. 3. Improve outdoor living areas. Good outdoor living areas are appealing to renters and will make your property stand out, particularly in areas like Ojai and Oak View where the weather allows for year-round outdoor entertaining. If a paving stone or stamped concrete patio is not in the budget, create a more affordable option with gravel. You should also consider paying for ongoing landscape maintenance. Paying for maintenance allows you to select the gardeners and helps ensure that your investment is properly maintained. You can offset this expense by considering it when setting the monthly rent. 4. Install low-maintenance, drought-resistant landscaping. While we are on the topic of landscaping, you should also consider replacing high-water or high-maintenance plants, natural grass, and other features with low-maintenance, drought-resistant options that will lower your maintenance costs and your water bill. You can also help protect your investment by choosing fire-resistant plants, hardscapes, and other landscaping features. 5. Maximize tax deductions. Work with your accountant or tax preparation professional to make sure you are maximizing your possible deductions, including travel and home office expenses, depreciation, repair costs, and your mortgage interest. 6. Vet your applicants. If you are not using a property management company to do this for you, do not forgo this important part of the tenant selection process. It is well worth the money and time to run credit and background checks and to call previous landlords to inquire about their experience with the applicants. While there is no guarantee that this is going to result in amazing renters, it is going to improve your chances. Avoiding lost rent and eviction expenses is an important part of maximizing rental income. 7. Be a good landlord. When you get good renters, you want to keep them. Reducing turnover reduces the cost of marketing and vetting applicants and results in fewer vacancies. One way to reduce turnover is to be a good landlord. For some, the best way to do this is to hire a property manager who will handle everything for you. If you choose to manage your property yourself, respond quickly to maintenance requests, make sure you are easy to reach when issues arise, and stay updated on local and state laws. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
I love growing food. I love talking about growing food. I really love sharing tips that show just how easy it is to grow at least a little food – even in tiny spaces. So, that is what I thought we would talk about this month. Growing our own food, even if it is just a single tomato plant on a balcony, helps us stay more connected to the earth, teaches our kids where food comes from, and reminds us to appreciate the people who grow and harvest our food for us. Gardening is time consuming, and most of us do not have room in our busy schedules to add growing food for ourselves or our families to the to-do list. In particular, most of us do not have the time or space to grow enough food to sustain us, but we can all grow something. There are plenty of easy options that probably come to mind, like radishes, carrots, tomatoes, and herbs. Today, let’s add potatoes to that list. The experts, which I am not, will tell you that you must buy seed potatoes from a nursery, cut them into pieces, keep them in the refrigerator for a few days, and dust them with sulfur before finally planting them in either February or August. That is probably the right way to do it, but I have never done any of this, and I have grown up to 20 potato plants at a time throughout the year. Now, it’s true that you don’t want to use conventional potatoes from the grocery store for this, because they have been treated with maleic hydrazide (a growth inhibitor), but whenever I have some organic potatoes around that I didn’t eat fast enough and have started to sprout, I plant them in the garden and watch them grow. Here is the simplest way to grow organic potatoes in your backyard: 1. Find tall, well-draining containers in which to grow your potatoes. You can grow them in the ground, but it is much easier if you grow them in a container that you can dump out at harvest time. I use tall, fabric planters that I can fold and store in the shed when not in use. 2. Fill the bottom of the container with about four inches of soil. 3. Place your sprouted potatoes about four inches apart in the container with eyes pointed up. If your potatoes are large, you can cut them into chunks with a couple of eyes on each chunk. 4. Cover them with about four inches of soil. 5. Water regularly and watch for sprouts to begin poking through the soil in a couple of weeks. 6. As the plants grow, continue to add soil to the container to cover most of the plant. Make sure to leave a few inches of the plant above the soil. This is going to feel wrong, since you will be covering up stems and leaves, but keep doing this until your container is full. 7. Once the plants have yellowed and withered, leave them for about a week or so, and then dump your container on a tarp or in a garden bed and sift through the soil to harvest your potatoes. You can brush off any big debris but keep them a little dirty for better longevity. Store them in a cool, dry, dark spot, and do not eat potatoes that are not firm or that have turned green. Green potatoes contain a toxic glycoalkaloid, solanine, that is toxic to us and our animal companions. If you reuse the soil, which I usually do, you might find that you get some volunteer potato plants wherever you use it. I always seem to miss a tiny potato or two and end up with volunteer potatoes growing in other parts of the garden. If you choose to purchase seed potatoes, check out one of our local nurseries to see if they are in stock. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
Recent temperatures should serve to remind us that the rainy season is coming to an end and the hot, dry days of summer are just around the corner. To help you keep your family, pets, and guests comfortable in the coming months, here are nine ways you can prepare your home and yard for increased heat. Change your HVAC filters. It is almost time to start using your air conditioner regularly, so it is a good time to change your HVAC filters in preparation for AC season. Increase shade. Provide shade for patios, play areas, dog runs, and other outdoor living areas to help keep your family and guests cool during the hotter months. This might mean finally building that roof to cover your patio, stringing up shade sails over gravel seating areas, or setting up umbrellas over your outdoor dining table. Set out extra water bowls. This is a good time to start getting in the habit of setting out extra water bowls for the animals that share your home and yard. That way, by the time the heat really arrives, this will be part of your normal routine. Invest in blackout curtains or shades. Blackout curtains are not for everyone, but if you would like to reduce the cost of cooling your home and take a step towards keeping it more comfortable for your family and pets, consider installing blackout curtains or shades to reduce the amount of heat from the sun that enters your home. Install drip irrigation for food plants and ornamentals. Controlled watering at soil level reduces water waste while helping plants better cope with the dry, hot weather the coming months will bring. Install an automatic irrigation system now to have it in place before summer. Reduce water-loving landscaping. Replace tropical plants and other landscaping features that require excessive irrigation with drought-tolerant native plants that will save water and help your yard look lush and beautiful even in the incessant summer heat. Add insulation. If it is in your budget, increase the insulation in your home. This will help keep your home comfortable throughout the year and reduce both cooling and heating costs. Add or replace weather stripping and caulk. Properly sealed doors and windows reduce air exchange, which means less hot air gets inside your home from the outside and less of the HVAC-cooled air inside your home escapes. You can improve the seal on your doors and windows by adding or replacing weather stripping and caulking. Add fans to your home-cooling regimen. While we cannot rely on fans to cool the air to a comfortable temperature, we can incorporate them into our cooling routine to help move HVAC-cooled air around the house and improve air circulation. This can reduce cooling costs and make your home more comfortable on hot days. If you plan to install ceiling fans, blackout shades, a drip system, or any other heat-preparation measures that might require a professional, remember to support the local economy by using local contractors and vendors. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
A couple of nights ago, I was letting my dog out and came face to face with a slug that was right about eye level on my sliding glass door. This reminded me just how much slugs like wet weather and got me thinking about how many times I have had to battle slugs in my garden in the past. Now that my drip system is finally up and running, I am looking forward to getting my spring garden going soon and, if you have similar plans, I think we all better be ready for more slugs than we are used to dealing with this year. All of this rainy weather after years of drought is going to bring out the snails and slugs in force, particularly with a growing population being supported by all of the plant growth brought on by the rain. Since these tiny marauders generally work at night, it can be difficult to determine what is devastating your garden, but if you are finding large, irregular holes in your plants’ foliage, these nocturnal trespassers are likely the culprit. It may be tempting to head to a local nursery for commercial pesticides or to concoct home remedies that will quickly decimate your slug population, but these are not always the best options. There are many natural alternatives that offer non-lethal, non-toxic ways to protect your food plants and ornamentals from slugs without harming other wildlife or introducing unnecessary compounds into your garden. Before you resort to commercial pesticides, try these non-lethal measures to keep slugs from invading your yard. 1. Plant alliums and herbs: Onions, garlic and other members of the allium family are natural deterrents for slugs and snails, so planting them around the border of your garden will help protect other food plants. Keep in mind that alliums are toxic to dogs and cats, so if you have pets that get in your garden, this might not be the right option for you. Alternatively, you can plant herbs that ward off slugs, such as mint, thyme, sage, lavender, and rosemary. 2. Spray your plants: If planting onions and garlic is not an option, you can spray a mixture of garlic and water directly on your plants and the surrounding area. You will need to repeat this home remedy regularly. 3. Remove manually: If you are okay with touching slugs, removing them manually is an effective method of management. Make sure to move them at least 20 feet away from your garden to keep them from coming back. I get grossed out pretty easily, so this method is difficult for me, but one way to make it easier is to place citrus peels upside down in your garden at night. Return in the morning to collect the peels and use them to scoop up the slugs that have taken shelter underneath. 4. Wrap your garden beds in copper: Purchase rolls of copper tape from a local garden center or online. Line the outer edge of your garden beds and flowerpots with the self-adhesive tape to create a barrier to block entry. The combination of copper and slug slime creates an electrical shock that will quickly deter slugs without killing them. 5. Remove habitat: Slugs like to spend their days protected from the sun and dry air under rocks, flowerpots, firewood, weeds, and even children’s toys left near the garden. To help reduce slugs in your garden, remove these options to encourage slugs to find shelter elsewhere. 6. Water in the morning: It is easier for slugs to slither around when the soil is wet, so watering in the evening allows these nocturnal pests to more easily get to your plants. If you water your garden in the morning, the soil has time to dry out before nightfall, making it more difficult for slugs to infiltrate your garden. 7. Create a barrier: Slugs have soft bodies that make traversing sharp materials painful. This allows for easily keeping slugs out of the garden with barriers made from gravel, wood chips, broken eggshells, or other jagged ground covers. 8. Plant sacrificial plants: Like most animals, slugs and snails prefer to eat certain plants. For example, they would much rather dine on lettuce than ornamental plants, so if you have slugs eating your ornamentals, plant some lettuce in your beds and borders to distract the slugs and keep them away from your desired plants. If you are having issues with slugs eating your food plants, plant French marigolds a few feet away from your garden to attract slugs and distract them from ever getting to your food plants. 9. Introduce predators: This is a lethal method, so you need to be okay with killing slugs. If you are, bringing in chickens or making your garden appealing to birds and other predators is a natural, effective way to reduce the slug population. The problem with bringing in predators is that you usually have to balance the pros and cons to determine if this is your best option. For example, bringing in chickens is going to remove slugs from your garden, but chickens also like to eat vegetables, so they may be just as detrimental to your food plants. As with most natural pest control methods, you will likely experience the most success by employing a combination of these methods in your garden. If you need help building garden beds or installing a drip system, be sure to support the local economy by hiring local contractors. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
You will not want to miss this Ojai estate sale taking place Saturday (March 18) and Sunday (March 19) from 8:00am to 2:00pm.
This is the first in a series of sales that will include furnishings, art, and household items once used to furnish the houses at Matilija Canyon Ranch, including the historic Dent House, which was moved there in the 1980s. When Matilija Canyon Ranch was sold, the furnishings were moved into storage, and now will be sold through a series of estate sales, since there are far too many items for just one sale. Here is some of what you will find at this sale: Antiques Antique Furniture Art Jewelry Linens & Vintage Linens China Kitchenware Outdoor Pottery Outdoor Furniture Books Bronze Statue Antique Lamps Rustic Ranch Style Decor White Wicker Furniture Cameras and Equipment Rugs Pottery Antique Lanterns Smart TVs Beds & Bedding Couches And more!!!! Hope to see you there! Visit the sale's Web page for lots of photos and more information, including the address: Estate Sale Information and Photos |
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