There's nothing more frustrating than having Bermuda grass popping up in the middle of your beautiful flower bed. Bermuda and other local weeds can be kept out of garden easily using nothing more than old newspaper.

Place it around your garden several layers thick, and then cover with free mulch from the Miramar Landfill. Replace the newspaper every couple years.

Now is the time to buy bulbs for your home and garden. Spring bulbs like ranunculus, tulips, hyacinth, and daffodils must be planted now for color in the spring. Most good nurseries carry an organic bulb food to give your bulbs a healthy start.

Amaryllis bulbs are in the garden centers now and can be planted within the next week or two to assure beautiful blooms for Christmas. Plant your bulb directly into a pot with virtually any kind of soil or soak the bottom of the bulb in a bulb jar for a few days first.

When the plant is finished blooming, place the bulb in a sunny part of your garden for years of trouble-free outdoor autumn blooms.

The Satsuma Mandarin orange trees will ripen in the weeks ahead. Once you've tasted one of these incredibly good little oranges, you will want to plant at least one tree. They take little care and will reward you with years of good eating.