JUMP, the bike-share company, is still filling out its fleet of 900 electric-assist bikes in the Sacramento region. Are swarms of electric-assist scooters lurking around the corner, waiting to invade as well? The scooters entering the national scene are the small-wheeled, stand-on variety that made a splash with kids and some adults years ago, not the Vespa-style motor scooters.
Frank Sinatra is singing “The Way You Look Tonight.” At least I think it’s Sinatra. The music has a decidedly Italian vibe, which makes sense because I’m here this evening to learn how to make an Italian dinner. What makes this meal Italian? It could be the dried oregano or fresh parsley in the veggie burgers. It could be the homemade basil buns, herb-and-rice-stuffed tomatoes or raspberry Italian sodas.
Have your tomatoes or other vegetables started wilting in the middle of the day, even though the soil is moist? Are their leaves yellowing or undersized? Have the plants stopped growing and producing? The problem may be underground. When you remove a puny plant, gently rinse off the soil and examine its roots. If they are thickened, with pearly white nodules growing on them, your soil is probably infested with root-knot nematodes. That’s bad news because it’s virtually impossible to get rid of this lurking menace. You can find ways to grow a good crop, but it will take some strategy and effort.
