The improved drainage will compensate for the excess water during the wet season, which you cannot control. I have been turning over the soil in my back yard lately and there are a couple areas that have a lot of ants. I think they used the peach tree and grape vine for a food source. A. Ants can be kept out of the peaches and grapes by using Tanglefoot, a sticky substance applied in a band around the trunks, says UC master gardener Bill Pierce. Protect young or sensitive trees from possible injury by wrapping the trunk with a collar of heavy paper and coating this with the sticky substance.
Prevention is a good method for keeping the ants out of the vegetable garden.
Insecticidal soap will clear out the aphids, and the ants can be washed off the vegetables as harvested. Ants have some value because they aerate the soil with their hills and tunnels and they add small quantities of organic matter with their foraging. If you decide to eliminate them, baiting is the best method because the workers will carry the bait back to the nest and this will eliminate the queen, workers and newborn. Weekend checklist Begin thinking about which trees, bushes and perennials you may want to add to the garden this fall. Make a fresh summer salsa and give some to the neighbors.