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Pregnant Praying Mantis on a Fence
A very pregnant praying mantis preparing to lay her eggs on a fence post in mid-November. If the egg case survives, there will be 100's of babies next spring
Batch 23 Fermented Hot Sauce Update #2
A warm mid-autumn is keeping the cayenne peppers in production much longer than usual. This year's fermented hot sauce, though late, may be pretty good afterall
Orange Cosmos Flower Volunteer
I was pleased to discover a large orange cosmos had taken up residence on the west side of the tropical garden. I'm not as happy about the fig some bird planted
How to Overwinter Tomatoes for a Spring Jump Start
Get an early start on next year's tomatoes by taking cuttings from this year's tomatoes in the fall. It's super easy and saves money! Here's how to do it:
The 2023 Hot Sauce (Batch 23) Begins
A cool summer and extra rainfall has the 2023 edition of our fermented hot sauce off to a start 8 weeks late. It's going to be a much shorter ferment this year.
There’s Sumthin’ About These Pumpkins
I grew Rouge Vif D’Etampes (aka: "Cinderella") French heirloom pumpkins the first time both for Halloween and for fall squash dishes (pie!). Here are my notes.
Sweet Corn and Summer’s Last Hurrah
Summer is gone, but the sweet corn isn't. Cool(ish), wet weather helped make the sweetest, plumpest corn of the season ready in the garden in mid-October.
An October Sunset With a Starship
Snapped a shot of a colorful San Diego sunset last night only to discover later on that there's a starship shaped hole in the clouds.
Orb Weaver (Araneus diadematus) in Action
Orb weavers are common garden spiders. The females grow quite large - 2 inches or more across, Males only half that. In the autumn they mate. Then she eats him.
How to Make an Easy Compost Turning Tool
Got a small compost pile that’s a bit of work to turn? Here’s a simple tool you can put together in a couple of minutes that’ll make it easy to do.
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