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# Sage's Acre

Suburban backyard adventures in gardening, food and fun

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## Posts

- [Articles](https://sagesacre.com/articles/) - 107, 2026 Beat the Mid-Summer Blank Space: What to Plant Right Now for a Second Harvest Garden Beat the Mid-Summer Blank Space: What to Plant Right Now for a Second HarvestSage Osterfeld2026-07-02T13:34:37-07:00July 1st, 2026|Garden|Maximize your garden space! Learn what heat-loving crops to plant right now for a second summer harvest and how to protect your
- [Garden Hack: How to Make Good Garden Soil](https://sagesacre.com/2023/06/10/garden-hack-how-to-make-good-garden-soil/) - Good soil is the key to great gardens. If you understand how soil works, Mother Nature will help you grow lush gardens without a lot of work or money
- [A Berry Berry Good Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2023/06/16/a-berry-berry-good-garden/) - After 8 weeks of cold and gray, the sun finally returned! The strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are all showing their appreciation with lots of fruit.
- [Late Spring Vegetable Garden Maintenance](https://sagesacre.com/2023/05/30/late-spring-vegetable-garden-maintenance/) - Late spring is the time to check your vegetable garden's soil condition and make any corrections needed to ensure a big harvest. Here's what to look for:
- [Beat the Mid-Summer Blank Space: What to Plant Right Now for a Second Harvest](https://sagesacre.com/2026/07/01/beat-the-mid-summer-blank-space-what-to-plant-right-now-for-a-second-harvest/) - Maximize your garden space! Learn what heat-loving crops to plant right now for a second summer harvest and how to protect your soil from the blazing sun.
- [Giardinera: How to preserve summer vegetables and enjoy them all year long](https://sagesacre.com/2024/06/26/how-to-preserve-summer-vegetables-and-enjoy-them-all-year-long/) - Don’t let the bounty of your vegetable garden go to waste! Make Giardinera (aka Italian pickled vegetables), a tasty way to enjoy garden harvest all year long
- [One Spent Onion Turned Into a Whole Bushel Basket](https://sagesacre.com/2026/06/24/one-spent-onion-turned-into-a-whole-bushel-basket/) - Turn kitchen scraps into a backyard bounty! See how I grew 24 lbs of fresh red onions from a single sprouted pantry scrap and how you can do it too.
- [Roasted Yellow Squash Hummus: The Ultimate Summer Harvest Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2026/06/17/roasted-yellow-squash-hummus-the-ultimate-summer-harvest-recipe/) - Drowning in summer squash? Turn your garden harvest into this vibrant, creamy Roasted Yellow Squash Hummus. A healthy, vegan, and gluten-free snack recipe!
- [Save Money and Skip the Store: How to Make Real Smoked Beef Jerky at Home](https://sagesacre.com/2026/06/09/save-money-and-skip-the-store-how-to-make-real-smoked-beef-jerky-at-home/) - Skip the $15 bags of store-bought jerky. Learn how to make flavorful smoked beef jerky at home using cheap cuts of beef, a simple marinade, and real wood smoke.
- [Real Smoked Beef Jerky Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/27/real-smoked-beef-jerky-recipe/) - Homemade beef jerky hits a new high point when you add real smoke. Here's how you can smoke jerky even if you don't have a fancy smoker.
- [Sweet Corn is High in Early June](https://sagesacre.com/2026/06/03/sweet-corn-is-high-in-early-june/) - We planted Kandy Korn sweet corn in early April in an attempt to get a jump on the growing season. Looks like it'll be ready by late June or early July
- [The Early Bird Gets the Pepper](https://sagesacre.com/2026/05/27/the-early-bird-gets-the-pepper/) - Want ripe peppers in May? Discover the secret to early harvests by treating peppers as perennials. Learn how overwintering gives you a two-month head start!
- [Blackberries are early this year](https://sagesacre.com/2026/05/13/blackberries-are-early-this-year/) - A warm winter has the blackberries ripening a month early. Sadly there weren't a lot of bees to pollinate the flowers, so the yield will be low this year.
- [Undercover Tomatillos in the Keyhole Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2026/05/04/undercover-tomatillos-in-the-keyhole-garden/) - Clearing out spent plants, I was pleased to find several volunteer tomatillos growing. Not sure whether they're purple of green, but I'm happy either way.
- [Botanical Bento Box Salsa Garden (Part 2)](https://sagesacre.com/2026/04/28/botanical-bento-box-salsa-garden-part-2/) - Two months after hopping on the "Bontanical Bento" garden bandwagon, the results aren't great. Some plants bolted, others died. But the tomatoes are good.
- [Why Ducks are the Unsung Heroes of the Organic Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2026/04/20/why-ducks-are-the-unsung-heroes-of-the-organic-garden/) - Chickens usually get the spotlight on the suburban homestead, but it's the "duck gold" (duck poop and straw) that's my secret to year-round garden productivity
- [Wild Radish: Friend or Foe?](https://sagesacre.com/2026/04/08/wild-radish-friend-or-foe/) - Wild radish is considered invasive here in Southern California, but at least it's edible and its attractive purple flowers draw pollinators to the spring garden
- [Wild Cucumber (aka: Manroot) on the Fence](https://sagesacre.com/2026/04/03/wild-cucumber-aka-manroot-on-the-fence/) - This is a wild cucumber (Marah macrocarpa), a spiky member of the gourd family native to San Diego and Baja California. It's a tuberous perennial.
- [How to Build a High-Yield Garden With Grocery Store Produce](https://sagesacre.com/2026/04/01/the-produce-aisle-pivot-how-to-build-a-high-yield-garden-using-grocery-store-seeds/) - Grow your own perpetual food forest for around $10 using seeds sourced from supermarket fresh produce. Here are the best varieties and hacks for a great garden
- [The 5 Best Sweet Peppers to Grow in Zone 9](https://sagesacre.com/2025/08/28/the-5-best-sweet-peppers-to-grow-for-high-yield-and-great-flavor/) - Looking for sweet peppers that are easy to grow, have high productivity and tastes delicious? Here are 5 varieties for zone 9 to put at the top of your list
- [Garden Design with Grocery Store Onions](https://sagesacre.com/2024/06/07/garden-design-with-grocery-store-onions/) - Don't throw out those onions just because they sprouted! Plant them in the garden and they'll reward you with a show of amazing flowers that look like lollipops
- [DIY Hanging Gourd Garden: Natural Shade for Your Zone 9 Summer](https://sagesacre.com/2026/03/19/diy-hanging-gourd-garden-natural-shade-for-your-zone-9-summer/) - Beat the Zone 9 heat with a DIY hanging gourd garden! Learn how to build a budget trellis that provides natural shade and beautiful harvests in San Diego.
- [Grow your own all natural luffa sponges](https://sagesacre.com/2017/07/22/grow-your-own-luffa-sponge/) - Forget those $6 all natural luffa sponges from the store. It's super easy to grow a whole bathtub's worth for less than $2 (they're even edible!). Here's how:
- [A Mid-Summer Stroll Through the Hanging Gourd Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2023/08/16/a-mid-summer-stroll-through-the-hanging-gourd-garden/) - Mid-summer's heat can be brutal on plants in the vegetable garden. To help protect the plants that don't do well in heat, we plant a hanging gourd garden
- [The Accidental Salad Bar Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2026/03/11/the-accidental-salad-bar-garden/) - I let some of my shade vegetables go to seed and now I have a year-round salad bar garden with nearly a dozen types of leafy greens, root crops and herbs in it.
- [How to Easily Separate Vegetable and Flower Seedlings](https://sagesacre.com/2024/03/08/how-to-easily-separate-vegetable-and-flower-seedlings/) - Don't like thinning perfectly good seedlings? Here's an easy way to separate and transplant them. Works great on hard-to-transplant veggies like carrots too!
- [Botanical Bento Box Salsa Garden (Part 1)](https://sagesacre.com/2026/02/25/botanical-bento-box-salsa-garden-part-1/) - Maximize your harvest in 7 sq feet! Discover the "Botanical Bento" trend with a guide to planting a high-density, Salsa Garden in Zone 9. Perfect for small spaces and big flavors.
- [Best Heirloom Zucchini for Zone 9 Vegetable Gardens](https://sagesacre.com/2026/02/11/best-heirloom-zucchini-for-zone-9-vegetable-gardens/) - I grew three heirloom zucchini varieties and rated them based on space, productivity, and flavor to find the best combo for our zone 9 vegetable garden
- [First Time Growing Aleppo Peppers](https://sagesacre.com/2024/08/09/first-time-growing-aleppo-peppers/) - My first time growing Aleppo (Halaby) peppers. Good looking peppers on a 3ft plant with a dozen or so medium-sized peppers that are supposed to be medium heat.
- [Garden Log: Valentine Is My Top Pick for Small Tomatoes](https://sagesacre.com/2024/09/07/garden-log-valentine-is-my-top-pick-for-small-tomatoes/) - Looking for a small tomato for the home vegetable garden? Look no farther than Valentine. It's the perfect combo of flavor, productivity, and disease resistance
- [Garden Log 2024: Fairly Odd Squash](https://sagesacre.com/2024/10/23/garden-log-2024-fairly-odd-squash/) - I thought I planted Black Zucchini this past spring, but instead I wound up with a sprawling squash that was a very prolific pumpkin and zucchini mutant
- [Garden Log: Ice Queen Lettuce](https://sagesacre.com/2025/05/02/garden-log-ice-queen-lettuce/) - An old French heirloom crisphead (iceberg) variety lettuce with excellent summer heat tolerance. It can be grown year-round in USDA zones 9 and higher.
- [Garden Trial: French Gold Filet Pole Bean](https://sagesacre.com/2025/07/07/garden-trial-french-gold-filet-pole-bean/) - Looking for a pole bean that grows quickly, is highly productive, heat & cold tolerant, and actually tastes good? Look no further than French Gold Filet beans!
- [The 5 Best Tomatoes for Zone 9](https://sagesacre.com/2026/01/28/the-5-best-tomatoes-for-zone-9/) - I tested 40+ varieties to find the 5 best tomatoes for Zone 9. Discover the high-yield, heat-resistant winners I grow every year in my garden.
- [Garden Log: Buran Heirloom Sweet Pepper](https://sagesacre.com/2024/08/19/garden-log-buran-heirloom-sweet-pepper/) - Looking for a highly productive sweet pepper that's not California Wonder? Try Buran, a Polish heirloom pepper. I found them to be productive and easy to grow🫑
- [Garden Notes: Growing Kandy Korn Sweet Corn](https://sagesacre.com/2025/07/25/garden-notes-growing-kandy-korn-sweet-corn/) - Here's an easy-to-grow, no fuss sweet corn that is not only tasty, but has attractive purple-hued leaves and husks that make it a standout in the garden.
- [The 12 Best Vegetables for Your Zone 9 Fall Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2025/09/12/the-12-best-vegetables-for-your-zone-9-fall-garden/) - Don't pack up your gardening gloves yet! USDA zone 9 is perfect for an autumn season of delicious, bountiful vegetables. Here are 12 varieties to plant now
- [Italian Frying Pepper Review: Flavor, Yield, and Growing Tips](https://sagesacre.com/2025/12/11/italian-frying-pepper-review-flavor-yield-and-growing-tips/) - The Italian frying pepper (Friggitello) is a Zone 9 standout! Get 5/5 stars for high yield, long production season, and a delicious, savory-sweet flavor.
- [The Painted Abutilon (Abutilon pictum)](https://sagesacre.com/2026/01/14/the-painted-abutilon/) - Discover the 'Tropical Cheat Code' for So Cal gardens. Learn how to grow Painted Abutilon for stunning gold-mottled foliage and year-round hummingbird blooms.
- [Bee Hotels Aren’t Just Garden Decor](https://sagesacre.com/2025/12/28/bee-hotels-arent-just-garden-decor-how-to-attract-mason-and-carpenter-bees-in-california/) - Bee hotels do work in Zone 8-10 gardens. Learn how I filled mine with native bees and pollinators using weathered wood, deep tunnels, and smart placement.
- [Chinese lantern adds a bit of color](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/13/chinese-lantern-adds-a-bit-of-color/) - It's cold, it's wet and most of the plants are hunkered down for the winter. Were it not for this one little Chinese Lantern (Physalis Alkekengi) painted abutilon (Abutilon pictum), the view out my office window would be very earthtone.
- [Abutilon megapotamicum](https://sagesacre.com/2023/01/31/abutilon-megapotamicum/) - A Brazilian bellflower is the "roof" in one of our subtropical gardens. The sunlight through the dappled leaves and papery orange flowers is quite pretty IMHO.
- [Aeonium Haworthii 'Kiwi' in Winter Colors](https://sagesacre.com/2023/02/09/aeonium-haworthii-kiwi-in-winter-colors/) - Aeonium Haworthii "Kiwi" is hypnotic in its colors both in winter when it's various shades of green, and summer when it's trimmed in reddish-pink.
- [The Great Gopher Spurge Scam](https://sagesacre.com/2026/01/05/the-great-gopher-spurge-scam/) - Think gopher spurge is a natural way to repel pests? Think again. Here's the truth about Euphorbia lathyrus, why it fails as a repellent, and how it can become an invasive weed in your Southern California garden. Learn the real way to control gophers without poisons.
- [Build a Bee Hotel](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/06/build-a-bee-hotel/) - Here's how to build a "Bee Hotel" to welcome native bees (which are solitary, stingless and great pollinators) and other pollinators into your garden
- [Checking in at the Bee Hotel](https://sagesacre.com/2023/12/29/checking-in-at-the-bee-hotel/) - The bee hotel has plenty of mason bee and carpenter bee nests this winter. Hopefully it'll be a great spring for our native pollinators!
- [A Misty Autumn Morning](https://sagesacre.com/2025/12/16/a-misty-autumn-morning/) - It's been cool and foggy lately, but the November rains have turned what was brown into late autumn shades of green, red and gold just after dawn.
- [Fall Keyhole Garden Maintenance](https://sagesacre.com/2025/12/02/fall-maintenance-for-the-keyhole-garden/) - Late-autumn is a great time to do maintenance on raised garden beds like a keyhole garden, especially if you grow year round or want an early start next spring
- [Five Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Dishes to Try](https://sagesacre.com/2023/11/19/five-old-fashioned-thanksgiving-dishes-to-try/) - Here are the recipes for five Thanksgiving dishes that were popular 100 years ago but have since fallen out of favor. Change up your Thanksgiving and try one!
- [It's Only November and The Creek is Rising](https://sagesacre.com/2025/11/21/its-only-november-and-the-creek-is-rising/) - A series of Pacific storms came through this past week and dropped several inches of rain—the most we've had in November in almost 50 years. So now we have a muddy creek flowing
- [Growing Cherimoya Trees & Fruit](https://sagesacre.com/2025/11/10/growing-cherimoya-trees-fruit/) - An easy to grow sub-tropical tree great for USDA zones 9 and up. Grow the tree for shade and a tasty fruit that's a cross between pineapple, strawberry & banana
- [My Wife's Idea of Vegetable Gardening](https://sagesacre.com/2025/10/29/my-wifes-idea-of-vegetable-gardening/) - My wife let a bean escape into the strawberry patch where it took root, grew up the side of the deck and on to our patio umbrella. Now we have beans hanging.
- [The Pumpkins Come Down from The Hanging Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2025/10/24/the-pumpkins-come-down-from-the-hanging-garden/) - I removed the last of the pumpkins from the hanging garden trellises yesterday. While overhead pumpkins looked interesting, I won't grow them this way again.
- [5 Reasons You Should "Leave the Leaves" and Be a Lazy Gardener This Fall](https://sagesacre.com/2025/10/19/5-reasons-you-should-leave-the-leaves-and-be-a-lazy-gardener-this-fall/) - My best garden advice in fall? Do less. Don't rake the garden clean. Save time and money by being a Lazy Gardener and leave it be. Mother Nature will thank you.
- [Ducks are Targeted Pest Control](https://sagesacre.com/2021/04/28/ducks-are-targeted-pest-control/) - Ducks are great organic gardeners. They're not particularly fond of spinach, but they do love young grasshopper. Judy the duck found this one, picked it off and left a little "fertilizer" as a bonus.
- [The Lazy Gardener's All Natural Bird Feeder](https://sagesacre.com/2025/10/16/the-lazy-gardeners-all-natural-bird-feeder/) - One of the upsides to my signature Lazy Gardener technique is the season means lots of herbs and flowers going to seed and becoming bird feeders.
- [Homemade Pumpkin Bacon Cornbread Recipe: Sweet & Savory Skillet Bake](https://sagesacre.com/2025/10/09/homemade-pumpkin-bacon-cornbread-recipe-sweet-savory-skillet-bake/) - Bake the best homemade pumpkin bacon cornbread! This sweet & savory skillet recipe is perfect for any meal, especially fall dinners. Get the easy recipe!
- [Limelight Mexican Sage - Salvia Mexicana 'Limelight'](https://sagesacre.com/2025/10/06/limelight-mexican-sage-salvia-mexicana-limelight/) - A sun-loving, low-water sage that grows 7 feet or taller and blooms with 12-inch tall lime green calyxes and deep blue-violet flowers in late summer and autumn
- [Squash Parents Mystery Solved](https://sagesacre.com/2022/10/26/squash-parents-mystery-solved/) - Strange offspring from a perfect pumpkin created a mystery as to what squash was the papa of these odd babies. There were 3 suspects. The answer was a surprise.
- [Baby Praying Mantis](https://sagesacre.com/2025/09/26/baby-praying-mantis/) - This morning I was taking out the recycling and spotted this bright green, red accented little mantis resting on a plastic trash can liner. #beneficialinstect
- [Autumn Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2025/09/25/autumn-pumpkin-banana-bread-recipe/) - Here's an easy recipe that combines the sweet creaminess of banana bread with the spicy, warm flavor of pumpkin bread. Perfect for deserts and snacks in fall!
- [Summer 2025 - That's a Wrap!](https://sagesacre.com/2025/09/22/summer-2025-thats-a-wrap/) - The last sunset of summer 2025 captured in a photo last night from my house. The sun's reflection off the Pacific Ocean gave us spectacular orange skies
- [How To Make Homemade Fermented Hot Sauce (Frank's & Tabasco-Style)](https://sagesacre.com/2025/09/18/how-to-make-homemade-fermented-hot-sauce-franks-tabasco-style/) - Want to make your own Tabasco or Frank's-style hot sauce? This simple step-by-step recipe shows you how to ferment peppers for a tangy and flavorful hot sauce.
- [Make your own Mustard](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/09/make-your-own-mustard/) - Making your own mustard (yellow, deli-style, or flavored) is surprisingly simple and tastes better than the store-bought stuff. Here's how to make your own:
- [Water Hyacinth Blooming in Late Summer](https://sagesacre.com/2025/09/07/water-hyacinth-blooming-in-late-summer/) - Water hyacinths are super invasive so it takes some effort to keep them from taking over the goldfish pond. On the other hand, they are pretty when blooming.
- [A DIY Rocket Stove from Recycled Cans](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/09/a-diy-rocket-stove-from-recycled-cans/) - A rocket stove is an ingenious cooking device that produces a whole lot of heat with very little fuel. You can make one in 10 minutes with 3 cans. Here's how.
- [Keyhole Garden - December 15, 2019](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/16/keyhole-garden-december-15-2019/) - No rain, but near freezing temperatures has the broccoli confused about what to do. Fortunately, the lettuce (front left) has no such problem.
- [Sunset After The Storm](https://sagesacre.com/2025/08/26/sunset-after-the-storm/) - A tropical storm out of Mexico brought us no rain but a lot of heat and humidity. Fortunately after the storm rolled out we were left with a beautiful sunset.
- [Easy Bread and Butter Sweet Pickles Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2025/08/18/easy-bread-and-butter-sweet-pickles-recipe/) - Old fashioned Bread and Butter sweet pickles are a breeze to make, All you need is cucumbers, onion, sugar, vinegar and a couple of spices. Here is the recipe:
- [A Couple of Frogs Stopped by Today](https://sagesacre.com/2025/08/13/a-couple-of-frogs-stopped-by-today/) - A couple of small frogs showed up out of nowhere and made themselves comfortable in my pond before disappearing a short time later.
- [Video: A Mini Jurassic Park](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/04/a-mini-jurassic-park/) - You’d think as a snake that eats rattlesnakes, most of the other members of the reptile kingdom would give a king snake plenty of room. But then again, you're probably not a teenage western fence lizard.
- [A Zinnia Flower Joins the Circus](https://sagesacre.com/2025/08/08/a-zinnia-flower-joins-the-circus/) - One of the purple zinnias that have nativized in the herb garden is growing large, solid purple flowers and smaller circus-striped purple and white ones. Hmm.
- [How To: Easy D.I.Y. Wood Patio Chairs](https://sagesacre.com/2025/08/06/how-to-easy-d-i-y-wood-patio-chairs/) - Build these sturdy and attractive wood patio chairs in a weekend with basic tools and lumber from your home improvement store. Total cost around $40 each!
- [How to: Make a Clock from an Old Pallet](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/12/make-a-clock-from-an-old-pallet/) - Here's how to make a cool rustic clock using an old pallet, some clothes pins and a $10 clockworks from Amazon.com. It's a super easy and fun project to try!
- [Build a Simple Garden Bench With 2x4 Lumber](https://sagesacre.com/2017/06/03/build-a-simple-garden-bench-with-2x4-lumber/) - It's easy to make a sturdy, simple and attractive bench for your yard or garden using 2x4s and a few simple tools. Here is how to do it (with photos).
- [A Gorgeous Mid-Summer Sunset](https://sagesacre.com/2025/07/28/a-gorgeous-mid-summer-sunset/) - Closing chicken coop last night, I was greeted with this mid-summer's sunset. As the sun sank into the Pacific, the moon was settling in for the night shift.
- [How to Collect and Save Lettuce Seed](https://sagesacre.com/2025/07/21/how-to-collect-and-save-lettuce-seed/) - Don’t toss that lettuce that bolted! Collect the seed and give yourself and endless supply of fresh lettuce! It's easy. All you need is scissors & a paper bag.
- [The Passion Fruit Ate My Patio Cover](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/19/the-passion-fruit-ate-my-patio-cover/) - It's hard to believe the giant green monster that's eating my patio cover was a tiny passion fruit plant in a 4-inch pot not too long ago
- [Gulf Fritillary Butterfly on a Zinnia](https://sagesacre.com/2025/07/16/gulf-fritillary-butterfly-on-a-zinnia/) - Spotted my first Gulf Fritillary butterfly (aka "Passion Butterfly") lounging in the sunshine on a zinnia in the herb garden. Hadn't noticed these guys before.
- [How to Make Awesome Hot Sauce](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/11/how-to-make-awesome-hot-sauce/) - Fermented hot sauce is more complex and flavorful than a standard hot peppers and vinegar sauce. Better yet, it's not hard to make your own. Here's how.
- [Chickens and Corn on a Stick](https://sagesacre.com/2025/07/10/chickens-and-corn-on-a-stick/) - When corn earworm makes a mess of an ear of sweet corn, it’s not a loss, it’s an opportunity to let the chickens have a snack and some entertainment.
- [Growing Armenian Cucumbers for the First Time](https://sagesacre.com/2023/07/18/growing-armenian-cucumbers-for-the-first-time/) - Regular cucumbers don't like the heat of summer, but Armenian cucumbers love it because they're really a melon. A great cuke option when the heat is on!
- [14 Great Summer Squash & Zucchini Recipes](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/27/14-great-summer-squash-zucchini-recipes/) - Have a summer squash overload? Here are more than a dozen tasty squash recipes from dips to desserts (and everywhere in between) that aren’t the usual.
- [Squash Pudding Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/27/squash-pudding-recipe/) - When you're tired of zucchini bread but still want something a little sweet, try this zucchini chocolate cake recipe. It's delicious!
- [Zucchini Chocolate Cake Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/27/zucchini-chocolate-cake-recipe/) - When you're tired of zucchini bread but still want something a little sweet, try this zucchini chocolate cake recipe. It's delicious!
- [Ultimate Stuffed Zucchini Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/27/ultimate-stuffed-zucchini-recipe/) - Stuffed summer squash is a great way to use up leftover meat, chicken and veggies. Feel free to substitute ingredients with whatever you have in your kitchen
- [Summer Squash Appetizer](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/26/summer-squash-appetizer/) - A delicious snack made with squash, bacon and onion, and a little zing courtesy of catsup and lemon juice. Very tasty with a little bit of crunch
- [Spicy Summer Squash Dip](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/26/spicy-summer-squash-dip/) - A spicy dip made from summer squash that works well with fresh vegetables as well as a topping for cottage cheese, potatoes, and other foods that could use zip
- [Creole Style Summer Squash](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/26/creole-style-summer-squash/) - A spicy dish that's a good way to use larger squash. While I have it listed as a side dish, it's hearty enough to work as a main course as well.
- [New Mexico-Style Calabacitas](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/26/new-mexico-style-calabacitas/) - Calabacitas is a Mexican style dish that uses small, green summer squash. I've found, however, that any type of summer squash—green, yellow, etc.—works well.
- [Zucchini Torre Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/26/zucchini-torre-recipe/) - Another hearty dish of Mexican origin, this one is sort of like an Italian Zucchini casserole but with a little extra tomato and more spicy zing.
- [Zucchini Delight Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/26/zucchini-delight-recipe/) - This is a simple side dish that blends zucchini, onion, and tomato with a touch of basil to make a delicious oven bake side dish for chicken or beef.
- [Squash-Tomato Cassoulet Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/26/squash-tomato-cassoulet-recipe/) - This recipe came to me via my husband's grandmother. It's one of my favorites because I can make it the night before and pop it in the oven the next day.
- [Layered Zucchini Bake Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/27/layered-zucchini-bake-recipe/) - There are all kinds of zucchini layer or lasagna-style dishes. I like this particular recipe because it's like a lasagna without the extra carbs from noodles.
- [Avocado-Mushroom-Zucchini Salad](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/27/avocado-mushroom-zucchini-salad/) - Here's a fresh and tangy salad that only takes a couple of minutes to make. It's particularly good in late spring or early summer when avocados are in season
- [Stuffed Summer Squash Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/27/stuffed-summer-squash/) - Stuffed summer squash is a great way to use up leftover meat, chicken and veggies. Feel free to substitute ingredients with whatever you have in your kitchen
- [French Fried Squash Sticks](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/26/french-fried-squash-sticks/) - Battered sticks of squash lightly fried for delicious flavor (just like in your favorite pub, but better!). Serve with ranch dip and / or hot sauce
- [Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2024/11/18/pumpkin-cheesecake-dip-recipe/) - Here’s a super easy recipe for a delicious dip that tastes just like Pumpkin Cheesecake! Use it as a spread or a frosting for all your favorite holiday sweets
- [5 Things You Can Make With Leftover Sweet Corn](https://sagesacre.com/2022/09/23/5-things-you-can-make-with-leftover-sweet-corn/) - Got corn that's leftover or past it's prime? Don't throw it away! Here are 5 recipes that'll turn that old sweet corn into a delicious dish.
- [Make a DIY Bucket Air Conditioner](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/29/make-a-diy-bucket-air-conditioner/) - Build a simple and efficient portable room air conditioner for about $30 with a couple of buckets, some pipe, a jug of cold water and a cheap desk fan
- [The Last Sunset of Spring 2025](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/20/the-last-sunset-of-spring-2025/) - The last sunset of spring 2025 was a low key affair with the marine layer covering any reflection of the sun off the Pacific Ocean. It was pretty nonetheless.
- [Sunset Rocket Launch From San Diego County](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/17/sunset-rocket-launch-from-san-diego-county/) - Rocket launches used to be rare here in CA. Now, they're almost commonplace. The sunset ones are still spectacular, however.
- [Vegetable Garden Peaking at the End of Spring](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/13/vegetable-garden-peaking-at-the-end-of-spring/) - Summer is just a week away and the vegetable garden is in high gear. Here's a quick video with a 180° view. A description of what you're seeing is below
- [How to Make a Simple Window Flower Box](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/26/a-rustic-steel-and-cedar-window-box/) - Here's how to make a simple but attractive and durable window flower box for under $20 with a cedar fence board, a piece of corrugated steel, and a little paint
- [Honey Bees Dancing on a Pride of Madiera](https://sagesacre.com/2025/06/03/honey-bees-dancing-on-a-pride-of-madiera/) - Pride of Madiera flowers fill the pollinator gap between late spring and early summer. Honey bees love the big, sticky purple flowers so much the bush hums.
- [Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/04/24/lacy-phacelia-phalcelia-tanacetifolia/) - Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacentifolia) is a southwestern U.S. native that attracts pollinators & beneficial insects with showy blue flowers in spring & summer
- [Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa)](https://sagesacre.com/2025/05/29/jerusalem-sage-phlomis-fruticosa/) - A hardy, drought-tolerant perennial with lots of long-lasting yellow flowers in spring and summer. Easy care, it's a great garden plant for zone 4 and up
- [Cleveland Sage Blooming in April](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/16/cleveland-sage-blooming-in-april/) - Ahh... April and the native sages are all blooming profusely following last week's rain. This one is a Cleveland Sage (Salvia Clevelandii), which both looks amazing and smells incredible. Check out the snake-like whoop-de-do the flower stem on the right is doing for no particular reason. Nature's funny that way.
- [How to Make Old Fashioned Spicy Dill Pickles](https://sagesacre.com/2022/10/19/how-to-make-old-fashioned-spicy-dill-pickles/) - It's easy to make delicious, spicy, tangy and tasty pickles at home, the old fashioned way using this simple, but amazing 100 year old recipe
- [Best Pepper Pickling Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2015/08/16/best-pepper-pickling-recipe/) - Pickling your peppers, whether sweet or hot, is a great way to preserve their flavor and be able to enjoy your garden bounty long after the season is gone
- [Pickled Cherry / Grape Tomatoes Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2023/08/23/pickled-cherry-grape-tomatoes-recipe/) - Got a bumper crop of mini tomatoes and wondering what to do before they go bad? Here's a super simple way to preserve and enjoy your tomatoes all year long
- [Garden to Table: How to Make Giardiniera](https://sagesacre.com/2023/07/20/garden-to-table-how-to-make-giardiniera/) - Nothing beats the delicious simplicity of giardiniera, an Italian vegetable mix that's super easy to make with fresh ingredients from your own garden
- [A Fairly Odd (and Rare) Avocado](https://sagesacre.com/2025/05/13/a-fairly-odd-and-rare-avocado/) - North County San Diego is Avocado country. While you have probably seen Hass and Fuerte varieties, one type, the Don Gillogly, rarely travels beyond the county
- [Soiless Succulent Groundcover](https://sagesacre.com/2025/05/08/soiless-succulent-groundcover/) - Aeonium haworthii is an attractive, low growing succulent that will grow without soil on rocks. Better yet, it requires no water and will grow in partial shade
- [That's No Cabbage - That's a Dinosaur Kale!](https://sagesacre.com/2025/05/06/thats-no-cabbage-thats-a-dinosaur-kale/) - I thought a friend had given me some "unusual" cabbage seeds, but it turns out they were dinosaur kale seeds. I get why it's called "dinosaur". It's a monster.
- [How to Make a Succulent Shade Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2025/04/23/how-to-make-a-succulent-shade-garden/) - Think succulents are only for full sun? Think again! Many thrive in the shade. Here's everything you need to know to create your own succulent shade garden
- [Seven Sages Currently Blooming in the Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2024/04/17/seven-sages-blooming-in-spring/) - Sage isn't just my name, it's also my favorite type of plant. I have over 30 salvia varieties in the garden. Here are 7 of my favorites currently in bloom.
- [Salvia Aurea (aka Golden Sage)](https://sagesacre.com/2025/04/11/salvia-aurea-aka-golden-sage/) - This easy care, drought tolerant, evergreen shrub has gray-green leaves year-round and showy rust-colored flowers in the the spring. A real garden standout!
- [Kalanchoe daigremontiana the “Mother of Thousands”](https://sagesacre.com/2025/04/02/kalanchoe-daigremontiana-the-mother-of-thousands/) - Kalanchoe daigremontiana aka "mother of thousands" is an easy-to-grow, low water succulent with striped, spear-shaped leaves and pink, bell-shaped flowers
- [How to Grow Vegetables in a Small Space](https://sagesacre.com/2023/07/01/how-to-grow-vegetables-in-a-small-space/) - You don’t need a lot of space to have an abundant vegetable garden. Here’s a raised bed that’ll yield tons of fresh fruits and veggies in just a few square feet
- [Tips for High Productivity in a Small Vegetable Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2025/03/24/tips-for-high-productivity-in-a-small-vegetable-garden/) - Even if you're a garden novice, a small vegetable garden can be as productive as a much larger one. Use these 5 tips and you'll have lots of veggies all season!
- [My Keyhole Garden is Amazing](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/02/my-keyhole-garden-is-amazing/) - It's hard to overstate how awesome a keyhole garden is. If you’ve ever thought about building one, do it. Here's mine 9 months on - a worm-rich bed of herbs and veggies.
- [Winter's Final Sunset](https://sagesacre.com/2025/03/20/winters-final-sunset/) - Snapped a photograph of the last sunset of the 24/25 winter just as the sun was settling into the Pacific Ocean. Goodbye winter, hello spring. Glad to see you!
- [Strawberries Know Spring is Right Around the Corner](https://sagesacre.com/2025/03/17/strawberries-know-spring-is-right-around-the-corner/) - After a week of much needed rain everything is suddenly green. The strawberries are particularly happy, popping out flowers and fruit as quickly as they can.
- [D.I.Y. Garden Critter Repellent](https://sagesacre.com/2023/05/19/d-i-y-garden-critter-repellent/) - Here's a cheap and simple repellent spray recipe that will keep squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, gophers and other rodents (even deer) from chewing up your garden
- [The Ultimate Guide to Growing Artichokes](https://sagesacre.com/2025/03/13/the-ultimate-guide-to-growing-artichokes/) - This easy-to-grow perennial offers great tasting veggies and pretty purple flowers year in and out. Here's everything to know to grow them in your garden.
- [Simple, Bulletproof Plant Propagation](https://sagesacre.com/2023/01/17/simple-bulletproof-plant-propagation/) - Got the mid-winter garden blues? This is the perfect time to propagate some new plants! All you need is a milk jug, some soil, and a little patience. Here's how
- [How to Build a “Lasagna” Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2023/04/14/how-to-build-a-lasagna-garden/) - Here's a low-cost raised bed vegetable gardening technique that uses layers of organic material to create nutrient rich soil for your fruits and vegetables
- [Fall Gardening in Zones 7-9: A Comprehensive Guide](https://sagesacre.com/2024/10/03/fall-gardening-in-zones-7-9-a-comprehensive-guide/) - Summer is over, but if you're in USDA Zones 7-9, there's still plenty of time to get one last hurrah in the garden. Here's a guide to a great fall gardening
- [What Seeds Are Gardeners Planting in January?](https://sagesacre.com/2025/01/27/what-seeds-are-gardeners-planting-in-january/) - It's not too early to start seeds! Here's a list of the most popular (and maybe questionable) vegetable and flower seeds people are getting started in January
- [How Long Do Vegetable and Herb Seeds Last?](https://sagesacre.com/2025/01/22/how-long-do-vegetable-and-herb-seeds-last/) - Are the old seeds still usable? It's a frequent garden question. Here's a quick reference guide for the average lifespan of common vegetable and herbs seeds
- [Four Crop Rotation Methods for Maximum Harvest With Minimal Trouble](https://sagesacre.com/2025/02/20/four-crop-rotation-methods-for-maximum-harvest-with-minimal-trouble/) - Crop rotation is one of the oldest and smartest ways to keep your vegetable garden healthy and productive. Here are 4 simple methods you can use in your garden:
- [The best zucchini varieties for home gardens](https://sagesacre.com/2023/09/06/the-best-zucchini-varieties-for-home-gardens/) - We grew three different heirloom zucchini varieties and rated them based on space, productivity, and flavor to find the best combo for our home vegetable garden
- [The Value of a Gnome in the Greenhouse](https://sagesacre.com/2025/02/26/the-value-of-a-gnome-in-the-greenhouse/) - Gnomes and their ancestors have been protecting the garden and making it fertile & abundant for over 2000 years. Here's how the little magic statues came about.
- [How much does it cost to raise your own eggs?](https://sagesacre.com/2022/04/20/how-much-does-it-cost-to-raise-your-own-eggs/) - We didn't get hens for eggs originally, but now that the cost of store-bought eggs so high, we're saving over $300 a year by having our own egg layers
- [Ladies' Lunch at the Salad Bar](https://sagesacre.com/2025/02/12/ladies-lunch-at-the-salad-bar/) - Too many lettuce seedlings for the keyhole garden means our hens get to have salad for lunch. Here's Ol' Buff, Big Red and Kevin (a girl) snacking on them.
- [Cheap and Easy Heating for Your Greenhouse](https://sagesacre.com/2025/02/05/cheap-and-easy-heating-for-your-greenhouse/) - When it comes to heating a greenhouse cheaply and easily, 30 to 55 gallon trash cans filled with water are one of your most efficient (and simple) options
- [Pichana Steaks - It's What's for Dinner](https://sagesacre.com/2025/02/02/pichana-steaks-its-whats-for-dinner/) - Who needs a steakhouse when you've got Australian Wagyu Pichana on an oak-fired rotisserie along side fresh sweet corn and baked potatoes in your own backyard?
- [A Mandarin Orange Surplus in January](https://sagesacre.com/2025/01/19/a-mandarin-orange-surplus-in-january/) - This year we have a bumper crop of Mandarin oranges thanks to all the hard work the ducks put into splashing water and duck fertilizer under it all season long.
- [Hot Winds Bring a Cold Snap](https://sagesacre.com/2025/01/16/hot-winds-bring-a-cold-snap/) - Santa Ana winds bring gusty, warm temperatures during the day, but they also bring near-single digit humidity and overnight lows in the 20s in coastal San Diego
- [Refreshing the Keyhole Garden in Winter](https://sagesacre.com/2025/01/14/refreshing-the-keyhole-garden-in-winter/) - January is the perfect time for cleaning and repairing the keyhole garden and transplanting cold-hardy seedlings for late winter/early spring 2025 harvest
- [Marniers Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe marnieriana)](https://sagesacre.com/2025/01/07/marniers-kalanchoe-kalanchoe-marnieriana/) - Marniers Kalanchoe is an attractive succulent with round blue-green leaves. Drought tolerant, it grows 18 inches tall and has pink chandelier-like flowers
- [Kalanchoe Marnieriana in bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/26/kalanchoe-marnieriana-in-bloom/) - After a long summer with heat and no water, the recent rain and cool weather the Mariner's Kalenchoe is blooming with salmon pink flowers
- [First Sunrise of 2025](https://sagesacre.com/2025/01/02/first-sunrise-of-2025/) - The first sunrise of 2025. Temperatures were just above freezing (35° F), but the skies were blue and the air crisp and fresh.
- [Bottling Batch 24 Fermented Hot Sauce (Part 1)](https://sagesacre.com/2024/12/28/bottling-batch-24-fermented-hot-sauce-part-1/) - After 4 months of fermentation, the peppers seem to have stalled out, so it's time to process and bottle the first half of my Batch 24 slow fermented hot sauce.
- [Grocery Store Gardening: Roma Tomatoes](https://sagesacre.com/2024/12/15/grocery-store-gardening-roma-tomatoes/) - You can grow a whole vegetable garden for pennies using seeds collected from grocery store produce. $1 of Roma tomatoes will deliver 100+ lbs of fresh tomatoes!
- [Can You Compost That?](https://sagesacre.com/2024/12/05/can-you-compost-that/) - You can turn almost any organic material into rich, nutrient filled compost, but some things take longer than others. Here’s what to know and how to do it
- [Why an Herb Garden is Worth It](https://sagesacre.com/2024/11/27/why-an-herb-garden-is-worth-it/) - There's a great deal of satisfaction that comes from walking out into your yard and picking all the seasonings for Thanksgiving turkey fresh from your garden
- [Crafting a DIY Haven Through Backyard Photo Journaling](https://sagesacre.com/2024/11/22/crafting-a-diy-haven-through-backyard-photo-journaling/) - Online scrapbooking and photo journaling isn't about creating perfect images, it's about discovering and documenting the small wonders that surround us daily.
- [Batch 24 Fermented Hot Sauce Pepper Addition Number 7](https://sagesacre.com/2024/11/21/batch-24-fermented-hot-sauce-pepper-addition-number-7/) - A nighttime cold snap brought frost and the hot peppers dropped their flowers, so this is the last fresh pepper addition for Batch 24 fermented hot sauce.
- [Old Fashioned Black Iron Skillet Cornbread Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2022/09/21/old-fashioned-cornbread-recipe/) - A super easy cornbread recipe made with sweet corn kernels and bacon. It's sweet, moist, and practically irresistible! Great for Thanksgiving and other meals.
- [Fall Maintenance for the Bee Hotel](https://sagesacre.com/2024/11/12/fall-maintenance-for-the-bee-hotel/) - Now that fall is here, it’s time for a little maintenance on the bee hotel before the native pollinators move in for the winter. Here is the checklist:
- [Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia Diversifolia)](https://sagesacre.com/2024/11/06/mexican-sunflower-tithonia-diversifolia/) - Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) is an attractive, easy to grow shrub that not only produces lot of flowers, but also helps improve your garden soil
- [Towering Tithonia](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/21/towering-tithonia/) - The Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) grew 20 feet tall over the summer, but now that autumn is here, all but the uppermost leaves have died back. Standing below, the effect is kind of Dr Seussian, a forest of towering sticks with a few green feathers sticking out the top.
- [Batch 24 Fermented Hot Sauce Pepper Addition Number 6](https://sagesacre.com/2024/11/04/batch-24-fermented-hot-sauce-pepper-addition-number-6/) - Moving into mid-autumn and the days are warm, the nights are cool and the hot peppers for the fermented hot sauce are still going strong. Adding 8oz this week.
- [How to Make Pumpkin Puree (It's Easy!)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/11/02/how-to-make-pumpkin-puree-its-easy/) - Real homemade pumpkin puree for pies etc. is nutritious and super simple to make. All you need is a pumpkin (even an old Jack o' Lantern) Here's how to make it:
- [Five Ways to Use Leftover Pumpkins](https://sagesacre.com/2023/11/02/five-ways-to-use-leftover-pumpkins/) - Don’t toss those pumpkins because the holidays are over! Here are five delicious and unusual pumpkin recipes to make the most of those leftover squash
- [The Hanging Gourd Garden Drawing to a Close](https://sagesacre.com/2024/10/28/the-hanging-gourd-garden-drawing-to-a-close/) - The gourds have been bumming around all summer, but winter is coming and it's time to go. Here's a last look video of the gourds in the hanging garden
- [Four Easy Ways to Save Seeds](https://sagesacre.com/2019/09/23/how-to-save-seeds-the-lazy-way/) - Saving your own seeds is a great way to save money and keep the plants you like. Here are the easiest ways to save a variety of vegetable and flower seeds.
- [How to Make Real Old-Fashioned Bacon at Home (Easy)](https://sagesacre.com/2024/10/11/how-to-make-real-old-fashioned-bacon-at-home-easy/) - Homemade bacon is one of *the* great flavors available to a cook. It's also surprisingly simple to make. Here's everything you need to know to make your own.
- [Batch 24 Hot Sauce Pepper Addition Number 4](https://sagesacre.com/2024/10/06/batch-24-hot-sauce-pepper-addition-number-4/) - Early autumn, unlike the end of summer, has been mild and the Fish peppers are producing more heavily than every. This week's addition will be heavy on them.
- [Seeing Red at the End of the Season](https://sagesacre.com/2024/09/26/seeing-red-at-the-end-of-the-season/) - It's early autumn and the veggie garden is turning very red. Only a few weeks left to harvest tomatoes, peppers, and other summer crops before they're gone.
- [How to Grow a Brown Turkey Fig (Ficus carica)](https://sagesacre.com/2024/09/21/how-to-grow-a-brown-turkey-fig-ficus-carica/) - When it comes to easy to grow, low maintenance fruit trees, it’s hard to beat the brown turkey fig. Perfect for home gardeners, here's what to know about them.
- [One Last Sunset of the Summer 2024](https://sagesacre.com/2024/09/23/one-last-sunset-of-the-summer-2024/) - Autumn began at 5:43 AM PDTe on Sept 22, 2024, so the sunset the night before was the last sunset of the summer. Here it is as it slips into the Pacific
- [Batch 24 Hot Sauce Pepper Addition Number 3](https://sagesacre.com/2024/09/16/batch-24-hot-sauce-pepper-addition-number-3/) - Heat shocked the Cayenne peppers, so my third addition of hot peppers to Batch 24 of the fermented hot sauce will be mostly Hinkelhatz and Fish peppers
- [Last Night's SpaceX Launch From My House](https://sagesacre.com/2024/09/13/last-nights-spacex-launch-from-my-house/) - SpaceX launched a Starlink mission from Vandenberg just after sunset last night. Here's the view in the skies of Northern San Diego County a short time later.
- [Autumn is Finally in Sight, Time to Return to the Greenhouse](https://sagesacre.com/2024/09/11/autumn-is-finally-in-sight-time-to-return-to-the-greenhouse/) - It's been a sad sight walking by the greenhouse for the past couple of months. Empty for the summer, the hot weather broke today so it's time to "re-green" it.
- [Fall Finally! Let's Get to Work!](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/02/fall-finally-lets-get-to-work/) - Fall has finally arrived in San Diego so now we can get to work on fall and winter garden preparations. Here's what we're planting for harvest by Thanksgiving
- [Video: Timeout with Ducklings](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/14/video-timeout-with-ducklings/) - Here's 3 minutes of rest and relaxation with our baby ducks at their swimming pool (actually a large plastic garbage can lid) to get you ready for the weekend.
- [Sage's Patented Beer Can Coyote Alarm](https://sagesacre.com/2024/09/01/sages-patented-beer-can-coyote-alarm/) - I had a problem with a coyote sneaking in at night to eat my poultry, so I came up with a simple alarm system using empty beer cans and a noise detector
- [Starting Batch 24 Slow Fermented Hot Sauce](https://sagesacre.com/2024/08/25/starting-batch-24-slow-fermented-hot-sauce/) - Batch 24 of my slow fermented hot sauce began this week with 6 different hot peppers - Cayenne/Thai, Aleppo, Cayenne, Fish, and Hinkelhatz. Fingers crossed!
- [Italian Sweet Peppers](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/11/italian-sweet-peppers/) - These are Corno di Toro sweet peppers I've been breeding to a larger size so I can stuff and grill them as well as fry. Sweet and crunchy, I've always got plenty of seed at the end of the season. DM me if you'd like some.
- [A Golden Sunset in Mid-August](https://sagesacre.com/2024/08/14/a-golden-sunset-in-mid-august/) - The sunset over the Pacific in the distance turning the light golden for a moment on a hot mid-August evening
- [Photo of the Day: Hidden Lake Hot Peppers](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/19/photo-of-the-day-hidden-lake-hot-peppers/) - Fifty degree swings between day and night temperatures are making tough for the plants remaining in the vegetable garden, but the Cayenne/Thai peppers we call "Hidden Lake Hot" are still hanging in there. They'll continue to produce right up until rain and frost does them in.
- [Photo of the day: End of Season Tomato Harvest](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/30/photo-of-the-day-end-of-season-tomato-harvest/) - Well, that's it. The last of the tomatoes have been picked. The Valentine grape tomato (front of bowl) was ridiculous. Easily 40lbs of tomatoes. The Indigo Kumquat (yellow, back of bowl) was a pleasant surprise as well. Long production time and beautiful fruit.
- [A Practical Guide to Designing Amazing Garden Rooms](https://sagesacre.com/2024/08/07/a-practical-guide-to-designing-amazing-garden-rooms/) - Garden rooms can make your yard feel more like a secret, secluded retreat. Here are 7 practical (and simple) techniques I learned to make amazing secret gardens
- [Creating a Native Garden Under Live Oaks](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/01/creating-a-native-garden-under-live-oaks/) - My first big backyard project of 2021 is creating a garden under a canopy of live oaks using only California and San Diego native plant species. This is day 1.
- [Summer at Last!](https://sagesacre.com/2023/06/23/summer-at-last/) - Just a quick video of a hummingbird darting into the garden to see what I was doing with this sunflower
- [Keeping the Garden Cool in a Heatwave](https://sagesacre.com/2024/08/04/keeping-the-garden-cool-in-a-heatwave/) - An overhead gourd garden will keep raised beds cool in late summer. The beds stay 15 degrees cooler than full sun so you can start fall crops 60 days earlier
- [Giant Agave Flowers](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/20/giant-agave-flowers/) - The American Agave produces giant flower stalks that can shoot 30 feet in the air. The dried stalks are a favorite nesting site for acorn woodpeckers.
- [A Tropical Sunset](https://sagesacre.com/2017/08/03/a-tropical-sunset/) - The one upside to monsoon season is the absolutely spectacular sunsets. This one is looking over the San Luis Rey river valley toward the Pacific.
- [First Snake of the Season](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/26/first-snake-of-the-season/) - Snakes aren't uncommon here, but it's still a little freaky when you're just reaching down to turn on the hose and come face to face with a 4 foot gopher snake.
- [The 2024 Tomato Harvest Begins](https://sagesacre.com/2024/07/29/the-2024-tomato-harvest-begins/) - I was worried that going 5 days without water in our July heat would wipe out my beefsteak tomatoes. Turns out my fears were unwarranted. They did just fine.
- [Garden Hack: DIY Water Bottle Drip Watering System](https://sagesacre.com/2021/02/12/garden-hack-diy-water-bottle-drip-watering-system/) - Garden Hack: Make a simple DIY drip watering system for potted plants & seedlings with just a water bottle. Instructions and video included in the article.
- [How to Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/19/how-to-make-your-own-hand-sanitizer/) - I learned to make hand sanitizer for camping while in the boy scouts. Every bit as good as the store-bought stuff and 10 times less expensive. Here's how to make hand sanitizer using plain old household products (and an aloe plant if you have one).
- [Feeling Like Fall Finally](https://sagesacre.com/2021/12/09/feeling-like-fall-finally/) - Summer took a final bow in late November and quickly exited stage left. Now It's raining & temps are 40° cooler. Time for the first crackling fire of the year.
- [Found a new friend this weekend](https://sagesacre.com/2021/02/03/found-a-new-friend-this-weekend/) - A broken pipe in my house's crawlspace made it rain in the living room. I came face to face with this guy looking for the pipe. I'm a bad man, so naturally I sent my wife up the ladder to "look at the pipe."
- [All dressed up on Christmas Night](https://sagesacre.com/2021/12/25/all-dressed-up-on-christmas-night/) - The Christmas tree looks to be checking herself in the mirror before our guests get here to celebrate Christmas with us. I'll tell her she looks spectacular.
- [Growing Artichokes as Flowers](https://sagesacre.com/2024/07/22/growing-artichokes-as-flowers/) - Artichokes aren't much to look at in the garden, but if you let them flower, they turn out to be quite attractive. Pollinators like bees love them too!
- [My Hybrid Tomato Experiment](https://sagesacre.com/2024/07/18/my-hybrid-tomato-experiment/) - A lot of people dismiss the idea of saving seeds from hybrid tomatoes because they don't breed true. Me, I grow many generations of them to see where they go.
- [Vegetable Garden Trials: Carbon Black Heirloom Tomatoes](https://sagesacre.com/2023/08/30/vegetable-garden-trials-carbon-black-heirloom-tomatoes/) - Two thirds of the way through the growing season, Carbon Black Heirloom Tomatoes have been a standout for the size and quantity of the tomatoes they produce
- [What to plant after early summer crops](https://sagesacre.com/2024/07/09/what-to-plant-after-early-summer-crops/) - Early summer vegetable crops are done, but the veggie garden isn't. Here’s what to plant and how to keep your vegetable garden going through the end of summer
- [Landscape Design With Vegetables](https://sagesacre.com/2024/07/04/landscape-design-with-vegetables/) - Once in a while it's nice to let things go to seed and see what happens. Here's spring's carrots flowering among summer's vegetables in the keyhole garden.
- [Video: Herc at Work in the Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2024/06/30/video-herc-at-work-in-the-garden/) - Hercules is our four month old dachshund. He is adorable and a certified yard terrorist. Anything that looks like it needs a little digging gets thoroughly dug
- [Photo: Last Sunset of Spring 2024](https://sagesacre.com/2024/06/20/photo-last-sunset-of-spring-2024/) - Last night was the final sunset of Spring 2024. Here's a photo from the deck looking west over the Pacific. The first full moon (strawberry) of summer tomorrow.
- [Make a Garden Twine Dispenser from a Gourd](https://sagesacre.com/2024/06/18/make-a-garden-twine-dispenser-from-a-gourd/) - If you use twine in your garden, then you could probably use a twine dispenser. Here's how to make one quickly and easily with a gourd and a few simple tools
- [Ugly Carrots Still Taste Good](https://sagesacre.com/2024/06/11/ugly-carrots-still-taste-good/) - My carrots will never make the cover of a magazine (unless the magazine is all about ugly vegetables). But at least they're colorful and still taste good.
- [Happy Memorial Day](https://sagesacre.com/2024/05/27/happy-memorial-day/) - For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded.I AcceptThank you to all who gave their lives for our nation.
- [What's on the Other Side of That Gate?](https://sagesacre.com/2024/05/22/a-secret-gate-in-spring/) - Using the terrain, landscaping and a few structures, it's easy to create cool garden "rooms" that feel like you're in a secret, and a tad magical, place.
- [This Chicken Ranges a Little Too Freely](https://sagesacre.com/2024/05/12/this-chicken-ranges-a-little-too-freely/) - When your chickens feel free to come in the house and wander around, they've taken "free range" too far. Remmy the Rhodey is a perfect example of a hen too far.
- [Mid-Spring Garden Check-in - How's it Growing?](https://sagesacre.com/2024/05/07/mid-spring-garden-check-in-hows-it-growing/) - How's your vegetable garden doing in mid-spring? Here in San Diego County, we're off to a slow, wet start, but hopeful it'll catch up the last half of spring
- [April Showers Do Bring May Flowers](https://sagesacre.com/2024/05/03/april-showers-do-bring-may-flowers/) - I tried to displace invasive mustard with native wildflowers. The birds ate most of seeds and the mustard came back, but there's 1 little patch of spring color.
- [I Think We're Being Watched](https://sagesacre.com/2024/05/01/i-think-we-are-being-watched/) - Two of our hens have figured out that if they stare through the sliding glass door by the living room long enough, my wife will throw them snacks. Bad chickens!
- [Mini Panther Sighting in the Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2024/04/26/mini-panther-sighting-in-the-garden/) - Shortcutting through the upper yard yesterday I happened upon a miniature black panther crouching under a sage bush.
- [Peas and Carrots in the Keyhole Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2024/04/23/peas-and-carrots-in-the-keyhole-garden/) - The early spring phase of the keyhole garden is packed with peas, carrots and lettuces while the peppers, cucumbers and dill lurk underneath for pickles later.
- [Peak Spring](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/15/peak-spring/) - All of our gardens -- shade, tropical, native, fragrance and dry -- are at their peak right now. Can you identify which flower lives in which garden?
- [Gopher Plague Continues](https://sagesacre.com/2024/04/05/gopher-plague-continues/) - First it was the dill, then the aloe, then the broccoli, and now the celery. This year the gophers are relentless (thanks El Niño). Grrr. I need more traps.
- [Green Globe Artichokes in April](https://sagesacre.com/2024/04/03/green-globe-artichokes-in-april/) - While a gopher plague is delaying the main vegetable garden, the artichokes in the north beds are doing just fine. Fresh artichokes for dinner kids!
- [Orange Blossoms](https://sagesacre.com/2024/03/29/orange-blossoms/) - If you've never had the opportunity to walk through an orange grove blooming in early spring, I feel sorry for you. The scent is amazing.
- [Spring Keyhole Garden Transition](https://sagesacre.com/2024/03/26/spring-keyhole-garden-transition/) - How to use "hot" compost to get your spring keyhole garden (or any raised bed) off to an early start
- [First Spring Sunrise of 2024](https://sagesacre.com/2024/03/19/first-spring-sunrise-of-2024/) - Winter stormed out last night in a bluster of thunder and rain. Spring rose this morning with blue skies and the promise of warm days ahead. Good to see her.
- [Small Wonders: Ellaphieae's Gasteria and Bonfire Moss](https://sagesacre.com/2024/03/18/small-wonders-ellaphieaes-gasteria-and-bonfire-moss/) - The wet weather let bonfire moss move in next to a Gasteria ellaphieae. Succulents and moss together aren't something you often see together. Small wonders.
- [Cattle Drive (Sage's Acre Style)](https://sagesacre.com/2024/03/12/cattle-drive-sages-acre-style/) - When the livestock escapes the range and gets up near the homestead, we're forced to saddle up and drive the herd back down to the pasture. Here's how we do it.
- [Compost Inspectors at Work](https://sagesacre.com/2024/03/06/compost-inspectors-at-work/) - All work I do on the compost pile is subject to a complete inspection by my chickens. They're extremely thorough, but I think they're satisfied with the work.
- [Old Fashioned Soft Pretzels Recipe (easy)](https://sagesacre.com/2024/02/29/old-fashioned-soft-pretzels-recipe-easy/) - Chewy, delicious soft pretzels are easy to make and every bit as good as the ones from a shop. Here’s my quick and simple recipe.
- [How to Make Old Fashioned Deli-Style Mustard](https://sagesacre.com/2024/02/26/how-to-make-old-fashioned-deli-style-mustard/) - Hankering for real, old-fashioned deli-style brown mustard? Good news! It's super easy to make right at home. All you need are a few ingredients and this recipe
- [Putting in the Eggstra Effort](https://sagesacre.com/2024/02/21/putting-in-the-eggstra-effort/) - Among the dozen or so eggs I collected from the coop this morning was the monster in the middle. One of the girls is definitely putting in the "eggstra" effort.
- [The Intriguing Alien Eggs: Haworthia Cooperi](https://sagesacre.com/2024/02/19/the-intriguing-alien-eggs-haworthia-cooperi/) - A super easy to grow succulent that looks like clusters of tiny translucent watermelons, known to some as "Alien Eggs." A great indoor plant for any collection.
- [Mid-winter Garden Tasks for Spring](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/31/mid-winter-tasks-for-spring/) - Spring is just 6 weeks away. If you're a gardener in USDA climate zones 8-10, here's the things you could do now to get your spring garden off to a great start
- [Five Garden Tasks To Do Before Spring Arrives](https://sagesacre.com/2024/02/14/five-garden-tasks-before-spring-arrives/) - Just because it's still winter doesn't mean you can't get ready for spring gardening. Here are five garden tasks you can do now before spring arrives
- [Gourd Garden Six Months Apart](https://sagesacre.com/2024/02/10/gourd-garden-six-months-apart/) - It's mid-winter now, but six months ago it was high summer. Here's the hanging gourd garden as it appeared in August and now in February
- [How to Grow Broccoli as a Perennial](https://sagesacre.com/2024/02/06/how-to-grow-broccoli-as-a-perennial/) - Did you know you can grow broccoli like a perennial shrub and have garden-fresh veggies year-round? Pick an heirloom variety and it's easy! Here’s how
- [Bottling Batch 23 Fermented Hot Sauce](https://sagesacre.com/2024/02/04/bottling-batch-23-fermented-hot-sauce/) - Fermentation of Batch 23 of the hot sauce was slow and stalled out a couple months early, so I bottled it in January instead of the usual March
- [Batch 23 Hot Sauce Update #3](https://sagesacre.com/2023/11/28/batch-23-hot-sauce-update-3/) - Made one last addition of fresh cayenne peppers for a full gallon to slow ferment. Now we'll cellar it and let the lacto yeast do its magic for a couple months
- [Why Aren't My Seeds Sprouting?](https://sagesacre.com/2024/01/30/why-arent-my-seeds-sprouting/) - Having trouble getting your seeds to sprout or your seedlings to survive? It’s almost always one of three problems. Here's how to diagnose and fix them.
- [Garden Season Prep: Sorting Saved Seeds](https://sagesacre.com/2024/01/08/garden-season-prep-sorting-saved-seeds/) - Need a winter garden project? Get that seed collection under control! Here's how to tell which seeds have passed their prime and which you can save to plant.
- [Why you should have a rain barrel (or two)](https://sagesacre.com/2024/01/24/why-you-should-have-a-rain-barrel-or-two/) - Wondering whether rains barrels are worth it? The answer is yes! They're an easy and nature friendly way to save your water. Here's everything you need to know:
- [One Last Sunrise Before the Rain](https://sagesacre.com/2024/01/19/one-last-sunrise-before-the-rain/) - This beautiful sunrise on a crisp winter morning is the last we'll see for a while. A series of storms will keep us under clouds for the better part of a week
- [Freckles is a Great Winter Lettuce](https://sagesacre.com/2024/01/16/freckles-is-a-great-winter-lettuce/) - Freckles is a Romaine-type lettuce with medium green leave and attractive red splotches. Great for winter growing in USDA zones 8 or higher
- [Hoping for an Early Start on Spring](https://sagesacre.com/2024/01/11/hoping-for-an-early-start-on-spring/) - Spring is almost 2 months away, but if I don't plant something, I'm going to explode. I'm taking a risk and starting a bunch of veggie seeds early. Way early.
- [A Splendid Sunday Sunrise in San Diego](https://sagesacre.com/2024/01/07/a-splendid-sunday-sunrise-in-san-diego/) - An early January Sunday morning after a rain. The sky is clear, the air is crisp, and the only sounds are a few early birds telling the world the day has begun.
- [Last Sunset of Autumn 2023 (Almost)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/12/22/almost-the-last-sunset-of-autumn-2023/) - The last sunset of autumn 2023 was a cold, gray and damp dud. The sunset the night before, however, was perfect. Cool blue/pink with a splash of sunset gold.
- [Chris the Christmas Cactus in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2023/12/20/chris-the-christmas-cactus-in-bloom/) - I rescued this Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) from a trash bin back in 2019. Now it rewards us every Christmas with this beautiful floral display
- [Making Christmas Giardiniera](https://sagesacre.com/2023/12/13/making-christmas-giardiniera/) - Here's a little spin on garden fresh Giardiniera -- Using Violeta Italia purple cauliflower instead of white makes for a much more colorful mix of vegetables
- [Easy Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2023/12/11/easy-cinnamon-swirl-bread-recipe/) - Here's a super easy Christmas sweet bread recipe people will love! Give it as a handmade gift for your friends and family to enjoy this holiday.
- [Bakery-Style French Bread Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/24/bakery-style-french-bread-recipe/) - Ever wonder why bakery fresh French bread is so dang delicious? It's an old baker's secret, pre-fermented dough. Here's how to make amazing bakery-style French bread at home.
- [Vegetable Garden 2023 Wrap-up](https://sagesacre.com/2023/12/07/vegetable-garden-2023-wrap-up/) - It's the end of the year, so before we get down to planning next year's vegetable garden, it's a good time to review the good and bad of the past year's garden.
- [What a Spider Sees, You See Only at Sunset](https://sagesacre.com/2023/11/30/you-see-it-only-at-sunset/) - The air backlit by the sunset reveals that it's thick with normally invisible insects. No wonder this orb weaver chose to string its web here!
- [The 2023 Hot Sauce (Batch 23) Begins](https://sagesacre.com/2023/10/24/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.
- [Best Thanksgiving Ever for These Turkeys](https://sagesacre.com/2023/11/23/best-thanksgiving-ever-for-these-turkeys/) - My neighbor's turkeys escaped and are now standing roadside watching people go by. I'm guessing this is their best Thanksgiving ever.
- [Homemade "Florida" Bread Rolls](https://sagesacre.com/2021/04/16/homemade-florida-bread-rolls/) - Here's an easy recipe that's like Hawaiian bread rolls but uses orange instead of pineapple juice. Delicious alone and with savory barbecue like pulled pork!
- [Fall Keyhole Garden Flip](https://sagesacre.com/2023/11/15/fall-keyhole-garden-flip/) - If you're in USDA zone 8 or above, it's easy to switch your keyhole garden from summer to winter veggies and keep growing. It just takes a few simple steps.
- [Pregnant Praying Mantis on a Fence](https://sagesacre.com/2023/11/11/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](https://sagesacre.com/2023/11/08/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
- [Scallop Squash Stuffed with Pesto Chicken](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/08/scallop-squash-stuffed-with-pesto-chicken/) - We're up to our eyeballs in squash so I'm always looking for new ways to use it in meals. Here's an easy recipe for pesto chicken stuffed in baked squash that everyone seems to love.
- [Brown Turkey Fig (Ficus Carica)](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/08/turkey-fig/) - Years ago I planted a brown turkey fig seedling near the chicken coop. It's not a large, leafy tree that produces a ton of fruit. The birds love it.
- [Orange Cosmos Flower Volunteer](https://sagesacre.com/2023/10/30/orange-cosmos-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](https://sagesacre.com/2023/10/27/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:
- [Best Bean Dishes for Autumn](https://sagesacre.com/2023/10/20/best-bean-dishes-for-autumn/) - Autumn is great for comfort foods and beans are inexpensive, delicious and super versatile. Here's five Terri tested and approved bean dishes to try this fall
- [There’s Sumthin’ About These Pumpkins](https://sagesacre.com/2023/10/17/theres-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](https://sagesacre.com/2023/10/13/sweet-corn-and-summers-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](https://sagesacre.com/2023/10/09/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](https://sagesacre.com/2023/10/06/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.
- [Salvia Spathacea (Hummingbird Sage)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/03/23/salvia-spathacea-hummingbird-sage/) - Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) is a low-growing California native in coastal oak valleys. In the rainy season it grows spiky pink blooms hummingbirds love.
- [How to Make an Easy Compost Turning Tool](https://sagesacre.com/2023/10/04/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.
- [Rubber Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/09/28/rubber-rabbitbrush-ericameria-nauseosa/) - Rubber rabbitbrush is a tough, drought tolerant plant native to the U.S. west from Canada to Mexico. In autumn it puts on a show of yellow flowers bee's love.
- [Summer 2023 - That's a Wrap](https://sagesacre.com/2023/09/22/summer-2023-thats-a-wrap/) - Summer 2023 ended as one of the mildest in memory. Temperatures never got to the triple digits and now, on the eve of autumn, it's raining and in the 60s
- [Don’t Toss Those Pepper Plants!](https://sagesacre.com/2023/09/26/dont-toss-those-pepper-plants/) - Summer might have ended, but that doesn’t mean your peppers have to. Here's how to easily overwinter pepper plants and have fresh peppers again next spring!
- [Root Beer Plant (Piper auritum)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/09/13/root-beer-plant-piper-auritum/) - A lush Central/South American native Piper auritum has root beer scented leaves and a peppery-licorice flavor. Also known as Mexican pepperleaf or hoja santa
- [First Sunrise of Autumn 2023](https://sagesacre.com/2023/09/23/first-sunrise-of-autumn-2023/) - Unlike last night's cloudy final summer sunset, this morning's first sunrise of fall was clear, crisp, and had just a hint of dew in the field. Autumn is here.
- [Summer Ends with Sunflower Seeds](https://sagesacre.com/2023/09/15/summer-ends-with-sunflower-seeds/) - The last of the giant sunflowers fell today, but the birds haven't gotten to it. So we have a cool giant sunflower head full of seeds for next season.
- [Got a Little Sauced this Weekend](https://sagesacre.com/2023/09/12/got-a-little-sauced-this-weekend/) - We finally reached peak tomato and spent the weekend processing them. All told we ended up with 120+ pints of tomato and pasta sauce, plus lots of real ketchup.
- [Unusual Avocado Varieties](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/08/unusual-avocado-varieties/) - The other day a neighbor who's an avocado grower, brought us some rare Don Gillogly avocados from his private grove. It's a dwarf Haas variant with creamy, club-shaped fruit.
- [Aeonium](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/22/aeonium/) - An aeonium in the new succulent garden I'm creating. The light hit it in just such a way to bring together the colors and symmetry in a hypnotic display.
- [Tomatillo Time!](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/06/tomatillo-time/) - The tomatillos are practically throwing fruit at us. These are from some wild plants that reseed every year. Once they were either purple or green, but now they're all crossbred and just sort of do whatever they want. Still taste great!
- [A Striped Pepper](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/20/a-striped-pepper/) - I came across this Italian frying pepper in my garden today. It's changing from green to red with stripes of color instead of the usual blush.
- [Kahili Ginger in the Tropical Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/28/kahili-ginger-in-the-tropical-garden/) - This spring I overhauled my tropical garden adding tall, kahili ginger to make a spicy flowering forest as a transition to the fruit orchards and dry creek below.
- [Video: Attack of the Passion Fruit](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/02/video-attack-of-the-passion-fruit/) - I think my passion fruit is getting out of control. It just attacked me.
- [White Squill Flowering](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/10/white-squill-flowering/) - Cleared an area behind the pond for a new succulent / dry garden last weekend. Came out today to find that two White Squill I forgot about are now flowering. Looks like two snakes coming up out of the ground.
- [Orange Marmalade Aloe](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/25/orange-marmalade-aloe/) - Currently my favorite aloe is this guy, Orange Marmalade. In the winter he's a blue-green, but in the full summer sun he turns orange. Very cool.
- [Little Succulent, Big Flower](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/05/little-succulent-big-flower/) - This little baby tiger doesn't look like much during the day, but just before sunset, it throws out a very impressive flower. Use the before and after slider to see how it changes
- [Gasteria Nigracanus](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/07/gasteria-nigracanus/) - Gasteria nigracanus,, like all gasterias, is from South Africa and loves the hot, dry weather. When the plant is happy, it sprouts thick, flashy leaves in pink, green and gold.
- [Guava Season](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/14/guava-season/) - I bought a couple of guava (Psidium cattleyanum) seedlings, one red/strawberry and one yellow/lemon, about 15 years ago and planted them at opposites ends of what is now the tropical garden. Both grew to be big shrubs that flowered once in a while and produced a bunch of pellet-sized bitter fruit that tasted nothing like
- [Gasteria Ellaphiae](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/22/gasteria-ellaphiae/) - Gasteria Ellaphiae is an interesting succulent that does quite well in light-to-medium shade as long as the soil is kept warm and dry. This plant was a thumb-sized pair of leaves and no roots last spring, but, as you can see from the photo, it now has half a dozen new leaf clusters that can be separated into new plants.
- [Lemongrass Then and Now](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/30/lemongrass-then-and-now/) - From the "If you water it, it will grow" file comes this lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) rescued from the dry herb garden. In March I planted a small, mostly dead clump. In June it began to show life. By October it ruled its section of the tropical garden
- [Chinese Lantern in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2021/02/22/chinese-lantern-in-bloom/) - Warm weather (77F / 25C), crisp blue skies and varigated Chinese Lanterns (Abutilon) blooming above the courtyard bench equal a spectacular Monday.
- [Thunbergia Ate the Duck Enclosure](https://sagesacre.com/2021/05/09/thunbergia-ate-the-duck-enclosure/) - Bought this thunbergia as a scrawny stick for $1. Twenty years later, it's so huge and covered with bright orange flowers it shows up on satellite images.
- [Pride of Madiera](https://sagesacre.com/2021/05/11/pride-of-madiera/) - A volunteer Pride of Madiera (Echium candicans) covered in big spiky blooms anchors the dry shade garden in front of Sage's Acre in San Diego County in May
- [The Feijoa Blooms again](https://sagesacre.com/2022/04/21/feijoa-blooms-again/) - Feijoa (pineapple guava) only blooms on second year wood. After a hard pruning and no flowers last year, it's back and blooming big this year. Spectacular!
- [Monarda fistulosa aka Wild Bergamot or Bee Balm](https://sagesacre.com/2022/07/26/monarda-fistulosa-aka-wild-bergamot/) - While Monarda (wild bergamot / bee balm) isn't native to California, it'll make itself at home even in the dry, desert like climate of my San Diego foothills
- [Banana Surprise](https://sagesacre.com/2022/10/05/banana-surprise/) - Banana Surprise! is something you can legitimately shout when you discover a 15' banana tree loaded with bananas hidden in your garden. (Maybe other times too.)
- [Marnier's Kalanchoe in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2022/12/09/marniers-kalanchoe-in-bloom/) - Rescued a piece of a Marnier's Kalanchoe from a trash bin in 2019. Today it's flourishing in the succulent garden and blooming like there's no tomorrow
- [Holly Wood California](https://sagesacre.com/2022/12/20/holly-wood-california/) - The Toyon is a California native tree whose deep green foliage and bright red berries in December earned it the nickname "Hollywood"
- [Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/01/06/jade-plant-crassula-ovata/) - Jade Plants are low care, easy to grow plants you can shape into anything from elegant shrubs to weird martian trees based on how you care for them. Here's how:
- [Kalanchoe Daigremontiana](https://sagesacre.com/2023/02/18/kalanchoe-daigremontiana/) - Here's a closeup of the Mother of Thousands (Kalanchoe daigremontiana) in our sunroom getting ready to drop some new babies. They look like little green oysters
- [Echeveria agavoides in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2023/02/25/echeveria-agavoides-in-bloom/) - Echeveria agavoides looks like an agave, but it's a succulent from Mexico. The leaves are lime green in winter but turn lemon yellow tipped with red in summer.
- [Camellia Japonica (Common Camellia)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/05/12/camellia-japonica-common-camellia/) - The camellia is a member of the Tea family (and can be brewed into tea). A living shade screen most of the year, in spring and summer it puts on a flower show
- [Leonotis leonarus (Lion’s Tail)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/07/05/leonotis-leonarus-lions-tail/) - Leonotis leonarus (Zones 7-10) is an easy shrub with deep green leaves & showy orange flowers. Native to South Africa, it attracts hummingbirds & butterflies
- [Lemon Queen Sunflower (Helianthus)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/07/07/lemon-queen-sunflower-helianthus/) - Lemon Queen sunflower is a pale yellow multi-branched sunflower that grows to 8 feet and produces an abundance of bottom-to-top flowers over a long bloom period
- [Chicken Mystery Solved (Sort of)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/09/07/chicken-mystery-solved-sort-of/) - Turns out the tiny mystery chicken that made itself at home with our flock is a hen and doing her best to earn her keep by laying some adorably tiny eggs.
- [Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/07/25/yerba-mansa-anemopsis-californica/) - A low maintenance native of the American southwest and northern Mexico, Yerba Mansa is an attractive trailing plant that grows along creeks and in shallow water
- [Recipe: Old Fashioned Ketchup (c. 1915)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/08/25/old-fashioned-ketchup-recipe-1915/) - Wonder how classic, homemade American ketchup tastes? It tastes like awesome! If you've got a few tomatoes, here's a simple, delicious ketchup recipe from 1915.
- [Post Hurricane Tomato Explosion](https://sagesacre.com/2023/08/21/post-hurricane-tomato-explosion/) - Tropical Storm Hilary was a bust except for the water. 2" of rain in 12 hrs has our tomatoes bursting like a tourist's pants at an all-you-can-eat Vegas buffet.
- [Sunset Before the Storm](https://sagesacre.com/2023/08/20/sunset-before-the-storm/) - This was the sunset in Northern San Diego County just before Hurricane Hilary arrived. It almost looks painted.
- [Garden Hack: Made in the Shade](https://sagesacre.com/2023/08/11/garden-hack-made-in-the-shade/) - Don't let late summer heat fry your flowers and vegetables. Here are four easy methods to throw a little shade on your garden and keep it producing into autumn
- [Mystery Chicken](https://sagesacre.com/2023/08/06/mystery-chicken/) - Walked out to the chicken coop yesterday to be greeted by a tiny black speckled chicken waiting to get in. I have no idea where it came from or what breed it is
- [Found: One strange bird](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/15/found-one-strange-bird/) - A white Guinea hen showed up yesterday and made itself at home. It looks like an overweight bowling pin and makes more noise than all the roosters combined.
- [The ROI of Growing Your Own Beans](https://sagesacre.com/2023/08/02/the-roi-of-growing-your-own-beans/) - Fresh food is expensive and only getting more so. But does it make sense to grow your own beans when they’re so cheap to buy? We did the math, and the answer is
- [Cucumber Overload](https://sagesacre.com/2023/07/31/cucumber-overload/) - Don't you hate it when you forget to harvest the cucumbers for a couple days and they take advantage by turning into fat, blimp-shaped melons?
- [Big Red Bell Peppers Smile Back at You](https://sagesacre.com/2023/07/13/big-red-bell-peppers-smile-back-at-you/) - Sure, it's hotter than Hades, but it's hard not to smile when you've got bell peppers smiling back at you. These are "big red," an open pollinated type.
- [A Baby Prickly Pear (Opuntia)](https://sagesacre.com/2023/06/01/a-baby-prickly-pear-opuntia/) - Came across a baby opuntia (prickly pear cactus) hiding among the red onions in the vegetable garden (thanks scrub jays). It's relocating to the dry garden now.
- [Happy Memorial Day Weekend 2023](https://sagesacre.com/2023/05/26/happy-memorial-day-weekend-2023/) - The flag is now up, so it’s officially Memorial Day weekend. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off. Also, it’s okay to wear white now.
- [Make a Speaker Holder From a Gourd](https://sagesacre.com/2023/05/23/make-a-speaker-holder-from-a-gourd/) - Forget birdhouses, planters, and little art pieces. I turned a bowl gourd into something really useful -- a holder for my bluetooth speaker in the greenhouse.
- [This is California Native Plant Week (2023)](https://sagesacre.com/2021/04/19/this-is-california-native-plant-week/) - This week is California Native Plant Week, and San Diego is a standout for its beautiful, fragrant and diverse range of natives. Here's a few in our landscape
- [I Think We're Being Watched](https://sagesacre.com/2023/04/05/i-think-were-being-watched/) - Bad Buff and Buffy the Corn Slayer are always standing outside our sunroom window and staring in. I'm not paranoid. I know they're plotting something.
- [R.I.P. Gaucho the Magnificent Chicken](https://sagesacre.com/2023/03/31/r-i-p-gaucho-the-magnificent-chicken/) - Gaucho the Magnificent Bantam Rooster died in March of 2023 at age 15. He passed peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his hens, Buffy, Bad Buff, and Wynona.
- [Making Chicken Feed](https://sagesacre.com/2023/02/03/making-chicken-feed/) - Learn how to provide your chickens with extra nutrition and save some money by sprouting or fermenting grains.
- [Vegetable Garden Kickoff - 2023](https://sagesacre.com/2023/03/21/vegetable-garden-kickoff-2023/) - Here's how this committed procrastinator and all around lazy man got his vegetable garden cleaned, refreshed and ready just in time for the first day of spring
- [An Atmospheric River Makes a Real One](https://sagesacre.com/2023/03/15/an-atmospheric-river-makes-a-real-one/) - All the rain not only created a ground squirrel clearing spring creek, but it also unearthed a strange, blue-eyed relic from a long time ago.
- [Batch 22 Hot Sauce - Entry 7 - Bottling Part 1](https://sagesacre.com/2023/02/14/batch-22-hot-sauce-entry-7-bottling-part-1/) - After 191 days of fermentation, I'm pulling Batch 22 hot sauce out of the fermenter and bottling it. Cayenne-Thai peppers with fresh garlic aged on toasted oak.
- [Mini-Greenhouse Garden Hack](https://sagesacre.com/2023/01/26/mini-greenhouse-garden-hack/) - Here's an easy way to get a few weeks headstart on the gardening season with this easy, efficient mini greenhouse made with a roofing panel and coat hangar.
- [Self-Starting Winter Tomatoes](https://sagesacre.com/2023/01/19/self-starting-winter-tomatoes/) - Despite 10 inches of rain and freezing nights, the keyhole garden continues to defy expectations. Here are Tigerella tomato seedings sprouting in mid-January.
- [Let's Get Cloning](https://sagesacre.com/2017/02/17/winter-is-the-time-to-propagate-plants/) - Propagating new plants from cuttings is cheap, easy and a great garden activity for winter
- [Christmas Cactus and a Bear](https://sagesacre.com/2022/12/31/christmas-cactus-and-a-bear/) - Got a Christmas Cactus from the $1 bin at the nursery in 2019 and wanted to show how nice it looked in bloom. All the camera wanted was the bear on its back
- [How to Refresh a Keyhole Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2022/12/28/how-to-refresh-a-keyhole-garden/) - Keyhole gardens produce an amazing amount of food with little effort, but to keep them productive, you'll want to renew the bed every now and then. Here's how.
- [Merry Christmas Everyone!](https://sagesacre.com/2022/12/25/merry-christmas-everyone/) - Whatever your beliefs and however you celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful holiday and spend it with the people you love the most!
- [Last Sunset of Autumn 2022](https://sagesacre.com/2022/12/21/last-sunset-of-autumn-2022/) - Did you feel Autumn pass into winter today? Me neither, but I did catch the last sunset of Fall last night. Also, this Christmas weekend looks to be wonderful.
- [Batch 22 Hot Sauce - Entry 6](https://sagesacre.com/2022/12/07/batch-22-hot-sauce-entry-6/) - Picked the final batch of fresh hot peppers and split the fermenting peppers into 2 batches so I could add more to each before they go to rest for the winter.
- [Gray Day, Orange Aloe](https://sagesacre.com/2022/12/12/gray-day-orange-aloe/) - This little 6" orange marmalade aloe chose the biggest Pacific storm of the year as the perfect time to put out this foot tall bright fuchsia bloom.
- [San Onofre Poinsettia Fields in 1941](https://sagesacre.com/2022/12/05/san-onofre-poinsettia-fields-in-1941/) - A 1941 photo postcard of hundreds of acres of poinsettias in bloom on the San Diego coast where Camp Pendleton and San Onofre State Beach are now located.
- [The Super Bowl keyhole garden](https://sagesacre.com/2022/12/02/the-super-bowl-keyhole-garden/) - The keyhole garden planted for Super Bowl. All the veggies we need for garlic-cheese potatoes, nachos, and a vegetable tray (if I could grow queso, I would) .
- [Last Tomatoes for 2022](https://sagesacre.com/2022/11/30/last-tomatoes-for-2022/) - I was doing one last late autumn veggie garden inspection before I sent the chickens in for cleanup and found a Roma tomato still churning out tomatoes! ??
- [Poinsettia Rescue Two Years Later](https://sagesacre.com/2022/11/28/poinsettia-rescue-two-years-later/) - I bought a mostly dead stick of a poinsettia after Christmas in 2020 for 93¢. This is that little rescue 2 Christmas' later. Bounced back pretty good I'd say.
- [Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Inspection](https://sagesacre.com/2022/11/20/thanksgiving-sweet-potato-inspection/) - Whew! After inspection, the doxies have determined our freshly harvested sweet potatoes are not cheese or anything wrapped in bacon, so Thanksgiving is safe.
- [A Squash Family Thanksgiving Photo](https://sagesacre.com/2022/11/15/a-squash-family-thankgiving-photo/) - Picked what remained of the butternut squash (pumpkin pie!). Same grandparents as the "mystery pumpkins" from a couple weeks ago, so this is a family photo.
- [A Five Star Bee Hotel](https://sagesacre.com/2022/11/12/a-five-star-bee-hotel/) - I built a bee hotel to shelter the native bees of California and the Southwest. This fall, it's proving to be a very popular spot. Here's what I learned.
- [Batch 22 Hot Sauce - Entry 4](https://sagesacre.com/2022/09/28/batch-22-hot-sauce-entry-4/) - Topped off 1 gallon of Batch 22 fermented hot sauce with fresh peppers over the weekend. This will rest for a couple weeks before moving to the big fermenter.
- [Batch 22 Hot Sauce - Entry 5](https://sagesacre.com/2022/10/24/batch-22-hot-sauce-entry-5/) - The Indian summer could have put Batch 22 hot sauce into fermentation overdrive. Instead the pepper plants flowered again, so it's going to be Batch 22 x 2!
- [A Bell Pepper Wonder](https://sagesacre.com/2022/10/20/a-bell-pepper-wonder/) - All the Calif. Wonder bell peppers in the keyhole garden are the usual green except for this guy. He started to go orange but stopped halfway. Weird. I like it.
- [Sunset With Spider Silhouette](https://sagesacre.com/2022/10/13/sunset-with-spider-silhouette/) - I see a spectacular Pacific sunset in a late season thunderstorm. My wife sees a giant spider that's going to try to kill her. Eye of the beholder, I guess.
- [Good Gourd, Will You Look at That?](https://sagesacre.com/2022/10/11/good-gourd-will-you-look-at-that/) - Autumn is here and the gourds in the hanging garden are dying back to reveal a menagerie of bottle, birdhouse, luffa, and canteen gourds waiting to be picked.
- [All Hail Gaucho](https://sagesacre.com/2022/10/06/all-hail-gaucho/) - Alexander rode an elephant; Caesar a gold chariot. Napoleon preferred a stallion. Gaucho, Chicken Emperor of the Acre, likes a wheelbarrow loaded with compost.
- [How to Make Banana Chips](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/03/how-to-make-banana-chips/) - Bananas going brown? Forget making more banana bread, try making banana chips. They're dead simple to make and taste delicious. Here's how to make them.
- [Video: Gopher vs Banana Tree](https://sagesacre.com/2021/01/05/video-gopher-vs-banana-tree/) - Gophers may be small, but that doesn't mean their damage is. Here's what one did to a 20 foot tall banana stalk.
- [He's Got High Hopes](https://sagesacre.com/2022/09/27/hes-got-high-hopes/) - I ordered a cold beer for a warm autumn afternoon, but before I could get a sip, this ant kamikazed into it. My wife shrugged and said "well, he's ambitious."
- [Plain Old Burlap: The Most Versatile Plant Protection](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/18/plain-old-burlap-the-most-versatile-plant-protection/) - When it comes to protecting plants and seedlings from nature, burlap is an eco-friendly, versatile and inexpensive choice. Here's how you can use it.
- [Last Sunset of Summer 2022](https://sagesacre.com/2022/09/22/last-sunset-of-summer-2022/) - There it is, the last sunset of the summer of `22. Nothing spectacular, but watching old Sol sink into the Pacific one to close the season was nice anyway.
- [How To Make Old Fashioned Summer Pickles](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/19/making-summer-pickles/) - A simple, authentic dill pickle recipe from 1903 to maximize summer cucumber harvest. Only requires cucumbers, water, salt, vinegar and dill. No fridge needed.
- [That's Good Compost](https://sagesacre.com/2022/09/16/thats-good-compost/) - That's no simple pile of dirt! That's a mound of super rich, composted chicken manure and straw "bricks" to recharge the spent beds in the vegetable garden.
- [Odd Pumpkin Squash](https://sagesacre.com/2022/09/14/odd-pumpkin-squash/) - I'm not a detective, but I think those seeds from last year's perfect pumpkin may have cross-bred with another squash. Green Jack O' Lanterns for Halloween.
- [Batch 22 Hot Sauce - Entry 3](https://sagesacre.com/2022/09/12/batch-22-hot-sauce-entry-3/) - Last week's heatwave got the peppers fermenting too fast, so we reduced the 3rd addition of fresh peppers from 16 to 12oz. Hopefully that will slow it down.
- [The End of a Long Dry Spell](https://sagesacre.com/2022/09/10/the-end-of-a-long-dry-spell/) - Tropical Storm Kay broke the dry spell and washed the plants in the garden. No rain since March, so tho was only 1/2-in, we'll take the full rain barrels!
- [A Little Tomato Please](https://sagesacre.com/2022/08/29/a-little-tomato-please/) - Started harvesting in the little tomato garden today. Can you spot the 3 types (pear, grape and cherry) in the pic? Weird how they're all named for other fruit.
- [August Tomato Haul](https://sagesacre.com/2022/08/26/august-tomato-haul/) - It's a big weekend of saucing & canning tomatoes (all grown from seed collected last year!). Varieties from front to back: Celebrity, Black Krim, and Costaluto.
- [Batch 22 Hot Sauce - Entry 2](https://sagesacre.com/2022/08/22/batch-22-hot-sauce-entry-2/) - The second pepper addition to batch 22 of the fermented hot sauce. After 12 more weeks of fresh pepper additions we'll send it off to finish over the winter.
- [Goldfinches on Basil](https://sagesacre.com/2022/08/18/goldfinches-on-basil/) - One advantage to letting basil go to seed is a garden visited by chatty little goldfinches like these who fill the air with happy twitters. No app required.
- [Gourmet Lunch](https://sagesacre.com/2022/08/11/gourmet-lunch/) - Tomato skins and bolted lettuce may not be a the top of your list when it comes to lunch, but for the ducks and chickens it's a five star meal.
- [How to Build a Keyhole Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/04/build-a-keyhole-garden/) - Build a super productive keyhole garden using cedar fence boards and pipe strapping. Total cost is about $200. Here's complete instructions on how to do it.
- [Making Batch 22 Fermented Hot Sauce](https://sagesacre.com/2022/08/08/making-batch-22-fermented-hot-sauce/) - For Batch 22, I'm using Cayenne/Thai peppers from 2 year-old plants. I hope they add some interesting flavor notes to the 6-month long hot sauce fermentation.
- [Early August Sunset in San Diego](https://sagesacre.com/2022/08/04/early-august-sunset-in-san-diego/) - Sunset over the Pacific in northern San Diego county. The sun is already below the horizon, but what light is left reflects off the ocean and into the clouds.
- [Pepper Plants Celebrate Their 2nd Birthday With More Peppers](https://sagesacre.com/2022/08/03/pepper-plants-celebrate-their-2nd-birthday-with-more-peppers/) - These 2-year old pepper plants have been frozen, burned, dried, drowned, and attacked by rodents from above and below. Ugly plants, but look at those peppers!
- [The Difference a Month in the Vegetable Garden Makes](https://sagesacre.com/2022/07/25/the-difference-a-month-in-the-vegetable-garden-makes/) - Before & After photos of the south vegetable garden in June and July of 2022. Despite heavy losses to ground squirrels, the garden is still going strong.
- [Ducks and a Dog](https://sagesacre.com/2022/07/14/ducks-and-a-dog/) - A group of our ducks have figured out how to squeeze under the fence to get up to the koi pond is. What they haven't figured out is how to get past the dog yet.
- [How to Make A Butterfly House](https://sagesacre.com/2021/05/15/how-to-make-a-butterfly-house/) - Sustainable gardens need pollinators. Encourage butterflies with flowers for food and get them to stay with a simple butterfly house you can make for only $3!
- [Summer with Sunflowers](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/21/summer-with-sunflowers/) - Celebrating summer with a photo gallery of all the varieties of sunflowers growing on the Acre. (Links to the seed sources are included in the post.)
- [How to Tell When Onions are Ready to Harvest](https://sagesacre.com/2021/07/27/how-to-tell-when-onions-are-ready-to-harvest/) - Knowing when to harvest onions for peak flavor can be tricky, but with a few tips from a real onion farmer, they're super easy to perfectly pick and store.
- [A great time of year](https://sagesacre.com/2022/07/11/a-great-time-of-year/) - Early summer is the best. The days are warm and pleasant, and a walk through the garden is a trip to the freshest, fullest farmer's market on the planet.
- [Getting Help on a New Hugelkultur Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2022/07/07/getting-help-on-a-new-hugelkultur-garden/) - My new hugelskultur garden is proving to be more complicated than I thought. Not because the garden is hard, but because the chickens won't get out of the way.
- [Cashflow Zucchini is a Winner](https://sagesacre.com/2022/07/06/cashflow-zucchini-is-a-winner/) - Cashflow Zucchini is a highly productive, compact zucchini that will keep you in fresh veggies all summer long.
- [Remembering Less Squirrely Times](https://sagesacre.com/2022/06/03/remembering-less-squirrely-times/) - This year we're overrun by ground squirrels, but we used to have the best squirrel control ever -- dachshunds! Check out the video to see why.
- [Gaucho the Immortal](https://sagesacre.com/2022/05/22/gaucho-the-immortal/) - Me and Gaucho have been friends for over 14 years and he still follows me around the yard today. As chickens go, he's one of the best.
- [The Incredible Productivity of the Keyhole Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2022/05/17/the-incredible-productivity-of-the-keyhole-garden/) - I get almost 5 pounds of fresh vegetables and herbs per square foot from this simple, organic, and sustainable keyhole garden raised bed, and you can too!
- [Lessons from the Keyhole Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/07/lessons-from-the-keyhole-garden/) - A year after building my keyhole garden I've learned a few lessons. Here's a quick list of tips to keep your keyhole garden happy and productive all year round.
- [The Keyhole Garden's Second Anniversary](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/26/the-keyhole-gardens-second-anniversary/) - This week is the 2nd anniversary of the keyhole garden. By my estimates, after 725 days of continuous production, we’ve raised 36 crops and harvested over 150 lbs of herbs and veggies from this 50sq ft space.
- [Time to Get This Garden Started](https://sagesacre.com/2022/03/12/time-to-get-this-garden-started-2022/) - After a rough hot/cold winter that killed 3 separate rounds of seedlings, I'm trying again to get the vegetable garden started before spring.
- [Early Start on Spring](https://sagesacre.com/2022/02/03/early-start-on-spring/) - Mid-winter has too many cold-hot swings to get seedlings started in my unheated greenhouse, so I use milk-jug greenhouses to get a jump on spring. Here's how.
- [Rosy Fingered Dawn](https://sagesacre.com/2022/01/20/rosy-fingered-dawn/) - Eos, goddess of dawn, using her rosy-fingered powers to chase away the mists of night so her brother Helios can rise and make his daily journey across the sky
- [Raised Bed Chickens](https://sagesacre.com/2022/01/16/raised-bed-chickens/) - In winter we open the vegetable garden to the poultry. The chickens have already cleaned the artichoke beds and are taking a dust bath and fertilizer break before moving on.
- [Last Sunset of 2021](https://sagesacre.com/2021/12/31/last-sunset-of-2021/) - The last sunset of 2021. Photo taken at 4:53PM about 45 miles north of San Diego looking west toward the Pacific Ocean which is just over the hills.
- [The Decisions Ducks Make](https://sagesacre.com/2021/12/31/the-decisions-ducks-make/) - A week of rain, 3 inches of cold mud and slop. The ducks couldn't be happier.
- [A Gaggle of Gourds](https://sagesacre.com/2021/11/10/a-gaggle-of-gourds/) - Yes, I've neglected the yard all autumn. Fortunately, the gourds in the hanging garden don't seem to care. Can you count the number of varieties in this photo?
- [The Greenhouse is All Potential](https://sagesacre.com/2021/10/20/the-greenhouse-is-all-potential/) - The greenhouse is empty in summer but in fall all the tender plants migrate back to it. It's dirty, sad now, but this weekend it'll be clean and in full leaf.
- [Sort of office mates](https://sagesacre.com/2021/10/13/sort-of-office-mates/) - Working from home a lot of people get interrupted by dogs, kids, and the occasional leaf blower. Me, I've got an entirely different problem outside my office.
- [First run of Batch 21 Fermented Hot Sauce](https://sagesacre.com/2021/10/05/first-run-of-batch-21-fermented-hot-sauce/) - I am continuously fermenting the hot peppers, adding fresh peppers every week, and pulling half after 4 week's time to turn into hot sauce. This is round 1.
- [The Last Summer Sunset of 2021](https://sagesacre.com/2021/10/05/the-last-summer-sunset-of-2021/) - The last sunset of the summer of 2021 right at twilight. That orange glow is the sun sinking into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oceanside, CA
- [Ducks of Summer](https://sagesacre.com/2021/09/16/ducks-of-summer/) - Three months ago they were just yellow puffs. Now summer's gone, mom's back with her flock. and they're big ducks living life on their own (but still together).
- [Batch 21 Begins](https://sagesacre.com/2021/08/30/batch-21-begins/) - Batch 21 of my fermented hot sauce begins! This year it's a 100% cayenne/Thai pepper hybrid. We start the ferment today with 12 ounces of fresh peppers in brine
- [Picked a Peck of Peppers](https://sagesacre.com/2021/08/18/picked-a-peck-of-peppers/) - August's hot, dry, sunny weather is no friend of these cubanelle sweet peppers. Even with shade they burn, so we picked them all to roast, pickle and dehydrate.
- [Zipper Spider in the Oregano](https://sagesacre.com/2021/08/13/zipper-spider-in-the-oregano/) - A big black & yellow zipper spider in the oregano. This one is about 2" leg to leg. Big, but better than those fat orb weavers that string webs head high.
- [Live Alligator in the Garage](https://sagesacre.com/2021/08/10/live-alligator-in-the-garage/) - Had a standoff with this alligator lizard at the garage door this morning. He wasn't as committed as I was, because he blinked first, then turned tail and ran.
- [The Gorgeous Symmetry of the Sunflower](https://sagesacre.com/2021/08/04/the-gorgeous-symmetry-of-the-sunflower/) - Find the pattern of sunflower seeds in a drying head attractive and fascinating? It's because you're looking at nature's golden ratio, the Fibonnaci sequence
- [The Tomatoing Begins](https://sagesacre.com/2021/08/02/the-tomatoing-begins/) - Our first 2 tomato harvests gave us over 40lbs of Chef's Choice, Heinz, Roma & Tiren, which are about to be processed and jarred as sauce for fall and winter
- [A Bunch of Grapes](https://sagesacre.com/2021/07/30/a-bunch-of-grapes/) - I thought I was being nice to the chickens by letting them under the grapes to scratch around. Feathered Monsters picked the vines clean. I have 1 bunch left.
- [Hanging Gourd Garden 2.0 - Early Summer](https://sagesacre.com/2021/07/19/hanging-gourd-garden-2-0-early-summer/) - The gourd garden a month ago & today. These bottle, birdhouse, dipper and luffa vines shade this bed through the summer letting us grow cooler season crops.
- [That's a Nice Tomatillo You Have](https://sagesacre.com/2021/07/14/thats-a-nice-tomatillo-you-have/) - My wife says I have a one track mind. Truth aside, I think any reasonable person would notice this purple tomatillo has a really nice butt.
- [Video: Duckling vs Chicken Battle](https://sagesacre.com/2021/07/07/video-duckling-vs-chicken-battle/) - If you substitute old zucchini for pizza, ducklings for children, and chickens for strangers, this video could be 20 seconds at any Chuck E Cheez.
- [Splendid Summer's Day](https://sagesacre.com/2021/07/05/splendid-summers-day/) - Blue Skies, green trees and a big sunflower standing watch over the vegetable garden. Pretty much looks like this summer's day feels.
- [Summer Chicken Salad](https://sagesacre.com/2021/07/02/summer-chicken-salad/) - We waste very little food thanks to our chickens. For example, here are Gaucho, Buffy and Summer with a fresh summer salad of overgrown zucchini and cucumbers.
- [So That's Why It's Called Bee Balm](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/30/so-thats-why-its-called-bee-balm/) - After a two-year wait, the bergamot (monarda) finally flowered. I thought it would bring butterflies, but now I know why it's called "bee balm".
- [Blackberry Raspberry Jam](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/25/blackberry-raspberry-jam/) - Picked a little over 11 pounds of blackberries and raspberries for this year's jam session. There's still plenty of berries left on the vines so we're going to try and make blackberry wine for the first time.
- [Hanging Gourd Garden 2.0](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/18/hanging-gourd-garden-2-0/) - Pulled last year's dried gourds off the trellis to make way for this year's vines in the hanging garden. Now I've got a wheelbarrow full of gourds.
- [Video: A final walk through the hanging gourd garden](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/13/video-a-final-walk-through-the-hanging-gourd-garden/) - Winter is well on it's way and the wind and weather are taking their toll on the hanging gourd garden. Here's a final walk through the garden before it's gone for another year.
- [First ducklings of 2021](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/17/first-ducklings-of-2021/) - Hard to tell from the photo, but that's a mama duck and (at least) two new babies in a nest in the lavender. Check them on the live stream in a few days.
- [When is it too much Basil?](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/15/when-is-it-too-much-basil/) - I think basil might not be bound by the laws of physics. I planted just six 4-inch pots where I planted 18 the year before. The results were the same.
- [Tapas Time!](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/14/tapas-time/) - Got a few extra veggies but don't know what to do? Make pinchos de encurtidos (a type of tapas). Easy & delicious, they're great with cheese and charcuterie.
- [In Praise of Sundays](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/13/in-praise-of-sundays/) - I love the garden and the sound of Sunday morning silence. No cars on the road, no planes overhead, the people are still sleeping. No sound save a few birds getting a start on the day. This morning it's late spring and the vegetable garden is just getting to peak. The tomatoes are like The
- [Go Ahead, Pickle It!](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/12/go-ahead-pickle-it/) - Long before refrigeration pickling was the way to preserve food and keep it flavorful. Super simple, you can create any great pickled food yourself. Here's how
- [Bog Sage](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/28/bog-sage/) - Got this particular sage from a local herb grower. As the name "bog sage" implies, it likes it's feet a little damper than most sages. The bright blue flowers are remarkable this time of year.
- [Scallop not Straightneck](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/10/scallop-not-straightneck/) - Surprise! Turns out, my squash are scallop not straightneck squash. (Pro tip: when storing seeds for next season, make sure you label them correctly.)
- [One that got away from me](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/09/one-that-got-away-from-me/) - It's that time of year where you really, really need to check the zucchini daily. Obviously, I didn't. Woops.
- [Summer Pickle Time](https://sagesacre.com/2021/06/08/summer-pickle-time/) - Since we're trying not to let anything go to waste, I'm packing all these extra cucumbers to make summer pickles. It's an old recipe that's easy and very tasty!
- [Be Not Bee](https://sagesacre.com/2021/05/29/be-not-bee/) - I took a bunch of photos of my Golden dewdrop covered blue flowers to show how many bees were in it. This is the only pic I got of one and it's not even a bee.
- [Zukes n' Cukes](https://sagesacre.com/2021/05/24/zukes-n-cukes/) - Mid-spring and the veggie garden is in high gear. The zucchini (an 8-Ball / Striata di Italia cross) and the cucumber (a German heirloom) look splendid.
- [Sweet Corn Coming In](https://sagesacre.com/2021/05/20/sweet-corn-coming-in/) - The sweet corn is coming in. I don't remember what kind, but it's got blonde roots and red tips. It's sort of like my girlfriend in the 80's.
- [Berry Season](https://sagesacre.com/2021/05/17/berry-season/) - What do you think? Maybe a week more and it's berry season?
- [Video: Batch 20 Hot Sauce Bottled and Ready](https://sagesacre.com/2021/04/30/video-batch-20-hot-sauce-bottled-and-ready/) - The 20th edition of my slow ferment hot sauce. It's funky, fruity with a medium heat on the back. BBQ worthy for sure! See how to make your own in the video.
- [Video: Hot Pepper Cadets Class of 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/12/video-hot-pepper-cadets-class-of-2020/) - The candidates for this year's 20th anniversary batch of slow fermented hot sauce include a super-sized batch of my Thai/Cayenne cross and a Honduran pepper called "culebra negra" (black snake).
- [Food Garden 2021 - Week 3](https://sagesacre.com/2021/04/26/food-garden-2021-week-3/) - 3 weeks in our suburban grow all our own food plan and we're off to a good start. Veggie garden and berries are good & the keyhole garden is lush as a jungle
- [Gourd Garden on the Fence](https://sagesacre.com/2021/04/11/gourd-garden-on-the-fence/) - We're cleaning up last year's hanging gourd garden to make way for this year's. Since many of the gourds aren't fully dried just yet, we're hanging them on the fence to let them finish. But as you can see in the video, there are plenty more still overhead.
- [Compost Inspectors](https://sagesacre.com/2021/04/21/compost-inspectors/) - I find it quite reassuring that once I'm done shifting compost from one bit to the other, there's an inspection crew standing by to make sure I did it right.
- [Orange Snow](https://sagesacre.com/2021/04/14/orange-snow/) - Forget the cold and wet stuff. Here in spring the orange blossoms carpet the ground like a snow made of sweet citrus petals. The scent is amazing.
- [Smoke from Spicy Oak](https://sagesacre.com/2021/04/08/smoke-from-spicy-oak/) - Smoking a pork butt with toasted oak soaked in fermenting hot peppers for 4 months. The oak's vanilla and the pepper's grassy funk should come together in pulled pork in some exciting ways.
- [The Bee Hotel Has Guests](https://sagesacre.com/2021/04/05/the-bee-hotel-has-occupants/) - Last year I built a bee hotel in the hope of giving a few of our native bees nest space. Looks like it worked, because I can see the work of mason bees in a few of the holes!
- [The Start of a Native Flower Field?](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/29/the-start-of-a-native-flower-field/) - I think the California native flowers are finally overtaking the thistle and mustard. A dry winter early and a wet one late may have been just what they needed.
- [Video: Mystery Chicken](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/19/video-mystery-chicken/) - Every so often, critters, like my mother-in-law, show up uninvited and decide to stay. This time it's something else. Can you tell who the interloper is?
- [Happiness is a full rain barrel (x3)](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/16/happiness-is-a-full-rain-barrel-x3/) - When you live in a state of perpetual drought, there's no better feeling than starting the spring garden with 3(!) rain barrels full of free water.
- [Simple Pleasures of Citrus](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/13/simple-pleasures-of-citrus/) - The only thing better than the smell of a citrus tree in bloom on a clear morning after a rain is the smell of a whole orchard of citrus trees in bloom.
- [Garden Hack: The easy way to get rid of small trees](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/12/garden-hack-the-easy-way-to-get-rid-of-small-trees/) - If you've got a problem with pesky trees that keep growing in places you don't want, here's an easy, no dig method to get rid of them once and for all.
- [Getting Gourds Going](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/04/getting-gourds-going/) - The gourds from last year's hanging garden are still drying on the vine, but I'm getting this year's vines started now. This year I'm adding luffa to the mix.
- [My Keyhole Garden Through the Year](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/29/my-keyhole-garden-through-the-year/) - Earlier this year I decided to build a keyhole. I'll post on my results later, but here's photos of it throughout it's first growing season
- [Happy 13th Hatchday to Gaucho the Rooster](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/07/happy-13th-hatchday-to-gaucho-the-rooster/) - A happy 13th hatchday to Gaucho the bantam rooster. He looks as fantastic today as he did when he was just a young cock of the walk. See him on Chickencam.
- [Over-Achieving Aeonium](https://sagesacre.com/2021/03/05/over-achieving-aeonium/) - A little Aeonium volunteer escaped from the succulent garden. They're pesky here so normally they're tossed. But it looks so good I'm letting it stay (for now).
- [It's Not Spring Yet](https://sagesacre.com/2021/02/24/its-not-spring-yet/) - The daytime weather says it's summer (75F/24C) but last night says it's still winter (37F/3C). Sorry. Sigh... Just a few more weeks guys.
- [Clockvine Monster](https://sagesacre.com/2014/07/06/clockvine-monster/) - Believe it or not, somewhere under that monster Thunbergia gregorii is a 10' x 20' x 8' chain link enclosure designed to keep the ducks safe from coyotes at night. 10 years ago I planted two one gallon pots holding vines that might have been 1 foot tall at the time. I never water these
- [Video: Stampede!](https://sagesacre.com/2021/01/21/video-stampede/) - Way out West where the skies are big and the poultry run free, an excitement builds each dawn. Join us for the thrilling adventure of Stampede!
- [Keyhole Garden Mid-Winter Maintenance](https://sagesacre.com/2021/01/29/keyhole-garden-mid-winter-maintenance/) - The secret to keeping the keyhole garden productive year round is a happy compost bin in the middle. Today we checked on how the compost was doing. #happyworms
- [You got your Rosemary in my Lantana](https://sagesacre.com/2021/02/18/you-got-your-rosemary-in-my-lantana/) - My neighbor's rosemary creeped down my slope and my lantana creeped up hers. Somewhere in the middle the met and now they're both in bloom. A happy coincidence.
- [Video: 40 Seconds of Silence](https://sagesacre.com/2021/02/16/video-40-seconds-of-silence/) - Some mornings the world seems to have stopped. It rained a bit last night, but the morning brought clear blue skies, sun and near silence save for a few birds.
- [February Friday Sunset](https://sagesacre.com/2021/02/13/february-friday-sunset/) - A painted sunset on a mid-February Friday evening looking due west. Spectacular colors courtesy of high clouds over the Pacific Ocean (about 10 miles away).
- [First Tomato of the Season](https://sagesacre.com/2021/02/08/first-tomato-of-the-season/) - I have a friendly competition with my neighbor to see who can grow the first ripe tomatoes of the season. I usually lose. This time I sowed seed back in early December and, despite losing all but one plant (a Tigerella), I spotted my first baby green fruit this weekend.
- [Sansevieria Picture Window](https://sagesacre.com/2021/02/05/sansevieria-picture-window/) - I made some planters from the flower stalk of a giant agave, and put Sansevieria in them. The view from our picture window into the shade garden now has a Jurassic jungle feel.
- [Avian Crime Scene](https://sagesacre.com/2021/01/30/avian-crime-scene/) - Riley the Rooster investigates the site of a confrontation between a Eurasian collared dove and a Cooper's hawk moments ago. There's no question who won.
- [Winter in San Diego](https://sagesacre.com/2021/01/26/winter-in-san-diego/) - A week of hot Santa Ana winds followed by a brutal storm with high winds, heavy rain and, just to top it off, freezing temperatures. Welcome to San Diego.
- [Chickcam is Dead. Long Live Chickencam!](https://sagesacre.com/2021/01/24/chickcam-is-dead-long-live-chickencam/) - My old live stream camera, finally died, so I built a new one with a Raspberry Pi . Now I've got a HD live feed from the poultry yard for just $53. Here's how:
- [Video: Windy Day](https://sagesacre.com/2021/01/20/video-windy-day/) - We've got some pretty strong Santa Anas blowing today. It's hard to tell from this video, but those fan palms are close to 60 feet tall and swaying more than 20 feet in either direction in the gusts.
- [Warm is a Relative Term](https://sagesacre.com/2021/01/13/warm-is-a-relative-term/) - Southeast Idaho at 6,500ft in elevation about 70 miles west of Jackson, Wyoming. It's 10am and it's 15° F. I was told by a local resident that they were having an "unusually warm" winter just like we are down in San Diego wheres it's 77° F. "Warm" is obviously a relative term.
- [Baby Aeonium](https://sagesacre.com/2021/01/07/baby-aeonium/) - Here's a baby aeonium I found in some rocks. Hard to believe that it's had no water or soil for nearly four months, because it looks absolutely radiant.
- [Last Sunset of 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/12/31/last-sunset-of-2020/) - Looking west-southwest just before 5PM Pacific, the suns sets for the last time in 2020 on December 31. The other side of those hills is the Pacific Ocean.
- [Christmas Rescue 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/12/30/christmas-rescue-2020/) - In keeping with a long tradition of saving post-Christmas plants from the trash bin, this year's rescue is a 93 cent bargain. It's 4-inch tall poinsettia in a silver 2-inch pot that's definitely seen better days. It has one green leaf and a few red bracts still hanging on, probably because they've been sprayed with
- [Christmas Rescue 2018](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/21/christmas-rescue-2018/) - My wife likes to justify her post-Christmas bargain hunting by bringing home an abused and deeply-discounted Christmas plant for me to save. Sometimes it's a rosemary trimmed in the shape of a little Christmas tree, an easy save, sometimes it's a spruce, a plant wholly unsuited for San Diego's desert climate and therefore a hard
- [Christmas Cactus Then and Now](https://sagesacre.com/2020/12/07/christmas-cactus-then-and-now/) - Rescued a baby Christmas Cactus from a near-dumpster experience last year and brought it home. This year it's rewarding us with a Christmas red and candy pink and white display.
- [Happy First Day of Winter](https://sagesacre.com/2020/12/21/happy-first-day-of-winter/) - Yes, this is the actual temperature in San Diego just before noon on December 21, 2020.
- [Orange Marmalade Aloe in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2020/12/17/orange-marmalade-aloe-in-bloom/) - Walked into my greenhouse and there it was -- a glowing nuclear alien aloe with a 12" stalk as candy orange as the plant itself. So I took a few minutes out of whatever
- [Keyhole Garden Update - December 2, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/12/02/keyhole-garden-update-december-2-2020/) - Gardener’s Log : Keyhole Garden day 610. Weird weather--hot days, near freezing nights--has put a squeeze on the keyhole garden's output.
- [Peppers are Pooped Out](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/30/peppers-are-pooped-out/) - It has come to my attention that my Central American "Culebra Negra" peppers are not at all happy about the cold weather. It's the end of November so we've had a couple of near-freezing nights with 34° to 37°F lows right before dawn, but nothing that I would consider a hard frost. The Hidden Lake
- [Thanksgiving Day Prep - Homemade Stuffing](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/25/thanksgiving-day-prep-homemade-stuffing/) - We don't grow wheat or make flour, but we do make bread, and, along with some herbs from the garden, a base for amazing for stuffing for the Thanksgiving turkey. The recipe is simple and straightforward. Once you've made your own croutons you'll never go back to store bought.
- [Thanksgiving Prep - Green Beans](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/22/thanksgiving-prep-green-beans/) - The best green bean casserole calls for fresh picked green beans, so we're picking the last of the pole beans. It's not easy to keep them growing this late in the year, but I've found that these Forex beans will produce right up to Thanksgiving
- [Thanksgiving Prep - Sweet Potatoes](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/21/thanksgiving-prep-sweet-potatoes/) - Short of the turkey, everything for our family's Thanksgiving feast is grown here at The Acre. It takes a few days to harvest everything and bring it all together, so we always start with the stuff we need to dig up. This morning is was sweet potatoes, red and white varieties. This is way more
- [Last Spider of the Season](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/16/last-spider-of-the-season/) - All summer the garden is thick with big, fat orb weaver spiders. By mid-autumn, they're all but gone. Here's one of the few left weaving a web backlit by the sun setting over the Pacific.
- [Tom Thumb Peas](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/10/tom-thumb-peas/) - The near freezing weather has ended pretty much everything in the veggie garden but these Tom Thumb peas. The plants are tiny, but they kick out a whole lot of peas.
- [Video: A Fallen Agave](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/08/video-a-fallen-agave/) - The first real rains of the season blew down this 20 foot tall agave flower the woodpeckers had stuffed with acorns.
- [Out with the Old](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/03/out-with-the-old/) - The Halloween decorations from the front yard sitting around on the bench waiting to go back into storage. I wonder what they're talking about.
- [Video: Hot Sauce Progress - Entry 6](https://sagesacre.com/2020/11/02/video-hot-sauce-progress-entry-6/) - It's been a little more than six weeks since we began the fermentation on Batch 20 of my hot sauce. Today I'm popping open the fermenter to see how it's going and give the peppers a stir to keep thing moving.
- [Keyhole Garden - October 28, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/28/keyhole-garden-october-28-2020/) - Gardener’s Log : Keyhole Garden day 585. Well, if you want to hammer a keyhole garden into submission, making it rain followed by high winds and near 80° heat, followed by overnight lows that dip into the 30s, followed by more near 80° temperatures again, is certainly one way of doing it. The poor pumpkin,
- [A Fungus Among Us](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/23/a-fungus-among-us/) - This odd looking thing popped up out of some leaf litter yesterday. It's slightly squishy like a mushroom, but it doesn't look like any one I've ever seen before. Anyone have an idea what it might be?
- [October Tomatoes](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/20/october-tomatoes/) - The summer veggie garden is now down to the hot peppers, a few bell peppers, and a bunch of raggedy, but hanging in there, tomato plants. Chief among them is the Costolutos, which took a hard hit about a month ago but rebounded to flower and fruit for a third round in this growing year.
- [Batch 20 Hot Sauce Progress - Entry 5](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/19/batch-20-hot-sauce-progress-entry-5/) - Batch 20 of the fermented hot sauce hit 5 gallons of fresh peppers 8 weeks early, so I'm bumping up to 10 gallons by splitting peppers between 2 fermenters. As for what I'm going to do with 10 gallons of finished hot sauce next spring, I have no idea.
- [Video: A Duckling Redux](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/16/video-a-duckling-redux/) - Back in August one of our females emerged from the lavender garden with 13 ducklings. They'd hang out by the vegetable garden and after a while developed a taste for tomatoes tossed to them from the garden.
- [Keyhole Garden - October 12, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/12/keyhole-garden-october-12-2020/) - Gardener's Log : Keyhole Garden date 569. Now that we're several weeks into fall, the temperatures are making their annual wobble between hot and cold. The days are still in the 80's with the occasional tip into the low 90's, but the nights are now dipping into the mid-50's and flirting with the upper 40's
- [End of a Praying Mantis](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/09/end-of-a-praying-mantis/) - Trying to water with my watering can, but the spigot was blocked. I flipped to shake whatever loose and a dead praying mantis fell out. Even they have bad days.
- [Batch 20 Hot Sauce - Entry 4](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/08/batch-20-hot-sauce-entry-4/) - Just put week 4's fresh peppers into the fermenter for Batch 20 of the fermented hot sauce. With the brine, looks like we're about 2/3rds of the way to getting a full 5 gallons before we send it off to spend the winter aging with oak
- [Harvest Moonset](https://sagesacre.com/2020/10/02/harvest-moonset/) - A photo of the harvest moon in the western sky taken 1-1/2 hours before sunrise. It's so bright you can see the spider web on the weather station 30 feet away.
- [Hanging Garden at Night](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/30/hanging-garden-at-night/) - Just for giggles I strung a couple of cheap solar-power light strands in the hanging gourd garden and this is the result. Sometimes I surprise even myself.
- [How to make deli-style Italian sandwich rolls](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/21/how-to-make-deli-style-italian-sandwich-rolls/) - Here's the recipe for chewy, crunchy, flavorful sub sandwich rolls so good your family and friends will have a hard time believing you made them.
- [Hot Sauce Batch 20 - Entry 3](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/22/hot-sauce-batch-20-entry-3/) - It's the first day of Autumn and the peppers are coming in hot and heavy. I'm picking around one pound every couple of days right now, which means I'll be moving the peppers to the five gallon fermenter this week. The weather has been very warm so the initial ferment is off to a good start. It smells spicy and yeasty, which tells me the lacto ferment is happy. Once I pitch it to the big fermenter, things should really take off.
- [Keyhole Garden Update - Sept. 21, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/21/keyhole-garden-update-sept-21-2020/) - It's day 548 of production for the keyhole garden. The recent heatwave ended what was left of the tomatoes and most of the sweet peppers, but the squash is doing great. Plus, I discovered some garlic.
- [Pumpkin or Tomato?](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/16/pumpkin-or-tomato/) - Well it is a tomato, but it's a squash-sized tomato doing its best to *look* like a pumpkin.
- [All Hail the Mighty Brassica](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/15/all-hail-the-mighty-brassica/) - A monster heatwave fried a lot of plants in my vegetable garden. While the cauliflower and broccoli leaves suffered burns, the head came through just fine.
- [Big Bowl of Beans](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/14/big-bowl-of-beans/) - Last week's heat wave fried & dried the pole beans so fast the pods didn't have time to split. Now I've got a couple pounds of beans waiting for chili season.
- [Hot Sauce Batch 20 - Entry 2](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/12/hot-sauce-batch-20-entry-2/) - 2nd addition of peppers was a full pound split between Hidden Lake Hot and Culebra Negra (see photo). This should be more than enough to get a good ferment going before I pitch it to the barrel and add 10 - 15 pounds of fresh peppers over the next 10 weeks.
- [It's a Pandemic and We Are Dillin'](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/01/its-a-pandemic-and-we-are-dillin/) - This winter I grew two varieties of dill I usually don't grow, Fernleaf and Bouquet. Both did exceptionally well in the keyhole garden, producing densely leafed plants about 15 inches high. Fernleaf was darker green and denser, but Bouquet was more fragrant and flavorful.
- [Smoky September Sun](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/08/smoky-september-sun/) - Ah, late summer. Triple digit heat, fires and a smoky orange sun. This fire burning is burning in the national forest about 40 miles south of here. Fingers crossed that it stays down there.
- [Hot Sauce Batch 20 - Entry 1](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/04/hot-sauce-batch-20-entry-1/) - Batch 20 of my 6 month fermented hot sauce begins with 5oz of Hidden Lake Hot, a Cayenne/Thai cross, and 7oz of Culebra Negra, a Central American pepper I got from a friend.
- [The Hanging Gourd Garden Right Now](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/03/the-hanging-gourd-garden-right-now/) - It's 2pm on a very hot September day and this is my gourd garden. The shade makes it 10 degrees cooler and the southerly breeze is perfect. Plus gourds! Building it is the best $10 investment I've made in a long time
- [Watermelon Crime](https://sagesacre.com/2020/09/01/watermelon-crime/) - Agents of the National Chicken Investigative Service (NCIS) inspecting a watermelon that was over-watered and left to burst. As water was involved, ducks are considered poultry of interest.
- [Video: Big spider caught my car](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/31/video-big-spider-caught-my-car/) - Garden spiders get large late in the summer. Here's a video of one that build man-sized web 30 feet overhead and used my car as an anchor.
- [Propagating Native Sages](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/28/propagating-native-sages/) - It’s too dang hot to be planting anything new in the garden, but it’s a great time for propagating some western natives like these black and Cleveland sages
- [Lord Hank](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/25/lord-hank/) - Hank's not a German shepherd like the girls, but he does look rather imperious when he sits on the bench in the front yard and stares out over his domain.
- [Keyhole Garden Update](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/24/keyhole-garden-update/) - After 521 days of continuous production, the early summer veggies in the keyhole garden are all played out, but the mid-summer crops--beans, squash, and pumpkins--are doing just fine. The second half of summer and most of early fall is brutally hot and dry, so I'm going to give part of the bed a couple week's rest before transplanting the late summer and early fall stuff.
- [A Walk Among the Gourds](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/20/a-walk-among-the-gourds/) - The hanging gourd garden is doing well in the heat. A couple of weeks ago I wasn't sure which gourds were growing, but now I can see it's birdhouse, bowl and bottle.
- [Video: Lunchtime!](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/21/video-lunchtime/) - In this video momma duck takes the kids to snack on a few tomatoes tossed to them. But when poor momma tries to eat, ol' lucky number 13 shows up with a different plan.
- [Risks of Organic Gardening](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/18/risks-of-organic-gardening/) - A reminder on this #TomatoTuesday, if you're an #organicgardener, the organisms get a share of the garden too.
- [Hot and Tired](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/18/hot-and-tired/) - We're 2/3rds of the way through summer, the heat is brutal and it hasn't rained since mid-April. The garden looks tired, but not done yet. Here's photos of how it looked on June 18th and today.
- [How About Them Apples?](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/12/how-about-them-apples/) - Not an apple but a bell pepper created by crossing California Wonder and Chocolate Bell. Big, beautiful red peppers with a little purple blush. Sweet and tasty!
- [Big Ol' Tomaters](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/11/big-ol-tomaters/) - The Costaluto tomato is an Italian heirloom that produce loads of big (up to 22 ounces), dense orangey-red fruit great as slicers and sauce. Does very well in heat.
- [Full Frontal Lobe Tomato Mystery](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/02/full-frontal-lobe-tomato-mystery/) - Whatever kind of tomato this is, it's not a yellow pear like the note I wrote myself said (drinking and gardening is harder than it looks). I must have crossbred something. Anyone have an idea who the parents of these lobey tomatoes might be?
- [A Hanging Gourd Garden in the Making](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/10/a-hanging-gourd-garden-in-the-making/) - Earlier this summer I trellised the gourds to keep them from invading the vegetable garden. Now I have a hanging gourd garden that's filling in beautifully and providing shade for lettuce in an area that usually bakes in the summertime.
- [Video: Onion Flowers: Little and Big](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/08/video-little-and-big/) - Here's a quick video of the world's smallest flower bulb (about 12 inches) and the worlds largest (about 6 feet), flower together in August at Sage's Acre.
- [Operation "No Fruit Left Behind" Continues](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/05/operation-no-fruit-left-behind-continues/) - We're trying to not let any of the garden produce go to waste this year (much to the chicken's disappointment), so we've been canning, drying, pickling and preserving everything possible.
- [Remember That Missing Duck? I Found Her.](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/03/remember-that-missing-duck-i-found-her/) - I don't take attendance, but I had a general idea that one of the female ducks was missing. Good news is she's alive. Bad news is she has 13 chicks with her. At least they're cute.
- [Sunday Daydreaming - Tropical Garden Before and After](https://sagesacre.com/2020/08/02/saturday-daydreaming-tropical-garden-before-and-after/) - It's too hot to do any real work on the Acre, so here's some then and now photos of the tropical garden before spring began and now in the height of summer. I'm going to find some shade and take a siesta.
- [Let Me Show You a Photo of My Baby... Watermelon](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/29/let-me-show-you-a-photo-of-my-baby-watermelon/) - Even watermelons are adorable when they're babies. This is Little Baby Flower, a compact plant that produces 10-12 fruit only 6" across when ripe. Perfect melon for 2.
- [Sweet Pepper Season](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/25/sweet-pepper-season/) - Sweet peppers are ripe so we're pickling and roasting today so we can preserve them for later. Pickled peppers are delicious and super easy to make with this recipe.
- [New Members of the Family](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/22/new-members-of-the-family/) - Shy is our only Cuckoo Maran hen (she's named Shy because, unlike the buffs and Welsummers, she's not really interested in people or their food). When she disappeared a few weeks back, I figured she'd been nabbed by a coyote, raccoon, bobcat, or one of the other varmits that like the taste of chicken. Imagine
- [A Saucy Tomato Basket](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/13/a-saucy-tomato-basket/) - Assortment of garden tomatoes, roma, brandywine, and pink stuffer When my lovely Mrs told me she was feeling saucy and left the room, “tomato” wasn’t the first thing I thought of. (Married 30 years, still an optimist.) The fresh tomato sauce was good though. Here she is returning from the garden with her basket of
- [Video: Timeout with a Dragonfly](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/17/video-timeout-with-a-dragonfly/) - Take a 20 second video timeout with a flame skimmer dragonfly on an onion leaf swaying in the breeze while the pond's waterfall splashes in background.
- [Midday Traffic on the Sunflower Roundabout](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/14/midday-traffic-on-the-sunflower-roundabout/) - You can tell these three bees are American left-hand drive bees because they're doing their pollen gathering counter-clockwise.
- [Garden Surprise Squash](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/10/garden-surprise-squash/) - Ever meet two siblings that look nothing alike, but if you sort of squint, you can see how each sort of looks like their parents? Check these two squash. Both from seeds of the same yellow straightneck squash.
- ['Taters and 'Maters](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/08/taters-and-maters/) - Russian Banana Fingerling and German Butterball potatoes in flower in the taters & maters raised bed, plus then and now photos of the bed.
- [The Tomato-ing Begins](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/07/the-tomato-ing-begins/) - The tomatoes are starting to ripen. In the photo, clockwise from top left, it's Carbon, Brandywine and Roma. Lots of saucing and canning is in our future.
- [Happy Independence Day](https://sagesacre.com/2020/07/04/happy-independence-day/) - The fireworks are cancelled, but that hasn't stopped the water hyacinths from putting on a display of their own. Happy Independence Day, America. Let's BBQ something!
- [Forex Pole Bean in Flower](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/30/forex-pole-bean-in-flower/) - This Forex pole bean in flower made the gray skies of "June gloom" a little brighter.
- [Keyhole Garden Out of Control](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/29/keyhole-garden-out-of-control/) - It's official. I've completely lost control of the keyhole garden.
- [First Sweet Corn of the Summer](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/27/first-sweet-corn-of-the-summer/) - These beauties are Allure, a bicolor organic synergistic sweet corn that can only be described as the purest, sweetest form of corn decadence.
- [The Onion Harvest Rule](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/23/the-onion-harvest-rule/) - Grandpa always said "plant onions on the first day of spring, harvest them on the first day of fall." But here in the southwest, the first day of winter and summer are more like it.
- [Vegetable Garden Spring 2020: Then and Now](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/20/vegetable-garden-spring-2020-then-and-now/) - It's always fun to see how the vegetable garden has changed over the season. Here are some photos of mine on the first and last days of spring 2020.
- [Garden Path Refresh](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/17/garden-path-refresh/) - I turned a drab wood walkway into a cool, colorful path through the tropical garden in a couple days for under $20. Here's how I did it.
- [Keyhole Garden Progress Update](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/11/keyhole-garden-progress-update/) - It's been a month since I posted on the progress on my year round keyhole food garden so I thought now would be a good time for an update with a few photos.
- [Serial Catnip Crusher Suspect](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/10/serial-catnip-crusher-suspect/) - BREAKING NEWS: There's been a breakthrough in the serial catnip crushings that have been occurring lately. Be on the lookout for this suspicious character. He's a "fur person of interest" for local authorities.
- [Blackberry Jam Class of 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/10/blackberry-jam-class-of-2020/) - This year's "jam session" yielded about 3 gallons of blackberry and raspberry jam. We picked a little more than 20 lbs of fruit and used this foolproof recipe
- [Tropical Garden Late Spring](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/09/tropical-garden-late-spring/) - This is the view from my "office". It's a tropical garden that provides a shady transition between the front patio and water gardens up front and the private gardens and orchards at the back of the house.
- [Happy Valentine's Day - Have a Tomato! (Video)](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/14/happy-valentines-day-have-a-tomato-video/) - Last spring I planted a grape tomato variety from Johnny's Selected Seeds called Valentine. A definite 5 out of 5 stars. Here's a short video from the garden
- [Too Much Summer Squash](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/05/too-much-summer-squash/) - This is what happens when you don't pick your summer squash for a week
- [What is this Plant?](https://sagesacre.com/2020/06/02/what-is-this-plant/) - I've had this sort of leggy vine along side the house for years, but it's never flowered. It looks amazing. Does anyone know what it is?
- [Scallop Squash Coming in Hot](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/29/scallop-squash-coming-in-hot/) - Anybody got any good squash recipes? A few warm days and the scallop squash is going bananas. I’ve already harvested half a dozen fruit and there's a least a dozen that'll be ripe in the next few days. Along with the Italian and yellow straightneck squash, we're up to our eyeballs in them.
- [A secret path](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/21/a-secret-path/) - I've been wondering how it is that our dogs can be down by the dry creek in one second, and up at the front gate terrorizing a delivery driver in the next. I now have my answer.
- [A Kiwi Love Story](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/19/a-kiwi-love-story/) - Common sense would tell you that plants don't have feelings, but I have a true story of a kiwi's love, loss and new life that might change your mind.
- [The Chickencam is Live in a New Location](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/17/the-chickencam-is-live-in-a-new-location/) - I moved the live chickencam to a new place in the yard. Same great chickens and ducks, but now with closeup poultry action and drama! https://sagesacre.com/
- [Blackberries Soon](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/15/blackberries-soon/) - The blackberry patch is coming in sweet and heavy. We'll be picking in a couple weeks. Last year we picked over 30 pounds and had purple fingers for a month.
- [Butterfly Iris is Beautiful Cover](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/13/butterfly-iris-is-beautiful-cover/) - Native to southern Africa (a climate similar to our own here in San Diego), the butterfly iris is well-adapted to the dry climate. It's also beautiful as well as tough.
- [An Onion Appears](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/12/an-onion-appears/) - My wife's idea of "gardening" is secretly burying old vegetables around the yard to see if they grow. That's how I got a brown onion flowering in my tomatillos.
- [Peruvian Lily Piggybacker](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/11/peruvian-lily-piggybacker/) - These Peruvian Lilies (Alstromeria aurea) piggybacked in with some society garlic plants years ago. At nearly 4ft they're quite tall, but the flowers are amazing
- [Video: Chickens sleeping weird](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/06/video-chickens-sleeping-weird/) - It’s kind of disturbing to walk outside and see hens lying there like this. But there’s nothing wrong. Just like your dog or cat sleeps in weird positions, so do chickens (as shown here). For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded.I AcceptStill, how does that buff in the center just lay there
- [Video: Timeout With Goldfish](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/05/video-timeout-with-goldfish/) - I couldn't afford fancy fish like Koi for my pond, so I went to the pet store and bought 10 tiny "feeder fish" for 23 cents each. Here they are, 2 years later. There's still nine of them and they're all big and friendly (and still way cheaper than koi).
- [Peppermint Twist Rose in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2020/05/01/peppermint-twist-rose-in-bloom/) - All the roses are in bloom right now, but the Peppermint Twist rose is killing it. It has so many blooms on it right now that it looks like a peppermint tree!
- [A Brassica Bouquet for My Bride](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/19/a-brassica-bouquet-for-my-bride/) - Yesterday was my 31st wedding anniversary. I told my wife the traditional gift was "A Brassica" and gave her this beautiful brassica bouquet fresh from the keyhole garden. Then, she ate it.
- [Fresh Cilantro Hung to Dry](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/24/fresh-cilantro-hung-to-dry/) - We have so much cilantro in the Keyhole garden that we're having trouble eating and/or giving it away (and I live in an area of the U.S. where Cilantro is used in everything). The end of winter is fast approaching and some of it is start to bolt. Rather that let it all go to
- [Red Ripe Ruby Perfection Cabbage](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/31/red-ripe-ruby-perfection-cabbage/) - Coming to the last of the winter veggies in the keyhole garden. This sexy beast is a ruby perfection red cabbage. Absolutely gorgeous, full-sized plant with a nice tight purple ball in the center. It's supposed to be sunny and warm all week, so this is going to make some great coleslaw this weekend.
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - April 23, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/23/keyhole-garden-progress-april-23-2020/) - Weather took a turn from cool and damp to hot and dry, all but putting a spike in what remains of the romaine. For the spring replacements we brought in Genovese basil (front left) and yellow pear tomatoes (mid left, can't see them yet). The cucumbers are fruiting and the frying peppers are really leafing
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - April 13, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/16/keyhole-garden-progress-april-13-2020/) - Not much new this week. The lettuces continue to putter out and what remains of the bok choi looks like it's about to bolt. On the other hand, the tomatillos and cucumbers are flowering and I've got a couple of yellow pear tomato (the wife's favorite) seedlings getting ready to move into the bed, so
- [A Hooded Oriole on Watch](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/29/a-hooded-oriole-watches-on-watch/) - This guy is a hooded oriole (Icterus cucullatus) whose mate is nesting in the orange tree behind him. He keeps an eye on me when I'm working from our back deck.
- [A Rescued Rose](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/28/a-rescued-rose/) - My wife used to look at me funny when I would dig plants out of the dumpster, but she doesn't anymore. I rescued this rose from a trash bin last fall. She wasn't much to look at back then — just a stick really — but she turned out to be a real beauty.
- [Avocado Time!](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/27/avocado-time/) - When you live on the avocado highway, these things literally just fall off the trees
- [Thyme Finds a Way](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/25/thyme-finds-a-way/) - The oregano has pretty much taken over my Italian herb garden, but thyme isn't giving up. This one popped out the garden fence to flower in peace.
- [Camellia in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/24/camellia-in-bloom/) - Usually the camellias are just a deep green, leafy backdrop for my tropical garden. But once in a while it flowers and outshines all the plants around it. This is one of those occasions. The pink and white of the bloom really set off from the green shades behind it, so the flower is visible
- [Wild Poppies Along the Road](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/20/wild-poppies-along-the-road/) - Just some wild red and golden poppies growing alongside my road. After years of battling wild mustard, these guys are a nice change.
- [A New Member of the Family](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/14/a-new-member-of-the-family/) - Walked out into the yard today and saw that one of the girl ducks has hatched a new duckling. First of the season. Welcome little duckling!
- [Romaine Lettuce with Freckles](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/13/romaine-lettuce-with-freckles/) - One of the early spring veggies to make it through last week's torrential rain is this cute little Romaine lettuce called Freckles. Assuming they make it through my current gopher scourge, these guys should color up the veggie garden's "greens and onions" bed.
- [Yellow Rose With a Leaf Umbrella](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/07/yellow-rose-with-a-leaf-umbrella/) - I lost track of why type of rose this one is a long time ago, so we just call it "the yellow one." As I was snapping shots of the plant after the rain this morning, I noticed this bloom peeking out from the shelter of a leaf umbrella.
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - April 6, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/06/keyhole-garden-progress-april-6-2020/) - The weather is warming and the days are longer giving the cucumbers a chance to finally kick into high gear (too bad the dill is done). The garlic and tomatillos seem to sense warmer weather too.
- [Ducks Gone Rogue (Video)](https://sagesacre.com/2020/04/03/ducks-gone-rogue/) - Some of my ducks have figured out how to climb fences and wander up where they shouldn't be. Pass by my bedroom window and you'll be greeted by this sight...
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - March 26, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/27/keyhole-garden-progress-march-26-2020/) - The keyhole garden is in that awkward transitional stage between Winter and Spring. Winter veggies and herbs are petering out while spring plants like tomatillos, peppers, cucumbers and onions are just getting started.
- [The Four Ducksketeers](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/26/the-four-ducksketeers/) - Mamma is a Swedish Blue duck and dad's a mallard. Together they made these fashionably gray-tonal boys who we call the 4 ducksketeers
- [Natives and Newcomers](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/24/natives-and-newcomers/) - Wildflowers, some native, some not, growing among the weeds in spring 2020 The wildflowers are a mixed bag, but they're better than weeds There's a strip of The Acre that borders chaparral and oak surrounding the pond. Technically, it's "defensible space" mandated by the fire department, so it's supposed to be cleared of weeds and
- [Chickencam Lockdown Livestream - March 21, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/21/chickencam-lockdown-livestream-march-21-2020/) - I haven't told the chickens and ducks that we're under a Coronavirus lockdown, so they still think they're free range. Watch them live at on the ChickenCam at Sage's Acre or on YouTube.
- [Rainbow for St Patrick's Day](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/17/rainbow-for-st-patricks-day/) - Walked out to the front yard first thing this morning and was greeted by a rainbow. Since it's St Patrick's Day I'm sure there's a leprechaun and a pot of gold to be had at one end or the other. If it weren't for this whole "stay at home, Coronavirus" thing, I'm might actually go
- [Keyhole Garden Progress – March 17, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/17/keyhole-garden-progress-march-17-2020/) - Warm weather followed by a week of rain has really kicked the leafy greens into high gear. On the front left you can see the remainder of the romaine heads giving one last push. Meanwhile on the right, it's a motley assortment of loose leaf greens, spinach and cilantro. One head of broccoli remains as
- [When the World Gives You Discount Corned Beef, Make Pastrami](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/16/when-the-world-gives-you-discount-corned-beef-make-pastrami/) - Pastrami is actually smoked corned beef. After St Patrick's Day, you can often pick up on sale for as little as $2 a pound. Here's how to turn it into Pastrami.
- [Hummingbird Sage Colony](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/15/hummingbird-sage-colony/) - Hummingbird sage (salvia spathacea) is a California native that thrives under oaks. Hummingbirds find the large pink flower spikes irresistible.
- [Lavender Rose Texas Sage](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/12/lavender-rose-texas-sage/) - One of the many Texas sage (Savlia coccinea) varieties I have planted in random spots around the Acre. I can't remember the name of this one, but I really like it because it's a lavender-rose color (instead of the usual red or pink) and has these unusually long, tendrils that grow at the end of
- [Ready for the Spring Garden](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/06/ready-for-the-spring-garden/) - This is my weekend. Transplanting tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers and onions from the greenhouse out into the vegetable garden. My goal this year, first fresh tomatoes on the block!
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - March 4, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/03/05/keyhole-garden-progress-march-4-2020/) - The winter crops continue their rotation out of the bed. Broccoli is all done (save 1 plant), and the Romaine lettuce and peas are calling it quits as well. We cut the cilantro down to an inch high to keep it leafy and stop it from bolting. I replaced the broccoli with cucumbers (National Pickling)
- [Bee's Bliss Sage in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/29/bees-bliss-sage-in-bloom/) - Late last spring I got a Salvia Bee's Bliss from my friend @linsaycrazyplantlady's nursery. I planted it near the rocks by the fish pond and left it do its thing. Turns out there were a couple of giant white squill bulbs lurking below the surface in that location that I had forgotten. In November the
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - February 26, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/26/keyhole-garden-progress-february-26-2020/) - Winter crops are petering out in the keyhole garden. Broccoli is heading out, cabbage is ripe, peas have been picked and the Romaine lettuce is about done. Just in time too. Cucumbers, more lettuce, tomatillos and tomatoes are all waiting in the greenhouse for their turn in the garden.
- [Terri's Chewy Hoagie Roll Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/25/terris-chewy-hoagie-roll-recipe/) - Here's a super easy recipe for making chewy, delicious deli-style hoagie rolls at home. An all time family favorite for submarine sandwiches, meatball sandwiches, cheesesteak sandwiches and ever cheesy garlic bread.
- [Cyclamen in Bloom, no Photo Filter Required](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/22/cyclamen-in-bloom-no-photo-filter-required/) - The cyclamens outside the family room bay window have begun to bloom. The plants are on a well-shaded slope and it's gray and raining, but the flowers are literally glowing in the low light. Amazing. Bonus: I bought them off the clearance rack at Lowe's last fall for $1 each. Booyah. Bargain! Anyone have any
- [Time to Tally the Bananas](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/18/time-to-tally-the-bananas/) - Nights below freezing has fried my tropical plants, including the Ice Cream (aka Blue Java) banana, so I cut the bunch and brought them indoors to ripen.
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - February 20, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/20/keyhole-garden-progress-february-20-2020/) - We've been harvesting romaine lettuce and cilantro for several weeks, and we cut our first head of broccoli just the other day. Tom Thumb peas are all ripe and ready to be harvested too. Good thing. The greenhouse holds spring vegetable seedlings getting close to transplant time.
- [Getting Ready for Spring](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/16/getting-ready-for-spring/) - It's five weeks until spring and a mere days until our last overnight frost. Unlike many a previous year, the greenhouse seedlings are off to a great start. Today we'll be dividing and re-potting into larger containers so everybody will have strong roots when we finally transplant into the vegetable garden in a few weeks.
- [Peeping Pride of Madeira](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/10/peeping-pride-of-madeira/) - About a month ago, my wife said she felt like this Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans) was looking at her so I gave it bottle-cap eyes. I went outside yesterday morning and noticed that our peeping friend had his hair color changed courtesy of the recent freeze. Very stylish.
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - February 8, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/08/keyhole-garden-progress-february-8-2020/) - Temperatures have been well below freezing at night for the past week, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the keyhole garden. It continues to produce like there's no tomorrow. We've been harvesting lettuce and cilantro all week and it just seems to grow right back. Garlic, broccoli and cabbage are thriving as well.
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - February 1, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/01/keyhole-garden-progress-february-1-2020/) - 80 degree heat earlier this week forced me to actually water the garden. It's quite full now. Time to start harvesting some of that lettuce and cilantro for Super Bowl snacking tomorrow.
- [My First Rain Barrel](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/18/my-first-rain-barrel/) - Water can get expensive here in San Diego so I've been talking about getting a couple of rain barrels. Then my wife gave me a couple for Christmas. Nice, big 55 gallon barrel kits with all the hardware needed. All I had to do was hook them up to the rain gutter and, boom, free
- [Sunset on February 4, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/05/sunset-on-february-4-2020/) - Really cold Alaskan air is parked over us dropping temperatures into the 20's overnight again. But the cold skies make for some really spectacular sunsets. Here is last night's sunset from the upper garden looking west out over the greenhouse.
- [Winter Lettuce and Peas](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/04/winter-lettuce-and-peas/) - A quick peak under the row cover shows that my lettuce and peas are doing just peachy despite that it was in the low 80's a couple days ago and now it's dipping into the 30's overnight.
- [Sunset on February 3rd](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/03/sunset-on-february-3rd/) - Saturday, the day before yesterday, the high was 83 degrees. Tonight it's going to bottom out in the 20's. Welcome to February in San Diego. These huge temperature swings wreak havoc on the garden, but, dang... they make for beautiful sunsets.
- [Rain Barrel Follies Part 3](https://sagesacre.com/2020/02/03/rain-barrel-follies-part-3/) - My poorly installed rain barrel was threatening to tip. Here's how I save all the water and got the barrel re-leveled.
- [Orange Chicken](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/30/orange-chicken/) - Jonesy the rooster standing in an orange tree pretending he's a wild jungle chicken.
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - January 23, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/24/keyhole-garden-progress-january-23-2020/) - A bit of rain followed by warmer weather from what I call our "fake spring" (it always gets really warm here at the end of January, then snaps back to cold) has the vegetables in the keyhole garden growing like crazy. All the garlic is now well along and the romaine lettuce, cilantro and dill
- [Sage's Homemade Ketchup Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/27/sages-homemade-ketchup-recipe/) - If you’ve never tried to make your own ketchup, you’re in for a treat. It's not just easy to make, but it tastes amazing. Here's a simple recipe you can whip up in no time.
- [What to do with a Cherimoya?](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/24/what-to-do-with-a-cherimoya/) - A while back I bought a Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) sapling from a local exotic fruit nursery. At the time, the plant guy said it probably wouldn't produce fruit because it needed some sort of month to pollinate it. Fast forward to today and the tree is doing quite well and it has lots of fruit
- [Still Battling the Aloe Eater](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/21/still-battling-the-aloe-eater/) - Despite my best efforts to trap the little sucker, the aloe devouring gopher continues his reign of terror. I just came out into the yard to see that he's taken out the last large aloe vera in the bed. This means war.
- [Tithonia Sunshine Bouquet](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/15/tithonia-sunshine-bouquet/) - My Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) had grown tall and leggy in the shade of the trees in the upper yard over the past few months. It was basically like looking at a forest of sticks with flowers 15 feet in the air, so I whacked the plants down to a couple feet tall. Now it's
- [Hot Sauce Batch 19 - entry 11](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/14/hot-sauce-batch-19-entry-11/) - Following the addition of the toasted oak and the the last of the fresh peppers, the hot sauce has been fermenting for 3 weeks. 8-10 weeks to go for bottling.
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - January 10, 2020](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/11/keyhole-garden-progress-january-10-2020/) - Cool weather has slowed, but not stopped, keyhole garden growth. Lettuces and cilantro are doing well. The garlic planted several weeks ago is all sprouted.
- [Sneaky Gopher Got My Aloe (Video)](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/08/sneaky-gopher-got-my-aloe-video/) - Touring the yard yesterday, I noticed a large aloe vera tipped over on its side. I knew the dogs couldn't have done it, so I looked closer. Here's the video
- [Chinese Cabbage - "Minuet"](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/05/chinese-cabbage-minuet/) - I picked up a packet of "Minuet" Chinese cabbage seed from @johnnyseeds last winter because they described as the "best mini variety." I didn't get a chance to plant it until this past fall and picked the first head yesterday for a stir fry dinner. My plants are closer to 15 inches tall rather than
- [Pozo Blue Sage in Early Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/04/pozo-blue-sage-in-early-bloom/) - This is Salvia Pozo Blue (Salvia clevelandii X leucophylla) a hybrid of two So Cal natives, Purple Sage and Cleveland Sage. I picked it up about two years ago from La Pilatas Nursery, a native plant specialist not too far from here. It's leaves resemble the Cleveland Sage's leaves, but they're spaced farther apart on
- [Is This Pride of Madeira Looking at You?](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/31/is-this-pride-of-madeira-looking-at-you/) - My wife told me she felt like this stalk from a Pride of Madeira near our front door was looking at her. I didn’t see it. So I fixed it. Now it’s definitely looking at her.
- [Keyhole Garden Progress - December 24, 2019](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/24/keyhole-garden-progress-december-24-2019/) - Keyhole garden after a cold winter rain continues to grow with lettuces, broccoli, cabbages and even cilantro all doing quite well despite the nightly frost
- [Keyhole Garden - November 24 2019](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/25/keyhole-garden-november-24-2019/) - Second week of the winter plantings in the keyhole garden. Needed to water once, but otherwise everything is doing well.
- [Keyhole Garden - November 30, 2019](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/01/keyhole-garden-november-30-2019/) - Second week of the keyhole garden's winter plantings. We had 3 inches of occasionally heavy rains which could have easily pounded the young herbs and vegetables into the mud. Instead, the garden absorbed the water and drained it away beautifully. Even though it's cool and cloudy, the plants are doing beautifully.
- [Keyhole Garden - December 8, 2019](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/09/keyhole-garden-december-8-2019/) - Another 3" of rain and continued cool weather this week, but the keyhole garden continues to thrive. The broccoli (rear of the garden) is doing well, the romaine lettuce (right side) is doubling each week. We were even able to harvest some cilantro yesterday for enchiladas the mrs. is making.
- [Hot Sauce Batch 19 – entry 10](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/23/hot-sauce-batch-19-entry-10/) - That's it. Oak is in the brew and the last of the peppers are picked and added for Batch 19 of the Hidden Lake hot sauce. All that's left now is time. Merry Christmas.
- [End of the Line for Hot Peppers 2019](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/23/end-of-the-line-for-hot-peppers-2019/) - The summer ended with the rain in November. Then came the frost. Then came the rain again. These are officially the last peppers of Hidden Lake Hot Batch 19. At least they were easy to pick.
- [This Crassula Owns the Greenhouse Today](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/21/this-crassula-owns-the-greenhouse-today/) - A crassula showing off its new bright green growth tinged with a little pink
- [Found an Aloe Forest](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/20/found-an-aloe-forest/) - Discovered a large patch of aloe (Aloe barbadensis) growing wild in a neglected area of the Acre. They're going to be part of my Mediterranean garden now.
- [Hot Pepper Sauce Batch 19 - Entry 9](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/17/hot-pepper-sauce-batch-19-entry-9/) - This is week 10 for the pepper fermentation to make the hot sauce. I added toasted oak staves to the mixture and sent it back to age for another 8 weeks or so.
- [Gaucho the Rooster](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/15/gaucho-the-rooster/) - This magnificent little guy is Gaucho, so named because of his fancy feathered feet and the exotic dance that makes him irresistible to the ladies. At age 11(!), he's basically our feathered Ricardo Montalbán.
- [Citrus Season](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/04/citrus-season/) - Rain and wind make for terrible growing conditions around the acre for everything but the citrus. For the first time in several years it looks like all the trees -- navel orange, grapefruit, mandarin and tangerine -- will be full of fruit this winter. All well and good. Not only do us people enjoy the
- [Terri’s Fresh Rosemary Bread](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/11/terris-fresh-rosemary-bread/) - A simple, delicious bread recipe with fresh rosemary. A nutty, woodsy, slightly chewy bread that’s great all by itself or topped with pesto and melty cheese
- [Terri's Biga Recipe](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/10/terris-biga-recipe/) - Old dough is the magic in sourdough as well as Italian, French and other breads it goes by names like “biga”, “poolish” and “starter.” Here's how to make it.
- [2020 Poultry Pinup Chicks](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/10/2020-poutry-pinup-chicks/) - I know it's dorky, but I am totally geeking on the new 2020 Avian Health calendar I got from the feed store today. It's free from the California Department of Agriculture, so I may get another one to put up in the coop for the roosters. They dig pinup chicks.
- [Hot Sauce Batch 19 – entry 8](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/09/hot-sauce-batch-19-entry-8/) - Here it is, week 12 since I started the peppers fermenting. I don't know how it's possible, but the Hidden Lake Hot peppers in the garden are still hanging in despite heavy and 40 degree temperature swings between night and day. I managed to pick about 2-3 ounces of fresh pepper for a new addition
- [Keyhole Garden Planted with Winter Vegetables](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/13/keyhole-garden-planted-with-winter-vegetables/) - Getting ready for fresh vegetables all winter A couple of weeks ago I cleared my keyhole garden of the spent summer crops, topped off the bed with fresh compost and let it sit for a few days to rest and settle in. Yesterday I pulled the seedlings from the greenhouse and transplanted them in garden.
- [Dry Creek Flows Again (Video)](https://sagesacre.com/2019/12/03/dry-creek-flows-again-video/)
- [Hot Sauce Batch 19 – entry 7](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/26/hot-sauce-batch-19-entry-7/) - Another addition of 4 ounces or so of fresh peppers and a pinch of salt. Heavy rain last week knocked most of the remaining peppers off the plants, so we're coming to the end of fresh pepper additions for this year (yeah, I know, I write that every week -- but this time it's probably
- [Landscape Design Tip for Monstera](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/25/landscape-design-tip-for-monstera/) - Here's a pro tip when you're doing landscape design with large tropicals like Monstera. To add drama to the scene, contrast the monstera with something small and compact, like a potted dachshund. This is a photo of Hank the Weenie demonstrating. (Also, bad dog, Hank. You're not supposed to be sitting in the flower pots.)
- [Photo of the Day: Thai Basil](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/24/photo-of-the-day-thai-basil/) - Unlike its Mediterranean cousins, my Thai basil (Ocimum basillicum) seems to be getting along just fine in the cold and wet of November. I don't recall what the original source for this seed was, but the plants grow 12" - 18" tall and produce purple flowers with a sweet spice aroma that reminds me of
- [Brazilian Edelweiss in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/20/brazilian-edelweiss-in-bloom/) - Not knowing much about how Brazilian Edelweiss (Sinningia leucotricha) grows, I was pleasantly surprised to see it blooming today with small salmon pink flowers
- [Hot Sauce Batch 19 - entry 6](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/19/hot-sauce-batch-19-entry-6/) - It's week seven of my hot sauce fermentation. I added another 4 ounces or so of fresh peppers, salt and more water and gave it a good stir. The fermentation is now giving off a tangy smell that's both spicy and funky. I figure I'll only have room for one more addition of fresh peppers
- [Hot Sauce Batch 19 - entry 5](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/11/hot-sauce-bath-19-entry-5/) - Added another 4 ounces of fresh peppers and 1 tsp of pickling salt. Peppers are really starting to ferment and become mushy now. Jar is almost full too. Soon it will be time to add the oak and let it reset over the winter.
- [Photo of the Day: Bowl Gourds](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/18/photo-of-the-day-bowl-gourds/) - Gourds are cool. Not only do the vines look nifty while they're growing, but they leave behind future bowls, birdhouses, planters and other craft projects. This year a bowl gourd plant showed up and decided to make its home on the north fence of the vegetable garden... and the orange trees... and the bottle brush
- [Photo of the Day: A bathtub's worth of luffa sponges](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/28/photo-of-the-day-a-bathtubs-worth-of-luffa-sponges/) - I accidentally let luffas run wild in my garden so every year now I'm cleaning up a wheelbarrow-load of luffa sponges in the fall
- [The Ducks Get a New Water Dish](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/15/ducks-get-a-new-water-dish/) - The term “like a duck to water” takes on new meaning when your ducks get a new water dish. When I put the empty dish down there wasn’t a duck in sight. The moment water came out of the hose, boom, 19 ducks appeared, so I took a quick video of them. I think this
- [Island of Misfit Succulents](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/14/island-of-misfit-succulents/) - Even half-serious plant collectors have an "Island of Misfits" -- plants that you don't really want or need, but for some reason you keep anyway.
- [Photo of the Day: Pelargonium Cotyledonis](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/12/photo-of-the-day-pelargonium-cotyledonis/) - This little plant looks like it belongs in a Hobbit book. It's called "Old Father Live Forever" (Pelargonium cotyledonis) and is native to the island of Saint Helena off the west coast of Africa. It's endangered on its home island where goats were allowed to overgraze, but fortunately conservationists have helped it stage a comeback
- [Photo of the Day: Black Peruvian Sage](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/11/photo-of-the-day-black-peruvian-sage/) - This is Peruvian Sage (Salvia discolor), also known as "Andian Sage." Fairly rare even in its native Peru, the plant grow long white stems with leaves that are green on one side and white on the other. The end of the stem is a series of deep purple flowers the color of blackberries with a
- [Photo of the Day: Tiger Jaw in Flower](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/10/photo-of-the-day-tiger-jaw-in-flower/) - This is a tiger jaw (Faucaria tigrina) in flower. My wife brought home in a one-inch pot along with half a dozen other succulents a couple of years ago. The plant is low, mounding, and it's "jaws" make it look a little fierce on the rocky landscape. Better yet, it needs zero care (I don't
- [Photo of the Day: Toyon - Christmas Berry](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/09/photo-of-the-day-toyon-christmas-berry/) - Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), aka "Christmas Berry" or California Holly, is a native tree and favorite hangout for all sorts of birds and wildlife. Once established, it pretty much tolerates anything -- blazing sun, drought, fire, shade, lousy soil, mule deer, etc. They're usually 8-10 ft tall, but this tree is over 30 years old and
- [Photo of the Day: Tarantula Hawk](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/08/photo-of-the-day-tarantula-hawk/) - Walked out of the house this morning to be greeted by what I thought was was a hummingbird, but turned out to be a Tarantula Hawk, which is a *very* large wasp.
- [Photo of the Day: Hummingbird Sage](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/07/photo-of-the-day-hummingbird-sage/) - A California native, hummingbird sage is a low growing sage that spreads by rhizomes and will thrive even under tough trees like oaks, eucalyptus and pine
- [Oh How the Garden Grows (Time Lapse Edition)](https://sagesacre.com/2017/06/26/oh-how-the-garden-grows-time-lapse-edition/) - Cleaning 6,500 sq ft of weeds and plants from the vegetable garden usually takes several days of hard work. Thanks to timelapse, you get it in under 5 minutes.
- [Video: "Happy Red" Japanese Tomato](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/01/video-happy-red-japanese-tomato/) - This past spring I got a Japanese tomato. I have no idea what the name is because the tag was all in Japanese. But it did produce lots of tasty tomatoes.
- [Photo of the Day: Foggy Morning in November](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/06/photo-of-the-day-fogg-morning/) - Misty November morning. Fog settles over the pond and creates a shadowy, silent scene.
- [Photo of the Day: Peppermint Twist Rose](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/04/photo-of-the-day-peppermint-twist-rose/) - While most of the rest of the garden is hunkering down for winter, a couple of the roses are kicking out one more set of blooms. This one is "Peppermint Twist." I think you can tell how it got its name.
- [Hot Sauce Batch 19 - entry 4](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/04/hot-sauce-batch-19-entry-4/) - Added 8 more ounces of hot peppers and 1/2 TSP of salt. No additional water. Will probably have just one more addition because the weather cold nights are knocking off the pepper plants.
- [Hot Sauce Batch 19 - entry 3](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/27/hot-sauce-batch-19-entry-3/) - Forgot to take photos of last week's addition. 6 ounces plus 1 cup water, 1/2tsp salt. Woops. Also, too much water let the peppers float on top and get a white mold. Woops again. Pay attention. Scraped off the fuzzy white mold and added 6 more ounces of fresh peppers. The peppers from week 1
- [Photo of the Day: Painted Plumeria](https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/03/photo-of-the-day-painted-plumeria/) - Most of my Plumerias bloom pink or yellow and stay that way, but not this one. It blooms pink and turns white over the course of a few days. As the color changes from outer edge to the center of the flowers it looks like someone comes and paints them with little colored accents. One
- [Photo of the Day: Happy Halloween!](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/31/photo-of-the-day-happy-halloween/) - Happy Halloween everyone! If you're going to a party tonight, don't end up like this guy. Cleanup is rough.
- [Hot Sauce Batch 19 - entry 2](https://sagesacre.com/2019/09/29/hot-sauce-batch-19-entry-2/) - Added 3 ounces Black Mamba peppers and 2 cloves of fresh garlic. 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 tsp salt added as well.
- [Hot Sauce Batch 19 - entry 1](https://sagesacre.com/2019/09/16/hot-sauce-batch-19-entry-1/) - Added the first 8 ounces of whole peppers (Hidden Lake Hot - Thai/Cayenne cross) to the jar. Added 1 up water, 1/2tsp pickling salt.
- [Photo of the Day: Autumn Sage "Lipstick"](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/25/photo-of-the-day-autumn-sage-lipstick/) - The past few days have been hotter than Hades, but the natives are thriving (except for yours truly, I'm not happy). This one is a variety of Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii) showing off how it got the name "lipstick." It's a little over five feet (1.5 meters) high and equally wide and spreads like crazy
- [Photo of the Day: Welcome to October](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/24/photo-of-the-day-welcome-to-october/) - We're just a week away from November and it's so hot even the plants in the pond are wilting. It's 96° and 13% humidity outdoors. In the greenhouse it's even worse. 111° and 1% humidity. Not that this is unusual. We usually get one last heatwave right around this time. But, dang. all those seedlings
- [Photo of the Day: Crazy winter squash hybrid](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/23/photo-of-the-day-crazy-winter-squash-hybrid/) - I grew two winter squashes, Delicata and Spaghetti, next to one another, then took the seeds from a few of the fruit of both and grew this crazy speckled hybrid
- [Photo of the Day: Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia)](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/21/photo-of-the-day-mexican-sunflower-tithonia/) - Tithonia blooms from March to Novemberhere in zone 9 and over the years has spread into a large showy plant about 15-20 feet (5-6 meters) high and equally wide.
- [Photo of the Day: Vintage Red Rose](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/20/photo-of-the-day-vintage-red-rose/) - My mom had this rose in her garden for 20 years before she gave it to me. I planted it, and 26 years later, it still looks amazing and smells absolutely intoxicating.
- [Photo of the Day: Mystery Frog on a Lillypad](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/18/photo-of-the-day-mystery-frog-on-a-lillypad/) - Walked by our pond this morning and spied this little guy sitting all fairytale-like on a lillypad. No idea where he came from but I'm happy to welcome her/him
- [Photo of the Day: Happy Face Bell Peppers](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/17/photo-of-the-day-happy-face-bell-peppers/) - Cut the tops off of a couple Olympus bell peppers we were having with dinner last night and couldn't help but notice that they have "smiley faces" inside. Bonus!
- [Photo of the Day: Gopher Snake!](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/16/photo-of-the-day-gopher-snake/) - Our duck enclosure is covered with a very old, thick orange clock vine (Thumbergia). Looks great in bloom and offers cover for the animals, including this guy, a gopher snake that scared the bejesus out of me when I when to pick it up because I thought it was a hose. Next time, I'll look
- [Photo of the Day: Tomato sprouting from the inside out](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/15/photo-of-the-day-tomato-sprouting-from-the-inside-out/) - This is weird. I pulled this tomato off the vine because I thought it had worms, but it turns out the seeds germinated inside the tomato and were popping through a break in the skin. Anyone know what causes that?
- [Photo of the Day: Moulin Rouge Sunflower](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/14/photo-of-the-day-moulin-rouge-sunflower/) - I like sunflowers so I sprinkle them around the acre to add some visual interest and keep the birds and bees happy. This one is Moulin Rouge, which I picked up along with a number of other varieties from @johnys_seeds. The depth of the red color in this one is a real show stopper.
- [Photo of the Day: Rose Apple or Jambu fruit](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/13/photo-of-the-day-rose-apple-or-jambu-fruit/) - Jambu is another subtropical that does well here in San Diego. This one is Syzygium Jambos or the Rose Apple. In the summer it has feathery white flowers that turn into a waxy little fruit that sort of tastes like rose water. I'm not a fan of the fruit, but I do like the tree.
- [Photo of the Day: Yellow (Lemon) Guava](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/12/photo-of-the-day-yellow-lemon-guava/) - We've lots of subtropicals and semi-rare plants on the Acre. Interestingly, they all fruit in fall. This one is Psidium littorale, aka Yellow Guava or Lemon Guava.
- [Photo of the Day: Red Shouldered Hawks and a Squirrel Lunch](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/11/photo-of-the-day-red-shouldered-hawks-and-a-squirrel-lunch/) - You know what is bad ass? A hawk swooping down from a telephone pole and grabbing a ground squirrel on the run. Changes the definition of a "grab and go meal."
- [Photo of the Day: Hot Sauce Time](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/10/photo-of-the-day-hot-sauce-time/) - Fresh picked Habañeros and a homegrown Thai/Cayenne cross that I call Hidden Lake Hot. Ferment them on oak for six months or so and, bang! Hot sauce!
- [Photo of the Day: Weathervane at Sunset](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/09/photo-of-the-day-weathervane-at-sunset/) - "Rusty the Rooster" weathervane against a sunset sky
- [Photo of the Day: Feijoa (aka: Pineapple Guava)](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/08/photo-of-the-day-feijoa-aka-pineapple-guava/) - The Feijoa aka: Pineapple Guava (Acca sellowiana) is native to South America and produces a green fruit with a pineapple like flavor.
- [Photo of the Day: Sunflowers in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/07/photo-of-the-day-sunflowers-in-bloom/) - It may be fall, but these sunflowers don't seem to care. To them every day is a summer's day.
- [Photo of the Day: Spider at Sunset](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/06/photo-of-the-day-spider-at-sunset/) - A spider weaving a web between two trees high in the air with the sun setting in the background.
- [The ultimate photo filter for sunsets](https://sagesacre.com/2017/02/20/the-ultimate-photo-filter-for-sunsets/) - Mother Nature treats us to a spectacular post-storm sunset over the Pacific near Oceanside, California
- [A Rare Skink Sighting](https://sagesacre.com/2017/02/22/a-rare-skink-sighting/) - We've no lack of reptiles here on the acre. Gopher snakes, king snakes, the occasional rattlesnake, alligator lizards and western fence lizards (aka, the "blue belly") are all common sights around here. Actually, the fence lizard is so common in summer that you'll nearly walk on a dozen just crossing the yard. What isn't a
- [Photo of the Day: Undercover Tomatillos](https://sagesacre.com/2019/09/25/photo-of-the-day-undercover-tomatillos/) - If you plant tomatillos once, chances are you're going to have tomatillos for years to come—you just don't know where. I found 2 types growing in with the corn.
- [Photo of the Day: Grapes near Harvest](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/05/photo-of-the-day-grapes-near-harvest/) - We had an unusually cool summer which let the grapes take their time ripening. Now that cool fall nights are here, the fruit is finally finishing. Wine soon enough!
- [Photo of the Day: Beans and Tomatoes](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/04/photo-of-the-day-beans-and-tomatoes/) - Summer is gone, fall is taking over and the vegetables know it. We'll be eating a lot of bean and tomato dishes this winter!
- [Photo of the Day: Ice Cream Bananas](https://sagesacre.com/2019/09/16/photo-of-the-day-ice-cream-bananas/) - After two years of growth, the ice cream banana has finally produced fruit!
- [Photo of the Day: Water Hyacinth in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2019/09/19/photo-of-the-day-water-hyacinth-in-bloom/) - The first bloom in the pond. We've been waiting all summer!
- [The Fig Says it's Spring](https://sagesacre.com/2017/03/18/the-fig-says-its-spring/) - That's what it looks like to me anyway
- [Photo of the Day: Our Rooster Twins](https://sagesacre.com/2019/09/30/photo-of-the-day-our-rooster-twins/) - Last spring one of the hens surprised us with a matched set of roosters. Meet Jonesy and Riley.
- [Photo of the Day: Cleveland Sage in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/01/photo-of-the-day-cleveland-sage-in-bloom/) - One of my favorite natives and sages. Salvia Clevelandii (Cleveland Sage) both looks and smells fantastic.
- [Photo of the Day: Fence Lizard Up Close](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/02/photo-of-the-day-fence-lizard-up-close/) - Nothing like being sized us by a tiny dinosaur while you're working outside.
- [Photo of the Day: Goldfinches at Breakfast](https://sagesacre.com/2019/10/03/photo-of-the-day-goldfinches-at-breakfast/) - At the end of the season we always let the basil go to seed. This not only gives us seed for next spring, but it also give the finches something to snack on now.
- ["Cheddar" Cauliflower](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/17/cheddar-cauliflower/) - We're all used to seeing big white heads of cauliflower in the store, but I'm partial to this particular variety called "Cheddar" that you have to buy from a seed supplier (in this case, Pinetree Garden Seeds). Every bit as good as the snowy white variety, Cheddar is even better when you sprinkle a little
- [Busy Bee](https://sagesacre.com/2014/07/12/busy-bee/) - Bees never take a day off.
- [Cleveland Sage in Bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2015/05/12/cleveland-sage-in-bloom/) - One of my favorite native plants, Cleveland Sage (salvia clevelandii), which gets its name from the nearby Cleveland National Forest. Looks great, smells great and requires close to zero water and maintenance.
- [Hungarian Wax Peppers](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/02/hungarian-wax-peppers/) - Early August and the peppers and tomatoes are really starting to come in now. These are a type of Hungarian Wax Peppers. I can never recall the name but they're a little larger and more "peppery" than your typical Hungarians.
- [Red Onion Harvest](https://sagesacre.com/2015/05/29/red-onion-harvest/) - The ruby ring onions I planted this past winter ready to harvest. I pulled them up and will allow them to dry before tying them up. In total I got about 50 really nice red onions. Considering I bought this seed on sale for 99 cents, I got a real nice return on my investment.
- [The Eagle has landed.](https://sagesacre.com/2015/05/10/the-eagle-has-landed/) - Okay, it's not an eagle, but a young Cooper's hawk who happened to be perched on the no parking sign just down the hill. He let me get just ten feet away to take this photo. After posing he dove into the brush for breakfast and then flew off.
- [Time to Get This Garden Started](https://sagesacre.com/2017/03/01/time-to-get-this-garden-started/) - I used to take that "start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before last frost" stuff on the back of seed packets pretty seriously. It took me about 5 years and umpteen dead seedlings before I figured out, regardless of what the weather tables say about my climate zone, that "last frost" could be anywhere from
- [Varigated Chinese Lantern](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/08/varigated-chinese-lantern/) - This is an unusual variety of the Chinese Lantern (Physalis alkekengi) with speckled yellow and green leaves. Native to southern Asia, I picked this one up as a 3 inch plant the local exotic plant nursery years ago. It's now well over 10 feet tall an produces lots of orange blooms without being watered or
- [High summer corn pr0n](https://sagesacre.com/2017/07/26/high-summer-corn-pr0n/) - It's mid-summer and the second round of sweet corn is coming in nicely. This variety is Incredible, an F1 Hybrid SE variety. At 84 days it's a little longer to maturity than the Honey Select we harvested back at the beginning of the month, but it's well-worth the wait.
- [Time to fly the nest buddy](https://sagesacre.com/2017/08/01/time-to-fly-the-nest-buddy/) - The woodpeckers that occupy one of the giant agave stalks out front have been trying to get their chick out of the nest for at least a week. Actually, it’s not really a “chick” anymore since its as large as its parents. It’s more like a 26 year-old millenial that won’t move out and expects
- [Lazy Garden Tip: Golden Poppies are Super Easy to Grow](https://sagesacre.com/2017/04/23/lazy-garden-tip-golden-poppies-are-super-easy-to-grow/) - Golden poppies will grow pretty much anywhere and need literally no care to put on a great mid-spring wildflower show
- [The vegetable garden is off to a great start](https://sagesacre.com/2017/04/03/the-vegetable-garden-is-off-to-a-great-start/) - April rolled in and the vegetable garden is off to a great start
- [Garlic sprouts in early November](https://sagesacre.com/2015/11/08/garlic-sprouts-in-early-november/) - About a month ago I planted some hardneck garlic for spring harvest. Here's what it looks like a month later: I planted both rows on the same day, but curiously, the garlic on the left, which is from a local grower, is already up and on its way. The garlic from Maine has yet to
- [Thanksgiving dressing from the herb garden](https://sagesacre.com/2015/11/26/thanksgiving-dressing-from-the-herb-garden/) - The herb garden is about done for the year, but not so done that I can't get everything I need to season our homemade stuffing. Manged to get plenty thyme, rosemary, celery, parsley and sage. Now to dice it up and add it to the croutons I made from some leftover French bread the Mrs.
- [Ouch! Winter Hits Hurt](https://sagesacre.com/2015/12/20/winter-hits-hurt/) - Down here in the foothills of San Diego its not unusual to see temps dip below freezing on some nights... in February. Unfortunately, during the last three weeks of autumn almost every night has dipped into the low 30's (and some nights into the 20's). Most of my subtropicals can survive a few nights of
- [This Pterodactyl is trying to eat my fish](https://sagesacre.com/2016/02/28/this-pterodactyl-is-trying-to-eat-my-fish/) - I've been doing battle with this bad boy for the past few days. The fish pond is covered and reinforced with bird netting, but that hasn't stopped him from trying multiple air and ground-based attacks. Unlike the egrets that visit and attempt fishing without a license from time to time, this guy has almost no
- [Jack o' Lantern in waiting](https://sagesacre.com/2015/10/31/jack-o-lantern-in-waiting/) - It's Halloween, and time to haul one of the last pumpkins up to carve it into a Jack o' Lantern. This one looks pretty good. Follow-up: turns out this one was bigger than I thought. 45lbs worth of Jack o' Lantern coming up.
- [Garlic Planting Time](https://sagesacre.com/2015/10/12/garlic-planting-time/) - Ordered some hardneck garlic last month from Pinetree Garden Seeds and it's finally here. I figure if I plant it now, right around spring we'll have fresh garlic.
- [Big Duck, Small Pond](https://sagesacre.com/2015/10/02/big-duck-small-pond/) - WHy go to the duck pond with all the other ducks wen you can have a water dish all to yourself?
- [Late summer harvest](https://sagesacre.com/2015/08/20/late-summer-harvest/) - Summer still has a month to go, but the garden is starting to look tired. All the heat and sun has the spring plantings kicking out their last. I won't be planting anything new until mid-September when fall crops will have a better chance of surviving. In the meantime, I'm happy that we're still harvesting
- [How the Herb Garden Grows](https://sagesacre.com/2015/07/05/how-the-herb-garden-grows/) - In early March I decided to create an herb garden by rounding up a bunch of plants that were growing wild in various locations around the yard. To start I moved a catnip seeding, some oregano and a parsley volunteer. A month later I added some thyme, summer savory and a sage. And a month
- [Perlette Table Grape](https://sagesacre.com/2015/06/21/perlette-table-grape/) - I bought a dozen 1 year old table grape vines from Peaceful Valley Farms last year (a real deal at just $5 a vine). Last year they didn't do much. I let them run wild and get established. This past winter I pruned and trellised them and have tried to keep them trained on the
- [Alstroemeria gone wild](https://sagesacre.com/2015/06/14/alstroemeria-gone-wild/) - Several years ago my wife was given this Peruvian Lily as a houseplant. It didn't do particularly well in the house (in fact, I thought it was dead), so I dumped it into the garden near the strawberry planter. Not only was the plant not dead, but it thrives in the dry soil and treats
- [Trailing Blackberries](https://sagesacre.com/2015/06/12/trailing-blackberries/) - This is a native trailing blackberry. Usually you find them down along the creeks. I transplanted a few along my lower fence line 20 years ago and the blackberries have never looked back. This year the ground squirrels and I are in a battle to see who will get to eat more of them. So
- [Sweet Corn by Memorial Day](https://sagesacre.com/2015/05/10/sweet-corn-by-memorial-day/) - It's only Mid-may and the Bon Apetit Sweet corn is going gangbusters. I wouldn't be surprised if there's fresh corn on the BBQ this Memorial Day. (Note: this photos was taken less than 3 weeks after this one).
- [Hydrangea All Pink this Year](https://sagesacre.com/2015/05/16/hydrangea-all-pink-this-year/) - Last fall I put up a rain gutter that redirected water from the roof to the camelias and hydrangea on the side yard. Whatever is in the roof runoff, for the first time all the hydrangeas blooms are pink this year.
- [Corn & Tomatoes 2 Weeks later](https://sagesacre.com/2015/04/21/corn-tomatoes-2-weeks-later/) - Exactly two weeks after this photo, this is now what those corn and tomato plants look like.
- [That's a lot of pollen](https://sagesacre.com/2015/04/20/thats-a-lot-of-pollen/) - I thought high pollen counts hit me pretty bad. I can only imagine what it's doing to this bee. It flew out of the wildflower field and landed on the bench to unload a bit before moving on.
- [Corn & Tomatoes Going](https://sagesacre.com/2015/04/06/corn-tomatoes-going/) - The warm weather has also allow me to get corn (foreground) and tomatoes (background) in the ground several weeks earlier than usual. I'm hoping they're ready by Memorial Day.
- [Volunteer Wild Flowers](https://sagesacre.com/2015/04/05/volunteer-wild-flowers/) - After last year's wildflower planting we didn't bother to re-seed. We just let the old wildflowers stand through the winter (such as it was), and the garden came right back with plenty of volunteers.
- [The Best of Both Worlds](https://sagesacre.com/2015/03/21/the-best-of-both-worlds/) - For a couple of weeks here in late winter / early spring, I get the best of both worlds with our citrus trees -- fruit and blossoms. The taste and smell are both incredible.
- [What a difference a couple of weeks make](https://sagesacre.com/2015/03/27/what-a-difference-a-couple-of-weeks-make/) - We pretty much had a non-winter here in San Diego which allowed me to get a lot of things in the ground well before normal. By January of this year I had lettuce, cilantro, onions, snow peas, broccoli and cauliflower all planted. Normally I can't do that until early March because sudden frost snaps kill
- [First Day of Spring](https://sagesacre.com/2015/03/20/first-day-of-spring/) - It's been six months since my last post, but now that the Acre is kicking back into high gear I thought I'd pick up where I left off. Here's a photo of what the first day of Spring 2015 looks like in Northern San Diego County.
- [First Day of Autumn](https://sagesacre.com/2014/09/23/first-day-of-autumn/) - Like clockwork, the season switched from summer to fall and suddenly the heat and sun are gone, replaced with cool temps and early morning fog. Here's my view of the palms on the west side of the valley at 7 am.
- [Ducks Beat the Heat in a Horse Trough](https://sagesacre.com/2014/09/20/ducks-beat-the-heat-in-a-horse-trough/) - It's almost 100 degrees, but I doubt the ducks know it. They spend all day horsing around in their "pond" (aka: a 100 gallon trough).
- [10 Cent Gold Fish](https://sagesacre.com/2014/09/18/10-cent-gold-fish/) - A lot of people don't know those 10 cent "feeder" gold fish you can get in the pet store can actually get quite large. This little school of fishies has only been in the pond for 6 months or so, but I've got several that have been in there for years -- some of which
- [Lion's Mane Takes the Heat](https://sagesacre.com/2014/09/16/lions-mane-takes-the-heat/) - September is a tough month for plants here in San Diego. The end of summer brings lots of heat and sun, it hasn't rained in six months, and we're in the midst of a drought so I water only sparingly. As a result, there's just a few plants that actually look good this time of
- [Dipper Gourd Volunteers](https://sagesacre.com/2014/09/01/dipper-gourd-volunteers/) - Several years ago I planted some dipper gourds at my daughter's request. They grew and produced a bunch of dipper-shaped gourds that I didn't really know what to do with. So they sat around on our patio for a while until our German Shepards decided that one would make a good dog toy. They threw
- [Late Summer a.m. Fog](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/30/late-summer-a-m-fog/) - This time of year the skies are clear at sunrise, but the warm water over the lake makes for foggy mornings until the air warms up.
- [Goats are always hungry](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/26/goats-are-always-hungry/) - I'm pretty sure "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" has something to do with goats. I fed them not 5 minutes before (see the alfalfa?) and they're already back to see if I have something new.
- [Weathervane on a Blue Sky](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/24/weathervane-on-a-blue-sky/) - Late August and the sky doesn't get any bluer. Soon the sun will be lower and the bright blue will fade. Then soon after a blue-gray and fall will be here. I'm enjoying this right now.
- [Goldfinches love basil](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/15/goldfinches-love-basil/) - Truth is you can only each so much pesto and fresh basil before you turn into a cabrese salad. Fortunately, if the basil bolts and goes to seed, there's an army of goldfinches more than happy to jump in and eat.
- [August Harvest](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/13/august-harvest/) - Not a bad harvest today. Basil, cauliflower, broccoli, onions. a whole bunch of different tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos and fresh figs. We'll be eating fresh for a while.
- [The Supermoon in the Mountains](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/11/the-supermoon-in-the-mountains/) - I didn't know the other night was a supermoon, because I was off vacationing in the mountains of Idaho. What I did notice in the morning, however, was a moon large enough to be the sun over 1,000 foot peak. Wow.
- [San Diego Tomatoes](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/06/san-diego-tomatoes/) - "You've got to try these!" a friend of mine who works at a nursery said. "They're San Diego Tomatoes and they saved San Diego!" From what they saved San Diego I have no idea (and neither did my friend), but they're a tasty mid-sized slicer and boy do they like growing in San Diego. This
- [Rattlesnake Beans](https://sagesacre.com/2014/08/04/rattlesnake-beans/) - A delicious pole bean either eaten fresh or dried, the vines always put out way more than we can eat, so we wind up with lots dried and used in soups and chili during the winter. Not sure why they're called "rattlesnake beans though. They don't look or sound like rattlesnakes.
- [Four Fresh Ducklings](https://sagesacre.com/2014/07/25/four-fresh-ducklings/) - We've had one duck sitting on a nest since April, occasionally tossing an egg out of her nest when she felt it had gone bad. Truthfully we didn't think anything was going to come from her broodiness until this morning this morning when we spotted her with four new ducklings. If you check the Chickencam
- [Squirrel for Lunch](https://sagesacre.com/2014/07/13/squirrel-for-lunch/) - A couple of hawks were making a lot of noise on the telephone pole out front. I grabbed my camera and caught them in the act of discussing how to eat a ground squirrel.
- [Four O'Clocks](https://sagesacre.com/2014/07/12/four-oclocks/) - I'm not exactly sure how Four O'Clocks wound up in my yard since I never planted them. They have however, made themselves at home along the slopes and in semi shady areas all over the place. I'm also not sure why they're called four o'clocks since they seem to be open all day.
- [Happy 4th of July](https://sagesacre.com/2014/07/04/happy-4th-of-july/) - Blue skies, yellow sunflowers and Old Glory. Happy 238th birthday America!
- [Desert Rose](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/28/desert-rose/) - One of my kids brought this home from a plant salel she was at. It looks like something out of Jurassic Park, but the flower he's really pretty.
- [Red Burgundy Onions](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/23/red-burgundy-onions/) - Planted these from seed back in early March and finally harvested this week. It's a great onions for those of us with short days in the south. Great color and a nice, spicy onion flavor.
- [Flowers Gone Wild](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/13/flowers-gone-wild/) - So I spent $4 on a Bird & Butterfly Garden packet, threw in a little water, and voila! Two months later a full blown North American Wildflower garden.
- [Jasmine on a chicken coop](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/12/jasmine-on-a-chicken-coop/) - Chicken coops are generally drab affairs, but mine is draped in snowy white and wonderfully fragrant star jasmine.
- [Pink Mallow](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/10/pink-mallow/) - Around here we've got a variety of mallow with a tiny white flower and a great big taproot that likes to take over just about everything. Fortunately, there are prettier, less invasive varieties native to other parts of North America. This one's a big mallow with a really showy pink blossom blooming in the butterfly
- [Ring Around the Marigold](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/09/ring-around-the-marigold/) - 10 or so years ago my youngest daughter brought home a packet of marigold seeds called "Little Tiger" (or something close to that) she'd won in a drawing at school. The first year we grew them they were, in fact, striped orange and yellow like a tiger. Each year we saved some seeds and planted
- [Blackberry Season](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/07/blackberry-season/) - Blackberries are ripe and ready for pies, jams and other good stuff. Now it's just a race between me, the squirrels and the birds to see who gets more.
- [Almost Corn Time](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/06/almost-corn-time/) - My father-in-law, born and raised on an Iowa corn farm is fond of say that corn should be "knee-high by the Fourth of July." It's only early June and we're well past knee-high with the sweet corn. By the Fourth we'll be eating it!
- [Peppermint Twist Rose](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/02/peppermint-twist-rose/) - A floribunda rose I picked up nearly 20 years ago from a little nursery tucked back in the hills of Fallbrook. The lady said it was called "Peppermint Twist" because the red and white spirals of the flower resembled a peppermint candy. When the flower is still a bud it does really look like a
- [Mexican Sunflower](https://sagesacre.com/2014/06/01/mexican-sunflower/) - This is a Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia). Native to tropical regions of Mexico, it grows and reproduces quite easily here in San Diego County. This particular plant is nearly 20 feet tall and produces a profusion of yellow flowers from May through September. After the bloom, I chop it back to about 3 feet tall
- [Hydrangeas](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/27/hydrangeas/) - I didn't always like these plants and even went so far to chop this one all the way to the ground. When it grew back it came back as two plants. One produces pink blooms, the other blue. Kinda neat.
- [Sunflowers know summer is here](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/24/sunflowers-know-summer-is-here/) - Summer unofficially begins this weekend and as if on cue, Mother Nature is delivering warm weather and clear skies. The sunflowers, which have been languishing all spring, seem to know this and are responding accordingly. It's almost as if this Kong sunflower is lifting its face and drinking the sunshine in today.
- [Field of Chamomile](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/23/field-of-chamomile/) - Years ago I got a seed packet of German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) which I planted because my wife thought it'd be neat to have some for herbal tea. Since then it's nativized itself in section of the yard and so every spring I have a field of chamomile in which our ducks nest and plenty
- [Getting The Eye](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/21/getting-the-eye/) - Found this little guy staring at me from an empty flower pot as I was walking up from the orchard. He did some scary lizard push-ups to show me who was boss, so I snapped his picture and moved on before he charged me.
- [Eucalyptus up close](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/18/eucalyptus-up-close/) - Last winter during high winds and rain one of three enormous eucalyptus trees (about 60 feet) by the pond tipped over. Half the tree's roots remained in the ground, so the tree continues grow on the side facing the sky. I stood on the trunk, pointed my camera down and took this shot.
- [Surrounded by Fires](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/15/surrounded-by-fires/) - We're used to wildfires in San Diego, but they generally occur in late September / early October, not mid-May. It's been so hot and dry lately that the entire county is a tinderbox. Currently, we're within a couple of miles of four fires to the north, east, southeast and southwest, so any direction I turn
- [Fiery Sunset](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/16/fiery-sunset/) - Fire is terrible, but it sure makes for a pretty sunset. This is a photo of the Las Pulgas fire taken around 7:45 PM last night.
- [Picky Goldfinches](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/13/picky-goldfinches/) - The local pack of goldfinches chowing away on Nyjer seeds. One time we made the mistake of buying the general "finch mix" seed and the little monsters threw everything that wasn't Nyjer seed on the ground where the squirrels picked it up. We learned our lesson and now we never buy anything but pure Nyjer.
- [Peruvian Lilly](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/12/peruvian-lilly/) - Mom gave me a couple of different types of Alstromeria (aka Peruvian Lilly) 15 years ago when she re-vamped her garden. Stuff re-seeded, spread throughout the upper yard and grows like a weed in half a dozen place now. I've seen uglier weeds.
- [Joseph's Coat Roses](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/11/josephs-coat-roses/) - This was another find on the clearance aisle of a nursery. Picked up two one gallon containers of these showy climbing roses for just $2. They bloom red and gradually fade to orange and finally yellow so when the bush is in full bloom it's a riot of color. Looks great as a backdrop for
- [Pride of Madeira](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/10/pride-of-madeira/) - Echium candicans is native to the island of Madeira off the coast of Africa, which coincidentally has a climate very much similar to San Diego's. Not surprisingly, these shrubs thrive here. Bees love them.
- [Butterfly Iris](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/09/butterfly-iris/) - Nothing particularly special about this plant other than I never actually planted it. I think it came in with some plants that someone gave me and decided to stay. These days, I've got dozens growing in semi shady areas without any care. The purple, yellow and white flowers really look nice in contrast to the
- [Jerusalem Sage](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/07/jerusalem-sage/) - Jerusalem Sage (Phlomis fruticosa) is neither a sage nor is it from Jerusalem. It's a sage-like plant native to the The north eastern portions of the Mediterranean from Italy east to Turkey. Grows great here in San Diego even with no water or care.
- [Cleveland Sage](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/06/cleveland-sage/) - Cleveland Sage (salvia clevelandii) is a native sage that grows readily around here. This time of year its fragrant, woodsy flowers are generally covered with bees and hummingbirds. You can dry the blossoms and leaves, mix them with dried lavender and you've got a potpourri that'll beat anything you could get in the store.
- [Oaks and Willows](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/05/oaks-and-willows/) - An archway of oaks and willows to pass under on the path along the pond.
- [If I Could Save Thyme in a Clay Pot](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/05/if-i-could-save-thyme-in-a-clay-pot/) - This is exactly what it would look like.
- [Kiwi Flowers](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/04/kiwi-flowers/) - The Vincent kiwi over the threshold from the upper yard to the orchard is in bloom. This is a male flower.
- [Feijoa in bloom](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/04/feijoa-in-bloom/) - Feijoa (aka pineapple guava or guavasteen) isn't really a guava at all. It blooms mid-spring and drops like 9 tons of fruit in early fall. This time of year I see whole flocks of mockingbirds and orioles feasting on the blossoms.
- [A Hooded Oriole](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/02/a-hooded-oriole/) - This fine masked yellow fellow was sitting on the fence this morning keeping an eye on me.
- [Pansies](https://sagesacre.com/2014/04/28/pansies/) - One of the kids got a seed packet of pansies (or "Alice in Wonderland flowers" as my wife refers to them) last year. I threw them in a pot and didn't think about them much for the past 9 months. Now they're blooming like there's no tomorrow.
- [Golden Showers Rose](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/01/golden-showers-rose/) - Got this climbing rose on sale at a nursery for $1 years ago. It's grown like a tree and never fails to live up to it's name -- a golden shower of yellow blossoms.
- [Pink Water Lillies](https://sagesacre.com/2014/04/29/pink-water-lillies/) - I started these in a four inch pot in my pond about six years ago. The plant's rhizomes are now thicker that a tree trunk so I have to chop them back every year. No matter how much I chop off though, they always seem to come back in force.
- [Rhubarb](https://sagesacre.com/2014/05/02/rhubarb/) - Not really a big fan of rhubarb, but it sure does look neat in the garden.
- [Autumn Sage "Lipstick"](https://sagesacre.com/2014/04/27/autumn-sage-lipstick/) - Seems appropriate that my first post is a photo of a sage. I have 40 or so different ones on the property (people keep bringing me new ones and I keep planting them). This is a Salvia Greggii (autumn sage) called "lipstick." The bees and hummingbirds love it.

## Pages

- [Home](https://sagesacre.com/) - Budget-friendly organic gardens in a suburban setting. Veggies, backyard poultry, subtropicals, native plants, succulents, and a nature-friendly life at home.
- [Live webcam of chickens and ducks](https://sagesacre.com/chickencam/) - Just a live feed of our chickens and ducks wandering around the orchard doing chicken and duck stuff. Occasionally other forms of wildlife show up too.
- [Privacy](https://sagesacre.com/privacy/) - Privacy PolicyOn this page: Privacy Policy, Editorial Policies and Funding Statements Who we are This is Sage’s Acre, a website dedicated to backyard gardening, suburban homesteading, home projects and recipes. The site is run by me, Sage Osterfeld. I take privacy seriously. This site uses cookies to personalize the experience for you. However, they are
- [About](https://sagesacre.com/about/) - For nearly 30 years my suburban yard has been a (nearly) self-sufficient source of food and relaxation. I share the things I've learned so others can do it too.
- [Live Weathercam](https://sagesacre.com/weathercam/) - Sage’s Acre WeatherCam A live camera feed of the current weather at Sage’s Acre Loading live weather data...Camera Faces west toward the Pacific Ocean
- [Projects](https://sagesacre.com/projects/) - Garden projects, tips and ideas from Sage's Acre in San Diego County, California. In Zone 9, Mediterranean climate, lots of herbs, flowers and waterwise plants.
- [Stories](https://sagesacre.com/stories/) - 107, 2026 Beat the Mid-Summer Blank Space: What to Plant Right Now for a Second Harvest Garden Beat the Mid-Summer Blank Space: What to Plant Right Now for a Second HarvestSage Osterfeld2026-07-02T13:34:37-07:00July 1st, 2026|Garden|2 CommentsMaximize your garden space! Learn what heat-loving crops to plant right now for a second summer harvest and how to protect
- [Plants of Sage's Acre](https://sagesacre.com/plants/) - Sage's Acre is home to a variety of edible, unusual sub-tropicals, and native plants with a special emphasis on sages (salvias). Here's what's growing
- [Food](https://sagesacre.com/food/) - Our favorite comfort foods and recipes -- breads, sauces, BBQ, smoked, preserves and more -- all made with fresh ingredients from the Acre. Try the yourself!
- [Photos and Video](https://sagesacre.com/photos-and-video/) - Photos and video from around Sage's Acre - a combination of fun and wondrous things in the garden and beyond
- [Garden Posts](https://sagesacre.com/garden-posts/) - Garden projects, tips and ideas from Sage's Acre in San Diego County, California. In Zone 9, Mediterranean climate, lots of herbs, flowers and waterwise plants.

## Portfolio

- [Terri Osterfeld](https://sagesacre.com/catalog-items/terri-osterfeld/) - I'm Sage's wife and the real person in charge of Sage's Acre.
- [Lemongrass](https://sagesacre.com/catalog-items/lemongrass/) - Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a large, easy to grow clumping grass valued for its lemony flavor and fragrance

## Tags

- [rhubarb](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rhubarb/)
- [vegetable garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/vegetable-garden/)
- [garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-2/)
- [rose](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rose/)
- [golden shower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/golden-shower/)
- [climbing rose](https://sagesacre.com/tag/climbing-rose/)
- [pond](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pond/)
- [water lilly](https://sagesacre.com/tag/water-lilly/)
- [flower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/flower/)
- [sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sage/)
- [salvia](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salvia/)
- [lipstick](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lipstick/)
- [pansy](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pansy/)
- [pansies](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pansies/)
- [flowers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/flowers/)
- [seed packet](https://sagesacre.com/tag/seed-packet/)
- [bird](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bird/)
- [oriole](https://sagesacre.com/tag/oriole/)
- [kiwi](https://sagesacre.com/tag/kiwi/)
- [Vincent](https://sagesacre.com/tag/vincent/)
- [bloom](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bloom/)
- [thyme](https://sagesacre.com/tag/thyme/)
- [herb](https://sagesacre.com/tag/herb/)
- [potted](https://sagesacre.com/tag/potted/)
- [live oak](https://sagesacre.com/tag/live-oak/)
- [river willow](https://sagesacre.com/tag/river-willow/)
- [salvia clevelandii](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salvia-clevelandii/)
- [native](https://sagesacre.com/tag/native/)
- [drought tolerant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/drought-tolerant/)
- [Jersusalem sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/jersusalem-sage/)
- [Phlomis fruticosa](https://sagesacre.com/tag/phlomis-fruticosa/)
- [yellow](https://sagesacre.com/tag/yellow/)
- [chinese lantern](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chinese-lantern/)
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- [asia](https://sagesacre.com/tag/asia/)
- [iris](https://sagesacre.com/tag/iris/)
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- [volunteer](https://sagesacre.com/tag/volunteer/)
- [semi-shade](https://sagesacre.com/tag/semi-shade/)
- [medeira](https://sagesacre.com/tag/medeira/)
- [Africa](https://sagesacre.com/tag/africa/)
- [joseph's coat](https://sagesacre.com/tag/josephs-coat/)
- [mom](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mom/)
- [alstromeria](https://sagesacre.com/tag/alstromeria/)
- [lilly](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lilly/)
- [peruvian lilly](https://sagesacre.com/tag/peruvian-lilly/)
- [finch](https://sagesacre.com/tag/finch/)
- [goldfinch](https://sagesacre.com/tag/goldfinch/)
- [bird feeder](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bird-feeder/)
- [wildfire](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wildfire/)
- [san diego](https://sagesacre.com/tag/san-diego/)
- [may](https://sagesacre.com/tag/may/)
- [camp pendleton](https://sagesacre.com/tag/camp-pendleton/)
- [sunset](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sunset/)
- [eucalyptus](https://sagesacre.com/tag/eucalyptus/)
- [bark](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bark/)
- [lizard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lizard/)
- [flower pot](https://sagesacre.com/tag/flower-pot/)
- [chamomile](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chamomile/)
- [weed](https://sagesacre.com/tag/weed/)
- [tea](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tea/)
- [sunflower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sunflower/)
- [kong](https://sagesacre.com/tag/kong/)
- [summer](https://sagesacre.com/tag/summer/)
- [memorial day](https://sagesacre.com/tag/memorial-day/)
- [hydrangea](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hydrangea/)
- [Tithonia diversifolia](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tithonia-diversifolia/)
- [floribunda](https://sagesacre.com/tag/floribunda/)
- [red](https://sagesacre.com/tag/red/)
- [corn](https://sagesacre.com/tag/corn/)
- [june](https://sagesacre.com/tag/june/)
- [blackberry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/blackberry/)
- [berry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/berry/)
- [black](https://sagesacre.com/tag/black/)
- [marigold](https://sagesacre.com/tag/marigold/)
- [tiger](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tiger/)
- [mallow](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mallow/)
- [pink](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pink/)
- [wildflower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wildflower/)
- [jasmine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/jasmine/)
- [chicken coop](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chicken-coop/)
- [seeds](https://sagesacre.com/tag/seeds/)
- [north america](https://sagesacre.com/tag/north-america/)
- [cauliflower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cauliflower/)
- [vegetable](https://sagesacre.com/tag/vegetable/)
- [onion](https://sagesacre.com/tag/onion/)
- [thunbergia](https://sagesacre.com/tag/thunbergia/)
- [trumpet vine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/trumpet-vine/)
- [orang clock vine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/orang-clock-vine/)
- [bee](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bee/)
- [four o'clock](https://sagesacre.com/tag/four-oclock/)
- [Mirabilis jalapa](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mirabilis-jalapa/)
- [hawk](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hawk/)
- [squirrel](https://sagesacre.com/tag/squirrel/)
- [ducklings](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ducklings/)
- [birds](https://sagesacre.com/tag/birds/)
- [poultry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/poultry/)
- [pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pepper/)
- [wax](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wax/)
- [hungarian](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hungarian/)
- [bean](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bean/)
- [pole bean](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pole-bean/)
- [dried](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dried/)
- [fresh](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fresh/)
- [tomato](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tomato/)
- [slicer](https://sagesacre.com/tag/slicer/)
- [fig](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fig/)
- [tree](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tree/)
- [turkey fig](https://sagesacre.com/tag/turkey-fig/)
- [lion's mane](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lions-mane/)
- [south africa](https://sagesacre.com/tag/south-africa/)
- [fish](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fish/)
- [goldfish](https://sagesacre.com/tag/goldfish/)
- [ducks](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ducks/)
- [water](https://sagesacre.com/tag/water/)
- [heat](https://sagesacre.com/tag/heat/)
- [autumn](https://sagesacre.com/tag/autumn/)
- [equinox](https://sagesacre.com/tag/equinox/)
- [fall](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fall/)
- [palm](https://sagesacre.com/tag/palm/)
- [winter 2015](https://sagesacre.com/tag/winter-2015/)
- [peas](https://sagesacre.com/tag/peas/)
- [lettuce](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lettuce/)
- [broccoli](https://sagesacre.com/tag/broccoli/)
- [cilantro](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cilantro/)
- [red onion](https://sagesacre.com/tag/red-onion/)
- [spring harvest](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spring-harvest/)
- [grapes](https://sagesacre.com/tag/grapes/)
- [peppers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/peppers/)
- [brining](https://sagesacre.com/tag/brining/)
- [pickling](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pickling/)
- [harvest](https://sagesacre.com/tag/harvest/)
- [tomatoes](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tomatoes/)
- [augsut 2015](https://sagesacre.com/tag/augsut-2015/)
- [garlic](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garlic/)
- [planting](https://sagesacre.com/tag/planting/)
- [hardneck](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hardneck/)
- [november 2015](https://sagesacre.com/tag/november-2015/)
- [herbs](https://sagesacre.com/tag/herbs/)
- [dressing](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dressing/)
- [stuff](https://sagesacre.com/tag/stuff/)
- [thanksgiving](https://sagesacre.com/tag/thanksgiving/)
- [frost](https://sagesacre.com/tag/frost/)
- [freeze](https://sagesacre.com/tag/freeze/)
- [subtropical plants](https://sagesacre.com/tag/subtropical-plants/)
- [great blue heron](https://sagesacre.com/tag/great-blue-heron/)
- [February](https://sagesacre.com/tag/february/)
- [gray](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gray/)
- [cloning](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cloning/)
- [propagation](https://sagesacre.com/tag/propagation/)
- [winter](https://sagesacre.com/tag/winter/)
- [gardening](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gardening/)
- [rooting](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rooting/)
- [purple and orange](https://sagesacre.com/tag/purple-and-orange/)
- [skink](https://sagesacre.com/tag/skink/)
- [reptile](https://sagesacre.com/tag/reptile/)
- [spring](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spring/)
- [2017](https://sagesacre.com/tag/2017/)
- [poppy](https://sagesacre.com/tag/poppy/)
- [golden poppy](https://sagesacre.com/tag/golden-poppy/)
- [time lapse](https://sagesacre.com/tag/time-lapse/)
- [spring 2017](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spring-2017/)
- [luffa](https://sagesacre.com/tag/luffa/)
- [loofah](https://sagesacre.com/tag/loofah/)
- [sponge](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sponge/)
- [gourd](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gourd/)
- [sweet corn](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sweet-corn/)
- [incredible](https://sagesacre.com/tag/incredible/)
- [woodpecker](https://sagesacre.com/tag/woodpecker/)
- [acorn woodpecker](https://sagesacre.com/tag/acorn-woodpecker/)
- [baby](https://sagesacre.com/tag/baby/)
- [millenial](https://sagesacre.com/tag/millenial/)
- [agave](https://sagesacre.com/tag/agave/)
- [pastel](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pastel/)
- [tropical storm](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tropical-storm/)
- [august](https://sagesacre.com/tag/august/)
- [furniture](https://sagesacre.com/tag/furniture/)
- [bench](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bench/)
- [outdoor](https://sagesacre.com/tag/outdoor/)
- [plants](https://sagesacre.com/tag/plants/)
- [accent](https://sagesacre.com/tag/accent/)
- [seedlings](https://sagesacre.com/tag/seedlings/)
- [greenhouse](https://sagesacre.com/tag/greenhouse/)
- [vegetables](https://sagesacre.com/tag/vegetables/)
- [seed](https://sagesacre.com/tag/seed/)
- [basil](https://sagesacre.com/tag/basil/)
- [fence lizard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fence-lizard/)
- [cleveland sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cleveland-sage/)
- [native plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/native-plant/)
- [water lily](https://sagesacre.com/tag/water-lily/)
- [hyacinth](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hyacinth/)
- [water feature](https://sagesacre.com/tag/water-feature/)
- [banana](https://sagesacre.com/tag/banana/)
- [sages acre](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sages-acre/)
- [musa](https://sagesacre.com/tag/musa/)
- [ice cream banana](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ice-cream-banana/)
- [tropical](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tropical/)
- [beans](https://sagesacre.com/tag/beans/)
- [fall 2019](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fall-2019/)
- [wine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wine/)
- [fruit](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fruit/)
- [vineyard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/vineyard/)
- [totatillo](https://sagesacre.com/tag/totatillo/)
- [spider](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spider/)
- [suflower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/suflower/)
- [feijoa](https://sagesacre.com/tag/feijoa/)
- [pineapple guava](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pineapple-guava/)
- [Acca sellowiana](https://sagesacre.com/tag/acca-sellowiana/)
- [guava](https://sagesacre.com/tag/guava/)
- [beer](https://sagesacre.com/tag/beer/)
- [weathervane](https://sagesacre.com/tag/weathervane/)
- [chili pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chili-pepper/)
- [hot pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hot-pepper/)
- [hot sauce](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hot-sauce/)
- [cayenne](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cayenne/)
- [habanero](https://sagesacre.com/tag/habanero/)
- [thai chili](https://sagesacre.com/tag/thai-chili/)
- [spice](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spice/)
- [raptor](https://sagesacre.com/tag/raptor/)
- [red shouldered](https://sagesacre.com/tag/red-shouldered/)
- [bird of prey](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bird-of-prey/)
- [subtropical](https://sagesacre.com/tag/subtropical/)
- [yellow guava](https://sagesacre.com/tag/yellow-guava/)
- [lemon guava](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lemon-guava/)
- [Psidium](https://sagesacre.com/tag/psidium/)
- [rare fruit](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rare-fruit/)
- [Jambu](https://sagesacre.com/tag/jambu/)
- [rose apple](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rose-apple/)
- [Syzygium jambos](https://sagesacre.com/tag/syzygium-jambos/)
- [jonnys seeds](https://sagesacre.com/tag/jonnys-seeds/)
- [sprout](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sprout/)
- [worms](https://sagesacre.com/tag/worms/)
- [gopher snake](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gopher-snake/)
- [Thumbergia](https://sagesacre.com/tag/thumbergia/)
- [snake](https://sagesacre.com/tag/snake/)
- [bell pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bell-pepper/)
- [Olympus](https://sagesacre.com/tag/olympus/)
- [burlap](https://sagesacre.com/tag/burlap/)
- [plant protection](https://sagesacre.com/tag/plant-protection/)
- [mulch](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mulch/)
- [shade](https://sagesacre.com/tag/shade/)
- [frog](https://sagesacre.com/tag/frog/)
- [lillypad](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lillypad/)
- [prince](https://sagesacre.com/tag/prince/)
- [magic](https://sagesacre.com/tag/magic/)
- [thai](https://sagesacre.com/tag/thai/)
- [hybrid peppers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hybrid-peppers/)
- [grandiflora](https://sagesacre.com/tag/grandiflora/)
- [scented](https://sagesacre.com/tag/scented/)
- [vintage rose](https://sagesacre.com/tag/vintage-rose/)
- [hand me down plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hand-me-down-plant/)
- [Tithonia](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tithonia/)
- [mexican sunflower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mexican-sunflower/)
- [low mainteance](https://sagesacre.com/tag/low-mainteance/)
- [winter squash](https://sagesacre.com/tag/winter-squash/)
- [delicata](https://sagesacre.com/tag/delicata/)
- [spaghetti](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spaghetti/)
- [hybrid](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hybrid/)
- [heatwave](https://sagesacre.com/tag/heatwave/)
- [santa ana winds](https://sagesacre.com/tag/santa-ana-winds/)
- [hot](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hot/)
- [salvia greggii](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salvia-greggii/)
- [autumn sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/autumn-sage/)
- [lipstick sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lipstick-sage/)
- [Cucurbitaceae](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cucurbitaceae/)
- [keyhole garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/keyhole-garden/)
- [key hole](https://sagesacre.com/tag/key-hole/)
- [raised bed](https://sagesacre.com/tag/raised-bed/)
- [water wise garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/water-wise-garden/)
- [batch 19](https://sagesacre.com/tag/batch-19/)
- [grap tomato](https://sagesacre.com/tag/grap-tomato/)
- [idigo kumquat](https://sagesacre.com/tag/idigo-kumquat/)
- [end of season](https://sagesacre.com/tag/end-of-season/)
- [japanese tomato](https://sagesacre.com/tag/japanese-tomato/)
- [happy red tomato](https://sagesacre.com/tag/happy-red-tomato/)
- [pumpkin](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pumpkin/)
- [jack o' lantern](https://sagesacre.com/tag/jack-o-lantern/)
- [halloween](https://sagesacre.com/tag/halloween/)
- [plumers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/plumers/)
- [plumeria rubra](https://sagesacre.com/tag/plumeria-rubra/)
- [peppermint twist](https://sagesacre.com/tag/peppermint-twist/)
- [water efficient](https://sagesacre.com/tag/water-efficient/)
- [keyhole](https://sagesacre.com/tag/keyhole/)
- [fog](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fog/)
- [palm trees](https://sagesacre.com/tag/palm-trees/)
- [November](https://sagesacre.com/tag/november/)
- [salvia spathecea](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salvia-spathecea/)
- [hummingbird sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hummingbird-sage/)
- [california native plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/california-native-plant/)
- [red flower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/red-flower/)
- [tarantula hawk](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tarantula-hawk/)
- [wasp](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wasp/)
- [insect](https://sagesacre.com/tag/insect/)
- [tarantula](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tarantula/)
- [Heteromeles arbutifolia](https://sagesacre.com/tag/heteromeles-arbutifolia/)
- [california holly](https://sagesacre.com/tag/california-holly/)
- [hollywood](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hollywood/)
- [christmas berry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/christmas-berry/)
- [native tree](https://sagesacre.com/tag/native-tree/)
- [toyon](https://sagesacre.com/tag/toyon/)
- [succulent](https://sagesacre.com/tag/succulent/)
- [yellow flower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/yellow-flower/)
- [Faucaria tigrina](https://sagesacre.com/tag/faucaria-tigrina/)
- [Tiger jaw](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tiger-jaw/)
- [salvia discolor](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salvia-discolor/)
- [peruvian sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/peruvian-sage/)
- [andan sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/andan-sage/)
- [black sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/black-sage/)
- [pelargoium](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pelargoium/)
- [pelargonium cotyledonis](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pelargonium-cotyledonis/)
- [geranium](https://sagesacre.com/tag/geranium/)
- [rare](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rare/)
- [endangered](https://sagesacre.com/tag/endangered/)
- [compost](https://sagesacre.com/tag/compost/)
- [winter vegetables](https://sagesacre.com/tag/winter-vegetables/)
- [succulents](https://sagesacre.com/tag/succulents/)
- [plant collecting](https://sagesacre.com/tag/plant-collecting/)
- [misfits](https://sagesacre.com/tag/misfits/)
- [leftovers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/leftovers/)
- [island of misfit plants](https://sagesacre.com/tag/island-of-misfit-plants/)
- [video](https://sagesacre.com/tag/video/)
- [bowl gourd](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bowl-gourd/)
- [brazilian edelweiss](https://sagesacre.com/tag/brazilian-edelweiss/)
- [tropical plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tropical-plant/)
- [tubertropical](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tubertropical/)
- [thai basil](https://sagesacre.com/tag/thai-basil/)
- [clove](https://sagesacre.com/tag/clove/)
- [monstera](https://sagesacre.com/tag/monstera/)
- [indoor plants](https://sagesacre.com/tag/indoor-plants/)
- [dachshund](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dachshund/)
- [ferment](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ferment/)
- [kalanchoe](https://sagesacre.com/tag/kalanchoe/)
- [salmon](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salmon/)
- [Kalanchoe Marnieriana](https://sagesacre.com/tag/kalanchoe-marnieriana/)
- [rain](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rain/)
- [dry creek](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dry-creek/)
- [lower valley](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lower-valley/)
- [citrus](https://sagesacre.com/tag/citrus/)
- [grapefruit](https://sagesacre.com/tag/grapefruit/)
- [mandarin](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mandarin/)
- [tangerine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tangerine/)
- [winter 2019](https://sagesacre.com/tag/winter-2019/)
- [november 30](https://sagesacre.com/tag/november-30/)
- [2019](https://sagesacre.com/tag/2019/)
- [hot peppers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hot-peppers/)
- [bread](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bread/)
- [biga](https://sagesacre.com/tag/biga/)
- [pre-ferment](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pre-ferment/)
- [baking](https://sagesacre.com/tag/baking/)
- [food](https://sagesacre.com/tag/food/)
- [old dough](https://sagesacre.com/tag/old-dough/)
- [anciene](https://sagesacre.com/tag/anciene/)
- [sourdough](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sourdough/)
- [bake](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bake/)
- [dough](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dough/)
- [recipe](https://sagesacre.com/tag/recipe/)
- [chickens](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chickens/)
- [backyard poultry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyard-poultry/)
- [hen](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hen/)
- [chicken](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chicken/)
- [calendar](https://sagesacre.com/tag/calendar/)
- [rosemary bread](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rosemary-bread/)
- [rosemary](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rosemary/)
- [Italian](https://sagesacre.com/tag/italian/)
- [Physalis Alkekengi](https://sagesacre.com/tag/physalis-alkekengi/)
- [east slope](https://sagesacre.com/tag/east-slope/)
- [shade garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/shade-garden/)
- [gaucho](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gaucho/)
- [bantam](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bantam/)
- [rooster](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rooster/)
- [photooftheday](https://sagesacre.com/tag/photooftheday/)
- [december](https://sagesacre.com/tag/december/)
- [hot pepper sauce](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hot-pepper-sauce/)
- [aloe](https://sagesacre.com/tag/aloe/)
- [mediterranean](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mediterranean/)
- [aloe vera](https://sagesacre.com/tag/aloe-vera/)
- [potd](https://sagesacre.com/tag/potd/)
- [indoor garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/indoor-garden/)
- [garden progress](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-progress/)
- [photo of the day](https://sagesacre.com/tag/photo-of-the-day/)
- [pride of madeira](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pride-of-madeira/)
- [eyes](https://sagesacre.com/tag/eyes/)
- [Salvia leucophylla](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salvia-leucophylla/)
- [california](https://sagesacre.com/tag/california/)
- [sages](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sages/)
- [cabbage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cabbage/)
- [chinese cabbage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chinese-cabbage/)
- [greens](https://sagesacre.com/tag/greens/)
- [stir fry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/stir-fry/)
- [gopher](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gopher/)
- [garden pest](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-pest/)
- [mustard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mustard/)
- [condiment](https://sagesacre.com/tag/condiment/)
- [flavor](https://sagesacre.com/tag/flavor/)
- [brown mustard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/brown-mustard/)
- [hot mustard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hot-mustard/)
- [fermented hot sauce](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fermented-hot-sauce/)
- [rain barrel](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rain-barrel/)
- [irrigation](https://sagesacre.com/tag/irrigation/)
- [newbiemistake](https://sagesacre.com/tag/newbiemistake/)
- [cherimoya](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cherimoya/)
- [exotic fruit](https://sagesacre.com/tag/exotic-fruit/)
- [tropical fruit](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tropical-fruit/)
- [chirimuya](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chirimuya/)
- [exotic](https://sagesacre.com/tag/exotic/)
- [ketchup recipe](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ketchup-recipe/)
- [homemade ketchup](https://sagesacre.com/tag/homemade-ketchup/)
- [tomato preserves](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tomato-preserves/)
- [jonesy](https://sagesacre.com/tag/jonesy/)
- [gardenprep](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gardenprep/)
- [mid-winter](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mid-winter/)
- [cleaning](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cleaning/)
- [cold](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cold/)
- [winter 2020](https://sagesacre.com/tag/winter-2020/)
- [Echium candicans](https://sagesacre.com/tag/echium-candicans/)
- [clock](https://sagesacre.com/tag/clock/)
- [pallet](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pallet/)
- [pallet wood](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pallet-wood/)
- [clock project](https://sagesacre.com/tag/clock-project/)
- [DIY clock](https://sagesacre.com/tag/diy-clock/)
- [DIY](https://sagesacre.com/tag/diy/)
- [decor](https://sagesacre.com/tag/decor/)
- [rustic clock](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rustic-clock/)
- [rustic wood](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rustic-wood/)
- [valentine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/valentine/)
- [@johnnyseeds](https://sagesacre.com/tag/johnnyseeds/)
- [grape tomato](https://sagesacre.com/tag/grape-tomato/)
- [tomatillo](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tomatillo/)
- [caulflower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/caulflower/)
- [blue java](https://sagesacre.com/tag/blue-java/)
- [ice cream](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ice-cream/)
- [banana hand](https://sagesacre.com/tag/banana-hand/)
- [brassica](https://sagesacre.com/tag/brassica/)
- [raised beds](https://sagesacre.com/tag/raised-beds/)
- [raised garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/raised-garden/)
- [wniter](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wniter/)
- [cyclamen](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cyclamen/)
- [shade plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/shade-plant/)
- [cool weather](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cool-weather/)
- [drying](https://sagesacre.com/tag/drying/)
- [herb drying](https://sagesacre.com/tag/herb-drying/)
- [corriander](https://sagesacre.com/tag/corriander/)
- [mexican food](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mexican-food/)
- [salsa](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salsa/)
- [hoagie roll](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hoagie-roll/)
- [rolls](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rolls/)
- [bread recipe](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bread-recipe/)
- [deli style bread](https://sagesacre.com/tag/deli-style-bread/)
- [tom thumb peas](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tom-thumb-peas/)
- [sagesacre](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sagesacre/)
- [zone 9](https://sagesacre.com/tag/zone-9/)
- [bee's bliss sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bees-bliss-sage/)
- [bananas](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bananas/)
- [banana chips](https://sagesacre.com/tag/banana-chips/)
- [dehydrator](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dehydrator/)
- [good for you](https://sagesacre.com/tag/good-for-you/)
- [spring 2020](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spring-2020/)
- [hidden lake hot](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hidden-lake-hot/)
- [salvia coccinea](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salvia-coccinea/)
- [texas sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/texas-sage/)
- [sage plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sage-plant/)
- [hummingbrid sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hummingbrid-sage/)
- [california native](https://sagesacre.com/tag/california-native/)
- [pastrami](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pastrami/)
- [charcuterie](https://sagesacre.com/tag/charcuterie/)
- [corned beef](https://sagesacre.com/tag/corned-beef/)
- [st patricks day](https://sagesacre.com/tag/st-patricks-day/)
- [meat](https://sagesacre.com/tag/meat/)
- [rainbow](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rainbow/)
- [hand sanitizer](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hand-sanitizer/)
- [coronavirus](https://sagesacre.com/tag/coronavirus/)
- [covid-19](https://sagesacre.com/tag/covid-19/)
- [sanitize](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sanitize/)
- [clean](https://sagesacre.com/tag/clean/)
- [poppies](https://sagesacre.com/tag/poppies/)
- [wildflowers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wildflowers/)
- [annual](https://sagesacre.com/tag/annual/)
- [natives](https://sagesacre.com/tag/natives/)
- [native plants](https://sagesacre.com/tag/native-plants/)
- [duck](https://sagesacre.com/tag/duck/)
- [dill](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dill/)
- [bouquet](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bouquet/)
- [fernleaf](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fernleaf/)
- [pickles](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pickles/)
- [cucumbers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cucumbers/)
- [backyard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyard/)
- [rose garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rose-garden/)
- [rocket stove](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rocket-stove/)
- [homestead](https://sagesacre.com/tag/homestead/)
- [BBQ](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bbq/)
- [smoker](https://sagesacre.com/tag/smoker/)
- [cook](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cook/)
- [outdoors](https://sagesacre.com/tag/outdoors/)
- [DIY stove](https://sagesacre.com/tag/diy-stove/)
- [cooking tools](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cooking-tools/)
- [charcoal](https://sagesacre.com/tag/charcoal/)
- [survival](https://sagesacre.com/tag/survival/)
- [duckling](https://sagesacre.com/tag/duckling/)
- [spring baby](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spring-baby/)
- [san diego native](https://sagesacre.com/tag/san-diego-native/)
- [red poppy](https://sagesacre.com/tag/red-poppy/)
- [spring flowers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spring-flowers/)
- [camellia](https://sagesacre.com/tag/camellia/)
- [tropical garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tropical-garden/)
- [herb garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/herb-garden/)
- [oregano](https://sagesacre.com/tag/oregano/)
- [italian herb garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/italian-herb-garden/)
- [edible garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/edible-garden/)
- [beef jerky](https://sagesacre.com/tag/beef-jerky/)
- [jerky](https://sagesacre.com/tag/jerky/)
- [dehydrating](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dehydrating/)
- [dry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dry/)
- [beef](https://sagesacre.com/tag/beef/)
- [avocado](https://sagesacre.com/tag/avocado/)
- [guacamole](https://sagesacre.com/tag/guacamole/)
- [plant rescue](https://sagesacre.com/tag/plant-rescue/)
- [free plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/free-plant/)
- [found](https://sagesacre.com/tag/found/)
- [plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/plant/)
- [dumpster dive](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dumpster-dive/)
- [wildlife](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wildlife/)
- [hooded oriole](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hooded-oriole/)
- [wild bird](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wild-bird/)
- [april](https://sagesacre.com/tag/april/)
- [hens](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hens/)
- [nap](https://sagesacre.com/tag/nap/)
- [lessons learned](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lessons-learned/)
- [avacado](https://sagesacre.com/tag/avacado/)
- [bonsall](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bonsall/)
- [south america](https://sagesacre.com/tag/south-america/)
- [lily](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lily/)
- [random](https://sagesacre.com/tag/random/)
- [wife](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wife/)
- [allium](https://sagesacre.com/tag/allium/)
- [Dietes grandiflora](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dietes-grandiflora/)
- [butterfly iris](https://sagesacre.com/tag/butterfly-iris/)
- [blooms](https://sagesacre.com/tag/blooms/)
- [chickencam](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chickencam/)
- [streaming video](https://sagesacre.com/tag/streaming-video/)
- [live video](https://sagesacre.com/tag/live-video/)
- [new zealand](https://sagesacre.com/tag/new-zealand/)
- [maguey](https://sagesacre.com/tag/maguey/)
- [tequila](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tequila/)
- [path](https://sagesacre.com/tag/path/)
- [secret](https://sagesacre.com/tag/secret/)
- [dogs](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dogs/)
- [orange tree](https://sagesacre.com/tag/orange-tree/)
- [blue garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/blue-garden/)
- [repitle](https://sagesacre.com/tag/repitle/)
- [squash](https://sagesacre.com/tag/squash/)
- [veggie garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/veggie-garden/)
- [mystery](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mystery/)
- [vine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/vine/)
- [whatisthisplant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/whatisthisplant/)
- [surprise](https://sagesacre.com/tag/surprise/)
- [king snke](https://sagesacre.com/tag/king-snke/)
- [summer squash](https://sagesacre.com/tag/summer-squash/)
- [scallop squash](https://sagesacre.com/tag/scallop-squash/)
- [zuccini](https://sagesacre.com/tag/zuccini/)
- [yellow squash](https://sagesacre.com/tag/yellow-squash/)
- [pesto chicken](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pesto-chicken/)
- [chicken recipe](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chicken-recipe/)
- [canna](https://sagesacre.com/tag/canna/)
- [raspberry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/raspberry/)
- [shade room](https://sagesacre.com/tag/shade-room/)
- [secret garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/secret-garden/)
- [transition garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/transition-garden/)
- [jam](https://sagesacre.com/tag/jam/)
- [preserves](https://sagesacre.com/tag/preserves/)
- [cat](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cat/)
- [catnip](https://sagesacre.com/tag/catnip/)
- [crusher](https://sagesacre.com/tag/crusher/)
- [caine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/caine/)
- [dry garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dry-garden/)
- [deck](https://sagesacre.com/tag/deck/)
- [woodwork](https://sagesacre.com/tag/woodwork/)
- [wood stain](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wood-stain/)
- [wood repair](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wood-repair/)
- [deck stain](https://sagesacre.com/tag/deck-stain/)
- [garden re-do](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-re-do/)
- [cucumber](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cucumber/)
- [pickle](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pickle/)
- [fermented pickle](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fermented-pickle/)
- [fermented food](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fermented-food/)
- [kosher pickles](https://sagesacre.com/tag/kosher-pickles/)
- [pickle recipe](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pickle-recipe/)
- [summer pickles](https://sagesacre.com/tag/summer-pickles/)
- [dill pickles](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dill-pickles/)
- [dill pickle recipe](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dill-pickle-recipe/)
- [food gyo](https://sagesacre.com/tag/food-gyo/)
- [eat what you grow](https://sagesacre.com/tag/eat-what-you-grow/)
- [aeonium](https://sagesacre.com/tag/aeonium/)
- [desert plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/desert-plant/)
- [onions](https://sagesacre.com/tag/onions/)
- [alliums](https://sagesacre.com/tag/alliums/)
- [veggie](https://sagesacre.com/tag/veggie/)
- [southwest](https://sagesacre.com/tag/southwest/)
- [so cal](https://sagesacre.com/tag/so-cal/)
- [window box](https://sagesacre.com/tag/window-box/)
- [planter box](https://sagesacre.com/tag/planter-box/)
- [window planter](https://sagesacre.com/tag/window-planter/)
- [window garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/window-garden/)
- [art planter](https://sagesacre.com/tag/art-planter/)
- [project](https://sagesacre.com/tag/project/)
- [under $20](https://sagesacre.com/tag/under-20/)
- [synergistic corn](https://sagesacre.com/tag/synergistic-corn/)
- [bicolor corn](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bicolor-corn/)
- [forex](https://sagesacre.com/tag/forex/)
- [pink flower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pink-flower/)
- [garden mystery](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-mystery/)
- [san diego garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/san-diego-garden/)
- [hater hyacinth](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hater-hyacinth/)
- [aquatic plants](https://sagesacre.com/tag/aquatic-plants/)
- [independence day](https://sagesacre.com/tag/independence-day/)
- [4th of July](https://sagesacre.com/tag/4th-of-july/)
- [gyo](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gyo/)
- [salsa verde](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salsa-verde/)
- [tomatosauce](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tomatosauce/)
- [greenthumb](https://sagesacre.com/tag/greenthumb/)
- [growwhatyoueat](https://sagesacre.com/tag/growwhatyoueat/)
- [eatwhatyougrow](https://sagesacre.com/tag/eatwhatyougrow/)
- [growyourfood](https://sagesacre.com/tag/growyourfood/)
- [veggiegarden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/veggiegarden/)
- [kitchengarden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/kitchengarden/)
- [ediblegarden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ediblegarden/)
- [gardenersofinstagram](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gardenersofinstagram/)
- [growfood](https://sagesacre.com/tag/growfood/)
- [mybackyard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mybackyard/)
- [backyardgardening](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyardgardening/)
- [homesteading](https://sagesacre.com/tag/homesteading/)
- [sandiegogarden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sandiegogarden/)
- [potatoes](https://sagesacre.com/tag/potatoes/)
- [raised bes](https://sagesacre.com/tag/raised-bes/)
- [gerden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gerden/)
- [straightneck squash](https://sagesacre.com/tag/straightneck-squash/)
- [mendel](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mendel/)
- [gentetics](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gentetics/)
- [surprise garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/surprise-garden/)
- [Costoluto Genovese](https://sagesacre.com/tag/costoluto-genovese/)
- [italian tomato](https://sagesacre.com/tag/italian-tomato/)
- [sweet pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sweet-pepper/)
- [corno pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/corno-pepper/)
- [frying pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/frying-pepper/)
- [honduras](https://sagesacre.com/tag/honduras/)
- [garden fresh](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-fresh/)
- [tomato sauce](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tomato-sauce/)
- [summer tomatoes](https://sagesacre.com/tag/summer-tomatoes/)
- [bees](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bees/)
- [pollen](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pollen/)
- [dragonfly](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dragonfly/)
- [video timeout](https://sagesacre.com/tag/video-timeout/)
- [pepper. sweet pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pepper-sweet-pepper/)
- [striped pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/striped-pepper/)
- [sub sandwich](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sub-sandwich/)
- [deli roll](https://sagesacre.com/tag/deli-roll/)
- [french bread](https://sagesacre.com/tag/french-bread/)
- [italian bread](https://sagesacre.com/tag/italian-bread/)
- [homemade bread](https://sagesacre.com/tag/homemade-bread/)
- [sandwich](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sandwich/)
- [sandwiches](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sandwiches/)
- [chicks](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chicks/)
- [backyard chickens](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyard-chickens/)
- [cuckoo maran](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cuckoo-maran/)
- [preserving](https://sagesacre.com/tag/preserving/)
- [canning](https://sagesacre.com/tag/canning/)
- [jarring](https://sagesacre.com/tag/jarring/)
- [ginger](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ginger/)
- [exotic plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/exotic-plant/)
- [spice plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spice-plant/)
- [kahili ginger](https://sagesacre.com/tag/kahili-ginger/)
- [sub-tropical plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sub-tropical-plant/)
- [garden room](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-room/)
- [watermelon](https://sagesacre.com/tag/watermelon/)
- [summerfruit](https://sagesacre.com/tag/summerfruit/)
- [melonsofinstagram](https://sagesacre.com/tag/melonsofinstagram/)
- [cutebabies](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cutebabies/)
- [californiagarden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/californiagarden/)
- [homesteadlife](https://sagesacre.com/tag/homesteadlife/)
- [before and after](https://sagesacre.com/tag/before-and-after/)
- [lemon grass](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lemon-grass/)
- [baby ducks](https://sagesacre.com/tag/baby-ducks/)
- [orchard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/orchard/)
- [tomato paste](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tomato-paste/)
- [bee hotel](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bee-hotel/)
- [insect hotel](https://sagesacre.com/tag/insect-hotel/)
- [native bees](https://sagesacre.com/tag/native-bees/)
- [native insects](https://sagesacre.com/tag/native-insects/)
- [insekthotel](https://sagesacre.com/tag/insekthotel/)
- [bees of western us](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bees-of-western-us/)
- [california bees](https://sagesacre.com/tag/california-bees/)
- [san diego bees](https://sagesacre.com/tag/san-diego-bees/)
- [little](https://sagesacre.com/tag/little/)
- [giant white squill](https://sagesacre.com/tag/giant-white-squill/)
- [garlic chive](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garlic-chive/)
- [hanging garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hanging-garden/)
- [trellis](https://sagesacre.com/tag/trellis/)
- [diy trellis](https://sagesacre.com/tag/diy-trellis/)
- [costaluto](https://sagesacre.com/tag/costaluto/)
- [heirloom](https://sagesacre.com/tag/heirloom/)
- [italian heirloom](https://sagesacre.com/tag/italian-heirloom/)
- [heirloom tomato](https://sagesacre.com/tag/heirloom-tomato/)
- [red pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/red-pepper/)
- [cand apple pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cand-apple-pepper/)
- [sagesace](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sagesace/)
- [bayard ducks](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bayard-ducks/)
- [free range](https://sagesacre.com/tag/free-range/)
- [lower garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lower-garden/)
- [dry season](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dry-season/)
- [TomatoTuesday](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tomatotuesday/)
- [uglytomato](https://sagesacre.com/tag/uglytomato/)
- [growyourown](https://sagesacre.com/tag/growyourown/)
- [organic gardener](https://sagesacre.com/tag/organic-gardener/)
- [vegetablegarden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/vegetablegarden/)
- [homesteadlifestyle](https://sagesacre.com/tag/homesteadlifestyle/)
- [zone9garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/zone9garden/)
- [garden project](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-project/)
- [zone9](https://sagesacre.com/tag/zone9/)
- [kitchen garden.](https://sagesacre.com/tag/kitchen-garden/)
- [hank the dog](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hank-the-dog/)
- [doxie](https://sagesacre.com/tag/doxie/)
- [garden bench](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-bench/)
- [native palnts](https://sagesacre.com/tag/native-palnts/)
- [californianative](https://sagesacre.com/tag/californianative/)
- [saliva](https://sagesacre.com/tag/saliva/)
- [clevelnad sage](https://sagesacre.com/tag/clevelnad-sage/)
- [garden spider](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-spider/)
- [NCIS](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ncis/)
- [passion fruit](https://sagesacre.com/tag/passion-fruit/)
- [passiflora](https://sagesacre.com/tag/passiflora/)
- [gourd garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gourd-garden/)
- [batch 20](https://sagesacre.com/tag/batch-20/)
- [cayenne pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cayenne-pepper/)
- [thai pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/thai-pepper/)
- [black pepper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/black-pepper/)
- [fire](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fire/)
- [smoke](https://sagesacre.com/tag/smoke/)
- [haze](https://sagesacre.com/tag/haze/)
- [september](https://sagesacre.com/tag/september/)
- [squill](https://sagesacre.com/tag/squill/)
- [bulb](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bulb/)
- [gian bulb](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gian-bulb/)
- [chili peppers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chili-peppers/)
- [chili](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chili/)
- [dried bean](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dried-bean/)
- [not pumpkin](https://sagesacre.com/tag/not-pumpkin/)
- [cactus rare plants](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cactus-rare-plants/)
- [D.I.Y.](https://sagesacre.com/tag/d-i-y/)
- [air coditioning](https://sagesacre.com/tag/air-coditioning/)
- [swamp cooler](https://sagesacre.com/tag/swamp-cooler/)
- [evaporative cooler](https://sagesacre.com/tag/evaporative-cooler/)
- [bucket list](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bucket-list/)
- [cooling](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cooling/)
- [house](https://sagesacre.com/tag/house/)
- [garden at night](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-at-night/)
- [moon](https://sagesacre.com/tag/moon/)
- [harvest moon](https://sagesacre.com/tag/harvest-moon/)
- [october moon](https://sagesacre.com/tag/october-moon/)
- [luna](https://sagesacre.com/tag/luna/)
- [lunar](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lunar/)
- [sky](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sky/)
- [Faucaria](https://sagesacre.com/tag/faucaria/)
- [gasteria](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gasteria/)
- [gasteria nigracanus](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gasteria-nigracanus/)
- [beneficial insect](https://sagesacre.com/tag/beneficial-insect/)
- [praying mantis](https://sagesacre.com/tag/praying-mantis/)
- [strawberry guava](https://sagesacre.com/tag/strawberry-guava/)
- [red guava](https://sagesacre.com/tag/red-guava/)
- [backyard flock](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyard-flock/)
- [costoluto](https://sagesacre.com/tag/costoluto/)
- [gasteria ellaphiae](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gasteria-ellaphiae/)
- [fungus](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fungus/)
- [mushroom](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mushroom/)
- [toadstool](https://sagesacre.com/tag/toadstool/)
- [grass](https://sagesacre.com/tag/grass/)
- [skeleton](https://sagesacre.com/tag/skeleton/)
- [bat](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bat/)
- [ghost](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ghost/)
- [holiday](https://sagesacre.com/tag/holiday/)
- [cactus](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cactus/)
- [fallen tree](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fallen-tree/)
- [gourds](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gourds/)
- [orb weaver](https://sagesacre.com/tag/orb-weaver/)
- [sweet potato](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sweet-potato/)
- [feast](https://sagesacre.com/tag/feast/)
- [green beans](https://sagesacre.com/tag/green-beans/)
- [casserole](https://sagesacre.com/tag/casserole/)
- [artisananl bread](https://sagesacre.com/tag/artisananl-bread/)
- [home recipe](https://sagesacre.com/tag/home-recipe/)
- [croutons](https://sagesacre.com/tag/croutons/)
- [thanskgiving](https://sagesacre.com/tag/thanskgiving/)
- [stuffing](https://sagesacre.com/tag/stuffing/)
- [zygicactus](https://sagesacre.com/tag/zygicactus/)
- [Schlumbergera bridgesii](https://sagesacre.com/tag/schlumbergera-bridgesii/)
- [christmas cactus](https://sagesacre.com/tag/christmas-cactus/)
- [cactus flower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cactus-flower/)
- [unusual](https://sagesacre.com/tag/unusual/)
- [temperature](https://sagesacre.com/tag/temperature/)
- [christmasrescue](https://sagesacre.com/tag/christmasrescue/)
- [poinsettia](https://sagesacre.com/tag/poinsettia/)
- [bargian plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bargian-plant/)
- [rescue](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rescue/)
- [christmas](https://sagesacre.com/tag/christmas/)
- [2020](https://sagesacre.com/tag/2020/)
- [new year's eve](https://sagesacre.com/tag/new-years-eve/)
- [pest](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pest/)
- [rodent](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rodent/)
- [baby plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/baby-plant/)
- [found plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/found-plant/)
- [snow](https://sagesacre.com/tag/snow/)
- [mountains](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mountains/)
- [rockies](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rockies/)
- [idaho](https://sagesacre.com/tag/idaho/)
- [warm](https://sagesacre.com/tag/warm/)
- [santa ana](https://sagesacre.com/tag/santa-ana/)
- [wind](https://sagesacre.com/tag/wind/)
- [sway](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sway/)
- [fan palm](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fan-palm/)
- [live stream](https://sagesacre.com/tag/live-stream/)
- [youtube](https://sagesacre.com/tag/youtube/)
- [live camera](https://sagesacre.com/tag/live-camera/)
- [raspberry pi](https://sagesacre.com/tag/raspberry-pi/)
- [hail](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hail/)
- [ice](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ice/)
- [storm](https://sagesacre.com/tag/storm/)
- [composting](https://sagesacre.com/tag/composting/)
- [roooster](https://sagesacre.com/tag/roooster/)
- [coopers hawk](https://sagesacre.com/tag/coopers-hawk/)
- [dove](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dove/)
- [sandiego](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sandiego/)
- [old house](https://sagesacre.com/tag/old-house/)
- [ceiling](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ceiling/)
- [plumbing](https://sagesacre.com/tag/plumbing/)
- [rat](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rat/)
- [Sansevieria](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sansevieria/)
- [mother-in-law's tongue](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mother-in-laws-tongue/)
- [snake plant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/snake-plant/)
- [xeriscape](https://sagesacre.com/tag/xeriscape/)
- [tigerella](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tigerella/)
- [winter tomato](https://sagesacre.com/tag/winter-tomato/)
- [garden tasks](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-tasks/)
- [garden tools](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-tools/)
- [spring garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spring-garden/)
- [garden preparation](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-preparation/)
- [dripsystem](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dripsystem/)
- [dripwater](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dripwater/)
- [gardenhack](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gardenhack/)
- [hack](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hack/)
- [waterbottle](https://sagesacre.com/tag/waterbottle/)
- [pottedplants](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pottedplants/)
- [waterwise](https://sagesacre.com/tag/waterwise/)
- [DIYgarden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/diygarden/)
- [DIYgardenhack](https://sagesacre.com/tag/diygardenhack/)
- [PacificOcean](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pacificocean/)
- [silence](https://sagesacre.com/tag/silence/)
- [nature](https://sagesacre.com/tag/nature/)
- [beauty](https://sagesacre.com/tag/beauty/)
- [sunrise.](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sunrise/)
- [garde](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garde/)
- [lantana](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lantana/)
- [abutilon](https://sagesacre.com/tag/abutilon/)
- [varigated flower maple](https://sagesacre.com/tag/varigated-flower-maple/)
- [orange flower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/orange-flower/)
- [springgarden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/springgarden/)
- [native garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/native-garden/)
- [live oak garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/live-oak-garden/)
- [california native garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/california-native-garden/)
- [dry valley](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dry-valley/)
- [luffa sponge](https://sagesacre.com/tag/luffa-sponge/)
- [bottle gourd](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bottle-gourd/)
- [canteen gourd](https://sagesacre.com/tag/canteen-gourd/)
- [rock garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/rock-garden/)
- [garden hack](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden-hack/)
- [tree clearing](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tree-clearing/)
- [easy tree removal](https://sagesacre.com/tag/easy-tree-removal/)
- [weed control](https://sagesacre.com/tag/weed-control/)
- [oranges](https://sagesacre.com/tag/oranges/)
- [fragrance](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fragrance/)
- [guinea hen](https://sagesacre.com/tag/guinea-hen/)
- [guinea fowl](https://sagesacre.com/tag/guinea-fowl/)
- [lost bird](https://sagesacre.com/tag/lost-bird/)
- [white guinea hen](https://sagesacre.com/tag/white-guinea-hen/)
- [save water](https://sagesacre.com/tag/save-water/)
- [no drought](https://sagesacre.com/tag/no-drought/)
- [water wise](https://sagesacre.com/tag/water-wise/)
- [composter](https://sagesacre.com/tag/composter/)
- [sustainable garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sustainable-garden/)
- [off the grid](https://sagesacre.com/tag/off-the-grid/)
- [native flowers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/native-flowers/)
- [golden poppies](https://sagesacre.com/tag/golden-poppies/)
- [desert bluebell](https://sagesacre.com/tag/desert-bluebell/)
- [tidy tips](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tidy-tips/)
- [#garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/garden/)
- [#beehotel](https://sagesacre.com/tag/beehotel/)
- [#insecthotel](https://sagesacre.com/tag/insecthotel/)
- [#nativebees](https://sagesacre.com/tag/nativebees/)
- [#smokefromoak](https://sagesacre.com/tag/smokefromoak/)
- [#pulledpork](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pulledpork/)
- [#hotsauce](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hotsauce/)
- [#chilisauce](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chilisauce/)
- [#oak](https://sagesacre.com/tag/oak/)
- [sweet](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sweet/)
- [barbecue](https://sagesacre.com/tag/barbecue/)
- [nativeplants](https://sagesacre.com/tag/nativeplants/)
- [CaliforniaNativePlantSociety](https://sagesacre.com/tag/californianativeplantsociety/)
- [organic](https://sagesacre.com/tag/organic/)
- [compost pile](https://sagesacre.com/tag/compost-pile/)
- [food garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/food-garden/)
- [gyo 2021](https://sagesacre.com/tag/gyo-2021/)
- [grow your own](https://sagesacre.com/tag/grow-your-own/)
- [bakyard poultry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bakyard-poultry/)
- [organic garden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/organic-garden/)
- [pest control](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pest-control/)
- [organic gardening](https://sagesacre.com/tag/organic-gardening/)
- [#batch20](https://sagesacre.com/tag/batch20/)
- [clockvine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/clockvine/)
- [orange clockvine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/orange-clockvine/)
- [orangeclockvine](https://sagesacre.com/tag/orangeclockvine/)
- [thunbergiagregorii](https://sagesacre.com/tag/thunbergiagregorii/)
- [Pride of Madiera](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pride-of-madiera/)
- [Purple](https://sagesacre.com/tag/purple/)
- [butterfly house](https://sagesacre.com/tag/butterfly-house/)
- [butterfly box](https://sagesacre.com/tag/butterfly-box/)
- [butterfly hibernation](https://sagesacre.com/tag/butterfly-hibernation/)
- [hibernation box](https://sagesacre.com/tag/hibernation-box/)
- [polllinator](https://sagesacre.com/tag/polllinator/)
- [sustainable](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sustainable/)
- [natural](https://sagesacre.com/tag/natural/)
- [berries](https://sagesacre.com/tag/berries/)
- [blackberries](https://sagesacre.com/tag/blackberries/)
- [spring berries](https://sagesacre.com/tag/spring-berries/)
- [cucmber](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cucmber/)
- [zucchini](https://sagesacre.com/tag/zucchini/)
- [#notbee](https://sagesacre.com/tag/notbee/)
- [#mygarden](https://sagesacre.com/tag/mygarden/)
- [#dewdrop](https://sagesacre.com/tag/dewdrop/)
- [giant squash](https://sagesacre.com/tag/giant-squash/)
- [fast grower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fast-grower/)
- [italian squash](https://sagesacre.com/tag/italian-squash/)
- [pickled food](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pickled-food/)
- [food preserving](https://sagesacre.com/tag/food-preserving/)
- [tapas](https://sagesacre.com/tag/tapas/)
- [snacks](https://sagesacre.com/tag/snacks/)
- [monster](https://sagesacre.com/tag/monster/)
- [#ducksofinstagram](https://sagesacre.com/tag/ducksofinstagram/)
- [#backyardducks](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyardducks/)
- [#farmlife](https://sagesacre.com/tag/farmlife/)
- [#backyardflock](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyardflock/)
- [#poultryofinstagram](https://sagesacre.com/tag/poultryofinstagram/)
- [#backyardfarm](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyardfarm/)
- [#urbanfarming](https://sagesacre.com/tag/urbanfarming/)
- [#urbanrancher](https://sagesacre.com/tag/urbanrancher/)
- [#backyardrancher](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyardrancher/)
- [#birdsofinstagram](https://sagesacre.com/tag/birdsofinstagram/)
- [helianthus](https://sagesacre.com/tag/helianthus/)
- [russian giant](https://sagesacre.com/tag/russian-giant/)
- [black oil](https://sagesacre.com/tag/black-oil/)
- [red sunflower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/red-sunflower/)
- [yellow sunflower](https://sagesacre.com/tag/yellow-sunflower/)
- [first day of summer](https://sagesacre.com/tag/first-day-of-summer/)
- [summer solstice](https://sagesacre.com/tag/summer-solstice/)
- [summer fruit](https://sagesacre.com/tag/summer-fruit/)
- [monarda](https://sagesacre.com/tag/monarda/)
- [bergamot](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bergamot/)
- [bee balm](https://sagesacre.com/tag/bee-balm/)
- [pollinator](https://sagesacre.com/tag/pollinator/)
- [summer veggies](https://sagesacre.com/tag/summer-veggies/)
- [salad](https://sagesacre.com/tag/salad/)
- [no waste](https://sagesacre.com/tag/no-waste/)
- [backyardchicken](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyardchicken/)
- [backyardduck](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyardduck/)
- [poutry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/poutry/)
- [backyardpoultry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyardpoultry/)
- [freerange](https://sagesacre.com/tag/freerange/)
- [husk cherry](https://sagesacre.com/tag/husk-cherry/)
- [purple tomatillo](https://sagesacre.com/tag/purple-tomatillo/)
- [butt pics](https://sagesacre.com/tag/butt-pics/)
- [onion bulb](https://sagesacre.com/tag/onion-bulb/)
- [green onion](https://sagesacre.com/tag/green-onion/)
- [No good deed](https://sagesacre.com/tag/no-good-deed/)
- [feathered monsters](https://sagesacre.com/tag/feathered-monsters/)
- [chickenvsgrapes](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chickenvsgrapes/)
- [roma](https://sagesacre.com/tag/roma/)
- [san marzano](https://sagesacre.com/tag/san-marzano/)
- [heinz](https://sagesacre.com/tag/heinz/)
- [chef's choice](https://sagesacre.com/tag/chefs-choice/)
- [golden ratio](https://sagesacre.com/tag/golden-ratio/)
- [fibonacci sequence](https://sagesacre.com/tag/fibonacci-sequence/)
- [attractive](https://sagesacre.com/tag/attractive/)
- [alligator lizard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/alligator-lizard/)
- [sandiegoalligatorlizard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sandiegoalligatorlizard/)
- [argiope](https://sagesacre.com/tag/argiope/)
- [zipper](https://sagesacre.com/tag/zipper/)
- [sweet peppers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/sweet-peppers/)
- [cubanelle peppers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/cubanelle-peppers/)
- [red peppers](https://sagesacre.com/tag/red-peppers/)
- [batch21](https://sagesacre.com/tag/batch21/)
- [batch 21](https://sagesacre.com/tag/batch-21/)
- [aged hot sauce](https://sagesacre.com/tag/aged-hot-sauce/)
- [backyard ducks](https://sagesacre.com/tag/backyard-ducks/)
- [my backyard](https://sagesacre.com/tag/my-backyard/)

## Portfolio Categories

- [Plant Catalog](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_category/plant-catalog/) - A catalog of the plants at Sage’s Acre along with Sage’s notes
- [People](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_category/people/) - The People who contribute to Sage’s Acre

## Portfolio Skills

- [cooking](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_skills/cooking/)
- [recipes](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_skills/recipes/)
- [food](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_skills/food/)
- [sewing](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_skills/sewing/)
- [decorating](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_skills/decorating/)
- [holidays](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_skills/holidays/)

## Portfolio Tags

- [edible](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_tags/edible/)
- [grass](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_tags/grass/)
- [tropical](https://sagesacre.com/portfolio_tags/tropical/)