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Garden Zaddy

Grow Organic Food from Home 🌱🌶️
Pollinator-Friendly | Compost | Perennials
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06/02/2026

Yes, this is what winter looks like here in frigid and inhospitable Zone 10A. A keen observer may notice that these tomato plants aren’t exactly thriving, and the only reason they’re still growing is because I’ve been procrastinating their removal. While their production pales in comparison to summer, they do still produce some tomatoes in the winter, and peppers are perennials here so they just keep growing. Fun fact - the sungolds I harvested will be propagated and grown again this year.

23/01/2026

WMP is my motto for 2026 - way more perennials. As much as I love the rush of my first tomato harvest in summer, and the rich flavor of a homegrown Brussels sprout, I want my garden to be a little more productive with less input on my end. To that end I have been slowly clearing out some of the best spots and preparing them for perennials, and today’s haul from Sow Exotic includes a lot of beauties that might take a second to establish, but will go on to give me easy garden abundance for years to come.

Berries as a whole are some of the best nutrition you can get, and both blue basil and Vietnamese coriander have been on my radar for well over a year and I’m excited to make space for them. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but which are you most excited to see more of?

22/01/2026

To address the elephant in the room - no, these tomatoes are not usually this small. These were originally planted in the spring of 2025, and while we can technically grow tomatoes year round (here in Zone 10A) that doesn’t mean they thrive in the winter, like they do in the summer.

Today’s micro tomatoes include sungolds, Campari and indigo rose, all of which are normally quite large for cherry tomatoes, and I will be cutting back all of these and propagating the suckers to grow again. It’s all part of the cycle of growing, but it’s always fun to enjoy the little quirks of the process like these teeny tiny tomatoes.

21/01/2026

If you want the maximum amount of food and abundance from your garden you need to plant less of it, and let me explain. ⬇️

When I first started gardening I only planted edible varieties, because I wanted to maximize my output. No flowers, and very few perennials. Did I get some decent harvests? Sure, but it wasn’t until I started planting more flowers, medicinal herbs and beneficial attracting species that things really took off. My pest problems shrunk, my yields increased, and I discovered just how much I love seeing the visitors in my garden.

Planting things like yarrow, alyssum and more are a gateway into a healthier and more abundant garden, but watch out - you just might get enamored by the process as much as the end result.

14/01/2026

If there’s one thing you should know about me as a gardener it’s that I am a squirrel hater, through and through. While I’m grateful that they don’t really eat my produce they will completely destroy and dig up anything that isn’t covered by chicken wire, or in a cage. Cayenne pepper, blood meal, diatomaceous earth and similar things only work for a short time, so alas physical barriers are the only things that work.

So why did this happen? I got lazy, because historically the squirrels don’t come to this side of my garden, but they figured it out. Moral of the story - don’t get lazy, and keep your garden protected.

11/01/2026

While I don’t dislike more laborious flowers like dahlias and even ranunculus, I am certainly the biggest fan of flowers that don’t need special conditions to grow. Calendula is near the top of that list, as it can effectively grow year round here in Zone 10, and even when it does die off it easily re-seeds an produces even more the next season. Beauty aside, it is an amazing medicinal herb with a huge range of benefits, and a hit with a wide range of pollinators.

Don’t get me started on the different colors and varieties, but if you’ve made it this far one thing is for certain - you should be growing calendula in your garden, whether that’s in raised beds, containers, in-ground or wherever you grow.

09/01/2026

It’s been a while since I posted pictures from my garden, so here’s how things are looking here in Zone 10.

08/01/2026

If you've ever wished that brown sugar had a little more sass and depth of flavor to it, then this is meant for you. Muscovado is the unrefined cousin to white and brown sugar that nobody really talks about. It keeps all the molasses, all the minerals, and all the personality that gets stripped out of regular sugar, and when you turn it into simple syrup, it completely changes the game for your coffee and fun beverages.

The process is incredibly simple (literally just equal parts sugar and water on medium heat until dissolved), but the payoff is this deep, caramel-forward syrup that doesn't just sweeten but adds complexity and depth of flavor. Keep a bottle in the fridge, after you make it, and you're sure to bring so much flavor to everything you drink.

07/01/2026

If you’re not growing medicinal herbs in your garden you are missing out some of the most studied and helpful remedies available, and one of the best & easiest is Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium). It has been used for thousands of years for pain, both topical and internal, which is why it’s also been called Woundwort. It is a powerhouse and essential herb when it comes to menstrual pain, cramps and related discomfort, and the best part is that it is easy and simple to make.

Grow it in your garden, follow these steps, and you’ll have more than you know what to do with. It grows like a w**d, supports a huge range of pollinators, and so much more so if you’re not growing it, try growing it, and if you’re already growing it, turn it into a tincture!

05/01/2026

Anyone who tells you that growing blueberries is easy is missing out on a few key things. While, once established, blueberry shrubs or bushes can be incredibly productive and hands-off they can take a little bit to get situated. They need fairly acidic soil, and if all you do is plant them in regular high quality garden soil you’ll be doing them a disservice. Acidifying the soil can be as easy as routine applications of a soil acidifier, like I do here, or mixing in used coffee grounds. One round might do it, but you’ll likely have to do a few applications like I do. The best part? Once you’re done and the shrubs are established you will be blessed with many years of delicious, nutrient rich little berries that would cost a fortune at the store but are free to you, thanks to your garden.

22/12/2025

Habitat loss is one of those things that feels too big to fix from a backyard, but here's what I've learned: every native plant, every water source and every food source you add creates a pocket of ecosystem that helps birds, pollinators, and more. Setting up a feeder isn't just about feeding birds; it's about supporting an entire system. I've watched birds in my garden take care of hornworms, grubs, and countless other pests that would otherwise destroy my plants. They spread native seeds well beyond my fence line, creating biodiversity in places I'll never even see, creating a ripple effect that keeps compounding without me having to do anything else.

Climate anxiety is real, and it's easy to feel like individual action doesn't matter, but building this garden over the years has shown me otherwise. Urban ecosystems don't recover all at once, they recover one yard at a time, one small decision at a time. You can make a real difference for your local environment, and it starts with something as accessible as putting up one feeder.

24/11/2025

What’s better than a giveaway? I’ve been growing in EarthBoxes since day one of my gardening journey, and this elevated raised garden bundle is exactly the kind of innovation that makes container gardening even more accessible. This waist-high raised planter solves the biggest problem most gardeners face: constantly bending over to harvest. The integrated stand brings everything up to a comfortable height, making daily herb picking effortless whether you’re growing basil, cilantro, or any of the herbs you actually use in your kitchen.

The mobility means you can move it wherever your herbs need to be, and the optional trellising system works perfectly for climbing crops like peas or beans. These containers don’t fade or crack in intense Southern California heat, which matters when you’re investing in something built to last years instead of a single season.

Right now I’ve got basil growing in mine, but I’m planning to fill it with all the herbs I use on a daily basis this fall. If you’ve been wanting to grow fresh herbs but hate the constant back strain of traditional gardening, this setup makes it actually sustainable to keep up with. To celebrate the launch of the EarthBox elevated stand, we’re giving away an EarthBox Elevated Raised Bed Bundle, a $110 value in your choice of four colors. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents in the lower 48 states and ends at 11:59pm Pacific on Monday, December 1, 2025. One winner will be randomly selected on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. Head to the link to enter and get all the details.

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