Lavender & Sage Homestead

06/15/2026

Want to know how to grow big, juicy peppers this year? Check out my new blog post to find out all the tips & tricks!

There’s nothing quite like harvesting thick-walled, colorful peppers fresh from the garden. Whether you love sweet bell peppers for summer salads or spicy jalapeños for salsa, growing large, productive pepper plants starts long before the first fruit appears.If you've struggled with small peppers...

06/14/2026

Yesterday was salve making day! Finished 15 new Lavender Calendula salves that will be ready online soon. Reach out if you want to snag one now before they’re gone.

🌼 **Why We Love Calendula in Our Salves** 🌼

Calendula has been treasured in herbal traditions for centuries and is one of our favorite botanicals to infuse into skincare products. Its bright golden-orange petals aren't just beautiful—they're often chosen by herbalists for their gentle nature and skin-loving qualities.

Our calendula-infused salves are crafted by slowly infusing calendula blossoms into nourishing oils, allowing the natural plant compounds to be captured before blending them into a rich, easy-to-apply salve.

✨ **Why calendula is a favorite in natural skincare:**
• Traditionally used in herbal skincare for generations
• Gentle enough for many skin types
• Helps create a soothing, nourishing skincare experience
• Rich in naturally occurring plant compounds
• Adds a beautiful golden color from the flowers themselves
• A wonderful addition to your daily skin care routine

We love reaching for calendula salve whenever our skin needs a little extra TLC from the elements, gardening, or everyday life.

At Lavender & Sage Homestead, we carefully grow or source quality botanicals and handcraft our salves in small batches because we believe simple ingredients can create something truly special.

🌿 Made with thoughtfully selected ingredients.
🌼 Crafted in small batches.
💛 Inspired by traditional herbal wisdom.

06/13/2026

Scoby refresh! What is a scoby you ask? A SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) is a gelatinous, cellulose-based film used as a starter for fermenting sweetened tea into kombucha, a probiotic-rich beverage. This bad boy has been in my continuous brew kombucha container for about a year! A new one is forming and this guy has gotten so big he was blocking the spigot. Time to go! But first many fingers had to touch it and say “eeewww” over and over. 😂

06/13/2026

🍅 Want healthier tomato plants and bigger harvests? It might be time for a little pruning!

Tomatoes love good airflow. When plants become overcrowded, moisture gets trapped between leaves, creating the perfect environment for diseases like blight, mildew, and leaf spot.

A few minutes of pruning each week can make a big difference:

✂️ Remove suckers growing between the main stem and branches
🍃 Trim lower leaves that touch the ground
🌱 Thin crowded interior growth to improve airflow
☀️ Allow sunlight to reach more of the plant

The goal isn't to create a bare plant—it's to create an open, airy plant that dries quickly after rain and stays healthier all season long.

Not all tomatoes are pruned the same! Indeterminate varieties benefit most from regular pruning, while determinate varieties generally need much less.

Check out our visual guide below to see exactly what to remove and where to make your cuts!

Do you prune your tomatoes, or do you let them grow wild? Share your approach in the comments! 👇🍅

06/12/2026

I get asked how to prune basil all the time. Here’s a quick 4 step visual to help you get the most out of your harvest. Remember, I also provide garden coaching sessions at your home if you want to learn all my tips and tricks. If you don’t have a garden yet and still want to learn, I also hold learning sessions in my garden and we can walk through all the do’s and don’ts to get you ready for your first.

06/11/2026

🔥 GEORGIAN FIRE GARLIC 🔥

True to its name, Georgian Fire brings the heat! This hardneck heirloom from the Republic of Georgia is famous for its strong, spicy flavor and lingering garlic bite.

Don't let the heat fool you—once cooked, Georgian Fire develops incredible depth and sweetness while retaining its rich garlic character. It's a favorite among chefs and serious garlic enthusiasts. It’s also a popular variety to use medicinally.

Storage typically ranges from 4-6 months, making it a dependable hardneck for winter use.

✨ Bold, spicy flavor
✨ Large cloves
✨ Fantastic for cooking and preserving

Fresh Georgian Fire bulbs will be available for sale soon. If you love garlic with personality, this one deserves a spot in your pantry.

06/11/2026

🌿 Meet the amazing Rampicante Zucchini! 🌿

If you've battled squash bugs and vine borers in the past, this unique heirloom might become your new favorite garden superstar. Despite often being called a zucchini, Rampicante is actually a type of squash that naturally shows much better resistance to squash vine borers than traditional zucchini varieties.

The best part? It gives you two vegetables in one!

🥒 Harvest the fruits young (around 12-18 inches long) and enjoy a tender, mild flavor very similar to zucchini. They're perfect for grilling, sautéing, baking, or spiralizing.

🎃 Leave them on the vine and watch them transform into long, curved gourds that can reach several feet in length! As they mature, the flesh becomes firmer and sweeter, making them excellent for soups, roasting, pies, and winter storage.

Not only is Rampicante productive and delicious, but its vigorous climbing vines can create a stunning garden feature when grown on a trellis.

Whether you're looking for fresh summer zucchini flavor or a long-storing winter squash, Rampicante delivers both in one remarkable plant!

A true conversation starter in the garden and a great choice for anyone tired of losing squash plants to vine borers. 🌱✨

06/08/2026

🧄 KOREAN RED WISCONSIN GARLIC 🧄

If you’re looking for a garlic that packs a punch, Korean Red Wisconsin is ready to deliver! This hardneck variety is known for its bold, spicy flavor when raw that mellows into a rich, savory sweetness when cooked.

Originally descended from Korean garlic stock and adapted by Wisconsin growers, this variety has earned a reputation for excellent cold-hardiness and dependable production. The bulbs are beautiful, easy to peel, and perfect for home cooks who love strong garlic flavor.

Storage is solid for a hardneck, often lasting 5-7 months under proper conditions.

✨ Robust flavor✨ Large, easy-to-peel cloves✨ Great for roasting, sautéing, and garlic lovers who want intensity

Freshly harvested bulbs will be available for sale soon! Stay tuned for availability and get ready to add this powerhouse garlic to your kitchen and garden.

06/08/2026

🧄 KOREAN RED WISCONSIN GARLIC 🧄

If you're looking for a garlic that packs a punch, Korean Red Wisconsin is ready to deliver! This hardneck variety is known for its bold, spicy flavor when raw that mellows into a rich, savory sweetness when cooked.

Originally descended from Korean garlic stock and adapted by Wisconsin growers, this variety has earned a reputation for excellent cold-hardiness and dependable production. The bulbs are beautiful, easy to peel, and perfect for home cooks who love strong garlic flavor.

Storage is solid for a hardneck, often lasting 5-7 months under proper conditions.

✨ Robust flavor✨ Large, easy-to-peel cloves✨ Great for roasting, sautéing, and garlic lovers who want intensity

Freshly harvested bulbs will be available for sale soon! Stay tuned for availability and get ready to add this powerhouse garlic to your kitchen and garden.

06/07/2026

🧄 GERMAN EXTRA HARDY GARLIC 🧄

If you're looking for a garlic that can handle tough winters and still reward you with big, beautiful bulbs, German Extra Hardy is a garden favorite for a reason!

This heirloom hardneck variety produces large cloves that are easy to peel and packed with rich, robust garlic flavor. It's perfect for roasting, cooking, or saving as seed garlic for next year's crop.

One of my favorite things about German Extra Hardy is its reliability. It consistently produces impressive bulbs and sends up delicious garlic scapes in early summer—a bonus harvest before the bulbs are ready!

✔ Large bulbs with easy-to-peel cloves
✔ Rich, classic garlic flavor
✔ Excellent cold tolerance
✔ Produces tasty garlic scapes
✔ Great for long-term storage

Whether you're a seasoned gardener or planting garlic for the first time, German Extra Hardy is a variety that earns its place in the garden year after year.

Who else is already dreaming about fresh garlic harvests? 🧄✨