Homesteading on a Blackberry Hilltop
July 13, 2026 As I was sitting on the back step putting on my rubber boots, I looked over at the bucket brigade of peppers. What did I see, to my horror, a very large hornworm hanging out of a half eaten bell pepper. Noooo! The hornworms are on my peppers. Bruce was also appalled […]
Read More Our Fourth of JulyJuly 12, 2026 This post is out of order. It is for today, as I haven’t caught up on posting about the garden. I am going to be gone for two weeks. I dread what will happen to the gardens. My neighbor sounded happy to harvest produce from the garden. I hope he will pick […]
Read More Oh, the State of Things to ComeJuly 12, 2026 On July 3, I took some pictures of the incredible sorry state of my front flower garden. The weeds have found the perfect place to grow! My vegetable garden was my focus while I was recovering from gallbladder surgery. I really couldn’t do much, and even then, I overdid it a few […]
Read More And…Here’s the Front GardenJuly 11, 2026 On July 2, I did my normal routine in the garden. Afterwards, I harvested several vegetables from the garden. Bruce noticed the Japanese eggplant was ready, and he cut the stem and placed it in the basket. He asked what I was going to do with the eggplant. I mentioned a stir […]
Read More The Harvest Basket with Vegetables from the GardenJuly 10, 2026 I am often amused by the new gamification for posting and commenting on WordPress. Here’s the latest achievement I received. Hmmm. I do need to get to sleep earlier!
Read More An Unexpected Achievement from WordPressJuly 9, 2026 On July 1, I did my normal garden rounds, and noticed the soybeans were ready for harvest. I harvested one side of the garden bed. The soybeans are planted on the long edges of one the raised beds while the caged tomatoes are in the middle of the bed. This worked great […]
Read More Harvesting Soybeans for Edamame and More OrganizationJuly 9, 2026 On June 30, I proceeded with the morning tasks. The sweet potatoes have started blooming. I cannot get the tomato cage upright. To get to the tomatoes underneath, I pull the cage upright and pick tomatoes as fast as I can. The trellis in the middle of the beds works great. I […]
Read More Sweet Potato Blooms and Fallen Tomato CageJuly 9, 2026 Updated July 9, 2026 On June 28, I did my new normal garden task before it got into the high 90s. I also checked on the melons. Here’s the cute formally hairy watermelon. It has gone bald. The globe basil is trying to sneak into the picture. I don’t recall what type […]
Read More An Inside Job, the Heat Is OnJuly 9, 2026 On June 27, I did my normal morning task. “the new normal. Walking around the garden, collecting Japanese beetles, eating strawberries, picking tomatoes, looking for hornworm damage, looking for hornworms, picking beans, and squash. Bruce and I also go look at the orchard and pick blueberries.” Then, I went inside and read […]
Read More A Restful DayJune 9, 2026 On June 26, while I was out in the garden, Bruce was playing using the tractor to move dirt. He put more dirt in the holes left in the south side yard from digging out roots. See https://retirementrvdream.com/2026/05/23/watching-bruce-enjoy-the-new-toy-tractor/ for the removal of the roots. Bruce smoothed out the dirt with the front […]
Read More Tractor Used to Move More Dirt and Attack the Grassy Knoll
Blackberry Homestead 