Homesteading on a Blackberry Hilltop
July 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 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 DayJuly 8, 2026 On June 26, I took a lot of pictures of the vegetable garden as looked it over. The bee bums’ pictures are back! Tomatoes look great. I love the squash blossoms. The watermelon is getting bigger. The okra flowers are beautiful. Maybe next year, I’ll plant some in front. The asparagus is […]
Read More Pictures Around Blackberry HomesteadJuly 7, 2026 On June 25, the ordered tomato hornworm hunting equipment arrived. On and off, we’ve had many hungry, hungry caterpillars munching away on the tomato leaves and green fruit. Those of you who have experienced the joys of trying to find the hidden tomato hornworms want a better way to find them. Bruce […]
Read More Tomato Hornworm Hunting Equipment ArrivesJuly 7, 2026 On June 21, I did 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. In walking in the orchard area, I noticed this dragonfly. […]
Read More Digging Up More PotatoesJuly 6, 2026 On June 20, we picked blueberries. I am so glad we selected early, mid, and late-season berries. This has given us a steady crop of blueberries. The mid-season has produced the most berries. I picked some ripe tomatoes. The Clint Eastwood Rowdy Red is a delicious variety. The cherry tomatoes are very […]
Read More Japanese Beetles Doing Japanese Beetle ThingsJuly 2, 2026 On June 19, I harvested more tomatoes. I found two of the San Marzano tomatoes ready to be harvested, along with more cherry tomatoes. One of the San Marzano tomatoes was attacked by fruit borers or some other type of pest. The yellow patty pan squashes are prolific. Walking around in the […]
Read More More Tomatoes Ready for HarvestingJuly 2, 2026 On June 18, with our friends, Larry and Jeanne, from the blog ajeanneinthekitchen.com, driving towards the sunset, oh wait, they headed away from the sunrise. It was way to early to even think about sunset. I digress. Bruce and I felt the need to check the gardens and orchard and get to […]
Read More And Now, Back to Our Regular WorkJune 22, 2026 On June 13 and 14, Bruce and I focused on getting Blackberry Homestead ready for our friends to see. Jeanne from ajeanneinthekitchen.com and her husband, Larry were coming all the way from Westminster, Colorado to visit. We were meeting them in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, June 15. After seeing some famous spots […]
Read More Getting Ready for Friends to VisitJune 21, 2026 While I was out in the garden twisting the tomatoes around strings hanging down from the trellis frame, Bruce was playing working with his chainsaw and tractor. After I finished up with the tomatoes, I went over to see what Bruce was up to. He had chainsawed most of the way through […]
Read More More Clean Up on Pine Tree Three with Chainsaw and Tractor
Blackberry Homestead 