Harvest Before the Bitter Cold

December 18, 2025 December 14 (Sunday), was an overcast day, with the polar vortex expected to arrive by Monday morning. With temperatures expected to get down to a low of 17F, I needed to get the garden prepared. Harvesting the garden was a high priority!! I harvested all the radishes that were ready. I harvested […]

Ladybugs Swarming the House

Ladybugs are swarming the house in early November to find shelter from the cold weather.

Back to Blackberry Homestead Days

November 2, 2025 On October 24 (Friday), I stopped to look at the red pineapple. I noticed some damage to one of purple basil plants. There was a minor windstorm the night before. The Japanese mustard, radishes, and garlic looked good. I need to mulch the garlic. Some sweet potato vines are still growing under […]

Taking It Easy

October 1, 2025 Bruce and I slept most of Sunday (September 28) away. We did go for a walk around Blackberry Homestead in the late afternoon. Sunday night to Monday morning (September 29), Nox decided to keep me up most of the night with her whining and fussing. I don’t know what was wrong with […]

More Chipping and Dirt Moving

September 28, 2025 On September 21 (Monday), we headed out to work in the yard. From the barn, Bruce towed the chipper with the lawn mower to the large pile of branches from pine 2 and pine 3. Once he had the chipper in place, Bruce drove the mower back to barn and hooked up […]

Chipping Away at the Large Branch Pile

September 25, 2025 On September 17 (Wednesday), Bruce and I used the mower and trailer to move enough Bama Dirt Pro Mix to cover the small flower bed. We covered the bed with four to five inches of dirt. Bruce used the mower to tow the chipper out back. He chipped branches from the big […]

Preying Mantis in the Front Yard

September 23, 2025 On September 15 (Monday), instead of working in the yard, I spent most of day inside cleaning. Bruce was outside doing some mowing underneath the pine trees, when he noticed this female praying mantis. She blends right in with the lichen on the pine trees. After taking pictures of the praying mantis, […]

Around the Yard

September 22, 2025 On September 14 (Sunday), during my daily walk around Blackberry Homestread, Bruce moved the burn barrel to see the results of the fire. The stump had burned completely away. After admiring the hole, we talked about filling it. We walked over to the wild passion fruit vines and discovered three passion fruits! […]

Bee Bums on Bolted Radicchio

September 19, 2025 One of my radicchio plants bolted while I was gone. It makes beautiful flowers in the morning, so I’ve left it blooming. It is a fairly large plant. I enjoyed watching this common eastern bumble bee buzz around and stop to pollinate the radicchio flowers.

Moving More Bama Dirt

August 24, 2025 On Thursday(August 21), Bruce and I got up and took advantage of the cooler morning temperatures to move some Bama Dirt into the new garden bed. Shoveling wet dirt is hard work! As the temperatures climbed and we got tired, hot, and sweaty, we decided it was time to get cleaned up. […]