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 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 HarvestingJune 22, 2026 On June 12, we did several errands in town. When we got back home, we walked down to the mailbox. The daylilies along the fence were blooming. I did some housework and Bruce did some weed whacking. In the early evening, while it was still light enough, we toured the orchard and […]
Read More Sunset Over the HouseJune 21, 2026 On June 9, I walked out to the garden to see how my garden was growing. The soybeans had more Japanese Beatles on them. I picked off the Japanese Beetles and dropped them into soapy water. The traps are doing a great job, but they don’t catch all of the Japanese Beetles. […]
Read More Green Beans Are Ready!June 21, 2026 On June 2, Bruce decided to do more playing work with the tractor. He moved dirt from the pile of dirt at the bottom of the driveway to the holes around the grassy knoll. He also used the tractor’s backhoe to work at breaking apart the root ball of Pine Tree Three. […]
Read More More Fun with the TractorJune 15, 2026 On May 30th, it rained again. During a break in the rain, we picked a few handfuls of blueberries. The sunset was pretty. The stars in the sky were twinkling and the stars on the ground (fireflies) were flashing. On May 30th, Bruce mowed. The grass was so tall that it looked […]
Read More Blueberries and Fireflies, Plus Update on Pine Tree ThreeMay 23, 2026 On May 14, Bruce asked me if I had any thoughts on what to do next with the tractor. As we walked to see the figs, I saw the mess of roots and holes that made a spot by the fence very hard to mow. I suggested that it could be the […]
Read More Watching Bruce Enjoy the New Toy (Tractor)
Blackberry Homestead 