Starting a Homestead

<p>People are often surprised to hear our story of starting a homestead. It was a rather lengthy journey compared to what you might imagine. It was a lengthy journey compared to what WE imagined. And it still continues to this day. In fact, the building is going to continue for years. I begin to wonder if it ever ends and we just maintain what we have already built. I don’t know. That day hasn’t arrived yet.</p> <p>I want to take a minute and say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast for every episode. I appreciate you all so much. I’m so excited to share with you what’s going on at the farm this week. And I want to share our journey through starting a homestead. Let’s get started.</p> <h2>Our Virginia Homestead Life Updates</h2> <h3>Orchard</h3> <p>I just picked blueberries this morning. It looks like this is going to be the last decent sized haul for this season. The crows have discovered the blueberry bushes so we are sharing with them now. Yet another batch of blueberry jam will be made tomorrow. This will be the last one, I think.</p> <p>On the way back I took a stroll around the fruit trees just to see what we have. We are going to have a few peaches this year. There are a few apples but I didn’t see any pears, plums or apricots. And the cheery trees? Well they are a disaster. Scott will be starting all over with them this fall. He’s learned a few things and I think this time he will be successful with the cherry trees. But that also means another couple of years or more before we have cherries. Patience is a virtue.</p> <h3>Garden</h3> <p>I’m nearly done with the garden. I have two more beds to complete. My plan is to have that completed tomorrow. I’ve decided to add another bed of green beans. I have the space so I’m going for it. The current green bean plants are blooming. We will have fresh green beans in no time.</p> <p>The entire garden is just zooming along. The potatoes are blooming. That indicates we are coming close to t