Weekly roundup

Finish Like You Mean It

We don’t drift into winter. We prepare for it. Clear diseased plants, seed cover crops, and prune perennials so they hit the ground running in spring.

Homestead Happenings

Blueberries, Beds, and the pH Check That Changed My Week

Two crisp mornings in the 40s slowed the tomatoes, so we pulled the tired vines and tucked the beds under cover crops to recharge the soil.

The fall sprouts (lettuce, kale, radish) are pushing through, so I weeded, thinned, and mulched to keep them moist and healthy. There’s something about the smell of heavy dew, fresh straw and working in tha damp soil that says the season’s shifting.

Out at the blueberries, the pH meter told the truth: one bed was creeping too high, and the shrubs were showing it with pale leaves and stunted growth. I spread a layer of pine needle mulch to gently acidify the soil, then watered in a dose of elemental sulfur—for slow but long-lasting acidification. For fertilizer, I gave a light feed of organic cottonseed meal, a slow-release, acid-forming option that keeps nutrition steady without alkalizing the soil.

If you grow blueberries, pH isn’t optional. It’s everything. Outside the ideal range of 4.5–5.5, roots can’t pull in iron, magnesium, or nitrogen, no matter how much you fertilize. That’s why I check pH twice a year—spring and late summer—and correct slowly so the soil biology stays healthy. Dialing in pH means darker leaves, stronger shoots, and sweeter berries.

Curious about the best times to fertilize and how to keep pH right all season long? I lay out the full plan here: Feeding Blueberries Naturally: The Right Fertilizer at the Right Time

Natural Pest Control That Works

Pest pressure never really stops—it just shifts. Right now, the big eaters are tomato hornworms, those fat green caterpillars that can strip a plant overnight. The fix isn’t to spray the whole garden but to act fast and act smart.

Here’s how I handle it:

• Scout daily: flip leaves, check the tops for chewed foliage, and look for frass (little dark droppings).

• Remove by hand: they’re easy to spot once you know what to look for—big, green, with a horn on the back end.

• Encourage the good guys: if you spot hornworms covered in white cocoons, leave them—those are parasitic wasps at work, and they’ll hatch to hunt more pests for you.

• Strengthen the plant: prune to open airflow, water consistently, and mulch to keep stress low—healthy plants recover faster.

The goal is to use the least harmful method first, keeping soil life and good bugs in play. When you layer cultural fixes (cleanup, spacing), mechanical controls (hand-picking), and natural predators like wasps, you’ll stop the damage without wrecking the ecosystem.

Want the full playbook—step-by-step for any pest, any crop? Read it here: Natural Pest Control for a Thriving Garden

Season Veggie Recipe

Cast-Iron Maple Apple Crisp

Apples are at their peak, and nothing feels more like fall than a skillet crisp. This is the quick version we make after evening chores—just a few ingredients, warm spice, and ready before the kettle whistles.

Ingredients

• 4–5 firm apples, sliced

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2–3 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tsp cinnamon, pinch salt

• 2 tbsp butter (or coconut oil)

• Topping: 1 cup oats, 1/3 cup flour, 2 tbsp brown or maple sugar, 2 tbsp melted butter

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and warm a 10" cast-iron with butter.

2. Toss apples with lemon, maple, cinnamon, and salt; spread in skillet.

3. Mix oats, flour, sugar, and melted butter; crumble evenly over apples.

4. Bake 20–25 minutes until bubbly and golden; rest 5 minutes before serving.

Try it this week—serve warm with a spoonful of cream or vanilla ice cream for a simple, farm-table dessert.

Closing Tip

Feed your soil now, not in spring. A light layer of compost or shredded leaves now gives microbes all winter to break it down, so your beds wake up rich and ready for planting come spring.

The Grounded Homestead