Holmberg Family Homestead

Holmberg Family Homestead Homestead, specializing in natural practices, local food, native plants, and enjoying life.

Tomato root evaluation. Soil condition. Each year I dig a few plants of our key crops and look at the roots. This is h...
09/01/2026

Tomato root evaluation. Soil condition.

Each year I dig a few plants of our key crops and look at the roots.

This is helpful with the evaluation of the soil conditions.

These tomatoes produced well and the roots are fairly healthy. Be aware that the amount of rain and other factors can influence root growth so the evaluation is only one of the items to look at.

Be aware that different species have different growth habits so learning what good looks like is also important. Some plants have tap roots and others have spreading roots.

Different soils will also influence root growth.

Keep learning and evaluating over time and you will a great deal.

Peace.

Hazelnut selection. There will be a very few hazelnuts that are of significant size compared to the average nuts.We wi...
09/01/2026

Hazelnut selection. There will be a very few hazelnuts that are of significant size compared to the average nuts.

We will plant these in hopes that they will grow and yield larger nuts. Because we have so few we can't crack any to see if it is the shell or nut kernel that is responsible for the increased size.

Nor will we know if it is the tree's genetics from this one years nuts. I made a mistake not marking the tree within the hedge. I was focusing on harvesting and didn't think fast enough. If I knew the exact tree I could look for root suckers to transplant and get ahead of the process.

Each nut we keep could be from a different pollen source which will add complexity as well.

Developing trees takes years and generations.

Peace.

Time to harvest hazelnuts. If you don't watch them closely the squirrels and blue jays will get them all in a couple d...
08/31/2026

Time to harvest hazelnuts. If you don't watch them closely the squirrels and blue jays will get them all in a couple days.

I will let them dry a couple days then remove them from their husk for processing.

I do leave a few for the wildlife on purpose.

Peace.

Winter keeper tomato update. The tomatoes are growing and producing fruit. The ground cover is sweet potatoes and cowpea...
08/31/2026

Winter keeper tomato update.

The tomatoes are growing and producing fruit.

The ground cover is sweet potatoes and cowpeas.

Will be interesting to see how they do.

Peace.

Time to take some of the tomatoes out to prepare for planting turnips. This bed will be planted in sweet potatoes next y...
08/30/2026

Time to take some of the tomatoes out to prepare for planting turnips.

This bed will be planted in sweet potatoes next year and after supporting a large tomato crop needs compost. After letting the compost set a few days turnips will be sown.

Turnips are good for making potassium available and sweet potatoes need potassium to grow large roots.

Other brassicas would work but turnips are also a good food crop for us and can be shredded and included in the livestock feed.

We never seam to get quite enough tomatoes and these would continue to produce for a while yet but in order to get ready for next year's crop we have to make compromise decisions.

Homesteading is always a balance.

Peace.

1st cotton boll. Very exciting.
08/30/2026

1st cotton boll. Very exciting.

Dry weather is when rain catchment comes in nice. Nothing beats caring for your soil and selecting the best varieties fo...
08/30/2026

Dry weather is when rain catchment comes in nice.

Nothing beats caring for your soil and selecting the best varieties for your area.

We can't catch enough rain nor do we spend significant money on the system because we tend to get adequate rain and have access to a well. However when we come across tanks and barrels we evaluate if we should expand the system.

In our system we wait until later because tree frogs us the tanks for breeding and tree frogs are very helpful on the farm.

Peace.

Irrigation and drought. I mage a post a couple of ays ago about drought and using irrigation on a limited basis. When pl...
08/28/2026

Irrigation and drought.

I mage a post a couple of ays ago about drought and using irrigation on a limited basis.

When planting beds such as this one in turnips during a dry week, I will water to get the seeds to sprout quickly.

We are not in a drought but we are approaching the end of the season and I want the turnips to sprout.

Please do all you can to improve your drought resistance but in a subsistence situation some watering may be useful.

Peace.

Food and nature. We have several fruit and nut trees planted around the farm. I was ask by one visitor where our orchar...
08/27/2026

Food and nature.

We have several fruit and nut trees planted around the farm. I was ask by one visitor where our orchard was and I explained that the farm was the orchard.

This approach does several things one is allowing us to encourage a wider diversity of habitats.

We have sumac growing close to this pear which provides nesting spots for birds and food for butterfly and moth caterpillars.

I do gently prune around the pear to allow airflow but I leave several sumac stalks in place.

I also scattered some coneflower seeds under the trees to encourage wildflowers.

I learned today that some of the caterpillars eat the leaves that fall to the ground. I didn't know this before and the new information will inform how I mow in the future.

I am not one that mows a great deal but now I am thinking about how to keep this area around the workshop clear to help prevent groundhog damage but yet give the caterpillars more space.

I believe that the best one can do is to keep learning and keep striving to steward the creation that our Lord gave us while producing healthy food for our families.

Peace.

Drought and how to deal with it.The most important aspect of dealing with all situations on a homestead is growing the c...
08/27/2026

Drought and how to deal with it.

The most important aspect of dealing with all situations on a homestead is growing the correct varieties and then adapting the plants to your conditions.

Okra as a variety does well and this variety named Cindy Sue has been growing from saved seeds on our homestead for several years.

Next and very close in importance is continuously increasing soil organic matter and feeding the microorganisms.

Mulch is also helpful. With this bed the water comes down a hill so the addition of woodchips will help keep moisture in the area.

Next year's okra will be planted on compost rows we will build this fall. Between the rows I will plant a mixture of winter rye and hairy vetch to overwinter and be used as mulch next year.

The rye and vetch will continue the process of adding organic matter through their roots. The okra root system is also very good at pushing deep to improve the soil as well.

All of this will not drought proof the food bed but it will maximize the chances of a successful yield.

For us irrigation is an option and I do use it when needed but is not a top line of consideration. All the other actions are first and extremely important in making irrigation actually work for the plants.

This bed is especially hard to grow in so we will only grow plants such as okra or sorghum here next year. Sometimes bed selection is also a factor because conditions can be different across a farm or larger garden.

Peace.

Address

Warrensburg, MO
64093

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Holmberg Family Homestead posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Holmberg Family Homestead:

Shortcuts

Share

Category