Fall has arrived with chilled mornings and warm afternoons. We only harvested 1 Cinderella pumpkin so far! None of our Jack Be Little or Big Max pumpkin seeds germinated this year. Now that it’s Fall, I will start the preparations for our upcoming holiday parties and events.
Let’s reflect on our latest homestead adventures. If you are an old follower of our journey, then you know it’s been packed with greatness. And if you’re new to following Bradley’s Homestead, then welcome! We hope you will share our story with others…
Homestead Updates:
MAY 2025
As of May 12, 2025, we became a charitable organization in the state of South Carolina. Our nonprofit goal is to develop educational platforms with the community to combat hunger by offering educational activities. Examples of the activities include: seed giveaways, classes on starting and maintaining a garden, raising and processing animals, and vegetable distribution. In May, we hosted our 1st annual Garden Party. We invited everyone from “our community”: our neighbors, homestead, garden, and farm friends.
JUNE 2025
On June 21, 2025, we hosted our first Chicken Processing Day Workshop. We had a host of family and friends join us as we processed 30 chickens. Every participant assisted or observed with the process, and they received a Bradley’s Homestead-raised and cleaned chicken to take home. We processed 30 chickens in 2 1/2 hours. Click to see our processing setup.
JULY 2025
In July, Summerville temps reached a heat index of 100+. As a result, our garden went through the usual transition. Early spring crops die back, then late spring crops have a hard time keeping up, and summer crops are trying to thrive. BTW, we celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary.
AUGUST 2025
This year, I started germinating fall seeds on August 1st. It was intentional because last year I started in July, and I felt that even though my starts did well indoors, once transplanted outside, they bolted too early. It could’ve been the cause of my starting them too early. I sold fall plant starts; however, the response was not as many as compared to spring. I believe people do not garden as much in the fall because they prefer to take a break, or they don’t realize that fall gardening is an option. I plan to educate and encourage my spring customers about fall gardening.
Craft Therapy
SEPTEMBER 2025
More meat birds arrived! As our chicken supply dwindles, we decided to order another round so we can process them in November. Once processed, we should have enough chicken to carry us until our Spring 2026 processing workshop. November’s chicken processing will have a special guest! 🙂
OCTOBER 2025
This month, we are officially moving forward with our 2nd Bradley’s Homestead location in Salters, S.C. Our pigs have arrived, and several projects and upgrades are going on at our farmstead. Stay tuned!
Bradley's Homestead 