Both boys helped me transplant a bundle of white onion slips today.
Onion Slips Planted 1/7/2019
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Author Archives: Brian Gallimore
Compost Pile
I dumped out the three big wire fence containers where I’ve been storing leaves and kitchen scraps, then mixed it all together along with more ‘greens’ and water into a large pile about 5 feet high.
Finished compost pile 
Fungi on leaf mold pile 
Fungi on leaf mould pile 
Beginning of new compost pil
Pear, Pawpaw, Cherry, Persimmon, Pluerry, Pomegranate Trees Planted
Over the past 2 days, I’ve planted 8 more fruit trees.
13) Asian Pear w/ grafts of: Hosui (12), 20th Century (3), Chojuro (6), Shenseiki (9)
14) Fuyu Japanese Persimmon
15) Sweet Treat Pluerry
16) Wonderful Pomegranate
17) Cherry w/ grafts of: Stella (2), Black Tartarian (4), Bing (7), Rainier (10) *
18) empty space
19) Pennsylvania Golden PawPaw (Grafted)
20) Sunflower Pawpaw (Grafted)
21) Mango Pawpaw (Grafted)
(graft positions given w/ North = 12 o’clock)
* = yes, I realize cherry trees won’t set fruit here because of our lack of cooling hours, but I wanted to try it anyway Continue reading
3rd Seeding of Broccoli and Brussels
Only 3 plants sprouted from the second seeding. I’m really bad at this apparently!
update 9/29/2018:
A few plants sprouted, but were quickly eaten by either rabbits or worms. I transplanted 6 broccoli and 6 brussels sprouts from Walmart today.
Hoop Shade Structure for Raised Beds
Trying to get seeds to sprout in the August heat can be difficult. The ground drys out faster because the protective mulch has to be moved out of the way exposing bare soil, and the sun is so oppressive that many plants won’t survive a day of full sun when they have just popped out of the ground. A way to help is to provide shade. If you are using wood-framed raised beds, this is pretty easy to do.
Use 3 pieces of 1/2″ PVC electrical conduit. PVC water pipe is also usable, but the electrical conduit has the benefit of UV protection, so it should last a good bit longer. Attach the ends of each pipe to an edge of your raised bed frame. I just drilled holes in the pipe and used exterior screws. Holes can also be drilled in a 2×4 to provide a hole for the pipe to sit in. Lay a fabric such as burlap, greenhouse shade cloth, or window screen over the pipes and secure with zip ties, rope, or specially made snap clamps.
This hoop structure provides a way to provide shade in the summer and can also be used along with clear plastic to create a greenhouse in the winter.
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- hoop structure with burlap fabric
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- attachment detail of hoop structure to wood frame
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- clips holding fabric to frame
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- front view of hoop structure with burlap fabric
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- hoop structure with window screen built in citizen gardener class
Snow Peas and Carrot Planted 8/26/2018
I pulled up a sick looking pepper plant and seeded some snow peas in one bed. In the bed with okra, I cut back some of the low leaves and put in another row of snow peas and some carrots. I notice the comfrey that is under the okra (shaded mostly) is growing much better than the comfrey that has full sun. I’m hoping the snow peas and carrot will benefit in the same way. I’m a little concerned that none of the seeds (broccoli, brussels sprouts, and spinach have sprouted yet. It may have just been too hot lately. If I don’t see anything by the end of the week, I’ll reseed it all.
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- Snow Peas From Baker Creek
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- Carrot From Baker Creek
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- 3 raised beds
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- 2 rows of snow peas
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- none of the seeds planted 11 days ago have sprouted yet
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- 1 more row of snow peas planted under okra plants
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- carrots planted under the okra plants
Results and Observations of Solar Sterilization to Kill Unwanted Vegetation
My observations of a 3 weeks of using a clear plastic sheet of plastic to kill off vegetation.
- The plastic was placed in the area of a storm shelter door and left for 3 days. Much of the area was killed, but some was not, likely due to the edges of the plastic not being sealed against the ground very well, allowing fresh, cooler air to get it and killing the oven affect.
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- area 1 – clear plastic in place
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- area 1 – results of clear plastic after a few days
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- The plastic was moved to a second area that only receives full sun about half of the day. The ground was flatter, and the edges were easier to seal with lumber. This resulted in all the vegetation (grass mostly) being killed.
- The plasti was moved to a third area next to the driveway. This area is also shaded half the day, and the weather has been rainy and overcast. I’ve left the plastic in place for over a week in this area. The pictures below were taken 21 days after the plastic was moved from location 1. You can clearly see where area 2 was killed, but already has a lot of growth returning after about 1 week. The growth in area 1 is back to almost normal now.
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- plastic still covering area 3, area 2 looks brown
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- area 2, plastic has been removed for about 1 week
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- bermuda grass growth in area 2 after 1 week
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- area 1, plastic has been removed for 3 weeks
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Notes / Comments:
- Sealing up the edges of the plastic is important. Any air movement disrupts the process.
- Only the top bit of soil seems to be affected, plants with deeper roots will come back pretty quickly.
Planted Broccoli, Brussels, Spinach 8/15/2018
I planted from seed 8 broccoli, 4 brussels sprouts, and 16 spinach today.
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- bed with new seeds planted
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- Broccoli – Belstar Hybrid Organic
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- Spinach – Imperial Green Hybrid
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- Brussels Sprouts – Diablo Hybrid
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- okra
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- Comfrey
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- Tomatoes and Peppers
UPDATE 8/29/2018: none of these seeds sprouted. It was either too hot, or I let it get too dry. I re-seeded today, and will try to keep the bed covered from the sun for most of the day.
Life Returns to Pond After Rain
We have been without rain for some time now. (typical summer in north Texas) The pond area was completely dry yesterday. It finally rained last night (1″), and this morning you the air is filled with the sound of frogs and whatever else live in the wet area and are back like magic. Give it a listen in the video:
Comfrey Slips and Crowns Planted 8/6/2018
I ordered 12 slips and 3 crowns of Russian Comfrey – Bocking 14 from Marsh Creek Farmstead. They arrived today so I put them in the ground. I placed the crowns in my raised beds, and the slips in between my new fruit trees. The bocking 14 variety doesn’t go to seed so it doesn’t spread and take over like the normal variety does. This plant is known as a mineral miner: the roots go very deep in the soil and the leaves are packed with lots of nutrients. It is a good plant to use for composting material, as those valuable nutrients will be in the compost.
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- comfrey leaves
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- comfrey flower
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- comfrey planted in ground surrounded by mulch
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- comfrey crowns and slips