GalliStead

05/19/2026

Blackberries are starting to ripen.

04/04/2026

Explosion of Growth – 4/4/2026

I was very happy to see some of the melons are starting to sprout now We have received over 2 inches of rain in the past 24 hours The peppers and tomatoes are growing bigger. The 4 tomatoes I planted really early in February grew out since the tops of the plants froze. They would probably be over 4 foot tall by now if that wouldn't have happened....

I was very happy to see some of the melons are starting to sprout now We have received over 2 inches of rain in the past 24 hours The peppers and tomatoes are growing bigger. The 4 tomatoes I plant…

03/27/2026

16 cantaloupe melons seeded – 3/26/2026

Trying something new this year: planting melons only 1 foot apart, same spacing as the emitters on my drip tape. I'll train the vines to go out 90 degrees from the row, so they will have 8 foot each way to spread out. My theory is this will save water, since I'm only using one row of drip tape for all the mellons....

Trying something new this year: planting melons only 1 foot apart, same spacing as the emitters on my drip tape. I’ll train the vines to go out 90 degrees from the row, so they will have 8 fo…

03/22/2026

16 Thornless Blackberry plants

after moving and dividing up my unmaintained blackberry bushes, I would up with 16 plants spaced 5 feet apart. They are going to grow on my home made trellis lines. Only 3 of the plants are mature enough to maybe produce fruit this year.

after moving and dividing up my unmaintained blackberry bushes, I would up with 16 plants spaced 5 feet apart. They are going to grow on my home made trellis lines. Only 3 of the plants are mature …

03/22/2026

Wildflower Preparation

laid down cardboard and covered with wood chips to choke out grass and w**ds. Then in the fall will plant wildflower seeds

laid down cardboard and covered with wood chips to choke out grass and w**ds. Then in the fall will plant wildflower seeds

03/20/2026

14 pepper plants in raised beds – 3/19/2026

14 pepper plants are in the ground in the front yard raised beds now

14 pepper plants are in the ground in the front yard raised beds now

03/20/2026

20 tomatoes planted in back garden – 3/18/2026

I removed the walls of water off the 4 tomatoes in the front raised beds, and planted 20 new seedlings in the back garden in native soil. The plants that were in the front bed sustained some freeze damage, but just on the top part of the plant that had grown taller than the walls of water plastic. This is my first year using w**d barrier in the back yard....

I removed the walls of water off the 4 tomatoes in the front raised beds, and planted 20 new seedlings in the back garden in native soil. The plants that were in the front bed sustained some freeze…

02/19/2026

Tomatoes Planted – 2/18/2026

I planted 4 tomato plants today. These are from the seeds I started 30 days ago. I get some criticism from folks online that tell me I'm planting too early. I know! But I like to plant some plants out early. Most years, I it works in my favor because by the time the "acceptable date to plant tomatoes" is here, I already have a nice big plant that has fruit on it. I use the "walls of water" towers to allow the plant to survive and thrive in colder weather.

I planted 4 tomato plants today. These are from the seeds I started 30 days ago. I get some criticism from folks online that tell me I’m planting too early. I know! But I like to plant some p…

02/08/2026

Pea, Beet, Turnip, Radish, Greens, Carrot Planted- 2/8/2026

I planted a few things in the front raised beds toda. Varieties of Pea: Sugar Daddy Sugar Snap Early Perfection Wando Varieties of Radish: Sparkler Cherry Belle French Breakfast Beet Variety: Detroit Dark Red, Medium top Varieties of Turnip: Golden Ball Purple Top Varieties of Greens: Seven Top Turnip Green Vates Dwarf Blue Curled Kale Southern Giant Curled Mustard Varieties of Carrot: Tendersweet Long imperator #58

I planted a few things in the front raised beds toda. Varieties of Pea: Sugar Daddy Sugar Snap Early Perfection Wando Varieties of Radish: Sparkler Cherry Belle French Breakfast Beet Variety: Detro…

02/08/2026

Soil Test Results 2026

I sampled soil from some of my raised beds with old, established soil that I've been adding compost to for years and also from my backyard tilled garden. I was a bit surprised to see the results were this good. I expected to need nitrogen because every soil test shows you need nitrogen. What I was most impressed with is my high organic matter percentages. Most farmland is under 5% with 1% being pretty typical.

I sampled soil from some of my raised beds with old, established soil that I’ve been adding compost to for years and also from my backyard tilled garden. I was a bit surprised to see the resu…

02/08/2026

Garden Tilled – 2/7/2026

I managed to get the backyard garden area tilled today. This is about a 40' x 60' area where I've been moving in lots of topsoil from other parts of the yard for several years now. Last spring I filled the rows with wood chips, and I vacuumed up a lot of leaves and piled that up, and added soiled chicken bedding material too-- all that material is now tilled into the soil....

I managed to get the backyard garden area tilled today. This is about a 40′ x 60′ area where I’ve been moving in lots of topsoil from other parts of the yard for several years now…