Care Calendar
Week-by-week from planting through fall — what to do, what to watch for. Updated August 1 for the fall expansion: the September planting list, the November carrot date, and squash-pest watchers.
For all outdoor garden work in May-September Pflugerville: before 10 AM and after 7 PM. This is also when Rowan can comfortably join in.
The blackberry plan grew from one plant to four, across three varieties — two Prime-Ark Freedom, one Ouachita, one Big Daddy, each in its own 25-gallon grow bag. They don't all fruit on the same schedule: Big Daddy and Ouachita fruit on second-year wood (Big Daddy is already carrying berries; Ouachita may fruit June-July), while the Prime-Ark Freedoms fruit on this year's canes in late summer/fall. Full variety details and variety-specific pruning are on the Plant Guide. Soil for the bags: potting mix acidified with Espoma Soil Acidifier, about 5-6 tablespoons per 25-gallon bag.
Week 1 — May 13 to May 17 (this week!)
Theme: Hardening off + shop + plant. Updated for v2: compost-amended mix, jalapeño's own grow bag, blackberry's 25-gal grow bag, sunflower trap crop.
| Day | Sam | Taylor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 5/13 AM | Hardening Day 1: sproutlings outside 1-2 hr morning shade only; back inside by 10 AM | Pre-shop call to Round Rock Nursery (confirm Landscapers Pride $7.99 + Back to Nature compost $18 + plant stock) | Don't skip hardening — direct full-sun transplant on Saturday = sunburn + shock |
| Wed 5/13 PM | Sproutlings back inside | Shop trip (or Thursday) | Round Rock → Tractor Supply → Home Depot |
| Thu 5/14 AM | Hardening Day 2: 2-3 hr morning sun + partial shade | Shop trip (if not Wed) | |
| Thu 5/14 PM | Mix sulfur into potting mix for the 25-gal blackberry grow bag (~1.5 cups total for 6 cu ft of mix) | ¼ cup sulfur per cu ft | |
| Fri 5/15 AM | Hardening Day 3: 3-4 hr morning sun; bring in by 2 PM | Bed mix prep: 2/3 organic potting mix (Kellogg + Landscapers Pride) + 1/3 Back to Nature composted cattle manure → fill bed to 15" depth | This is the UMD Extension–sanctioned 1:2 ratio Sam asked about |
| Fri 5/15 PM | Build cattle panel + T-post trellis on north side; build PVC shade frame (don't deploy yet); mix soil for the jalapeño 10-gal grow bag | Photos throughout! | |
| Sat 5/16 AM | Hardening Day 4: 6 hr in dappled shade; ready for transplant evening | Final box prep + lay soaker hose | |
| Sat 5/16 PM | PLANT (joint) — 3-4 Cherokee Purple along trellis at 18-22" centers (pruned to 2-3 main stems per UMD guidance for staked configuration); jalapeño in dedicated 10-gal grow bag adjacent to bed; basil + parsley + marigolds + nasturtium per the Garden Map; plant sunflower seeds on the opposite side of the yard from the raised bed | ||
| Sun 5/17 AM | Plant Prime-Ark Freedom blackberry in 25-gal fabric grow bag with acidified mix; plant 1 surplus Cherokee Purple in the remaining 10-gal grow bag; gift remaining ~8 sproutlings to friends | ||
| Sun 5/17 PM | Apply 3-4" cedar mulch + first deep watering (soak to 6" depth) + apply 1.5 cups Garden-Tone broadcast around bed; pH-test soil samples | ||
Weeks 2-3 — May 18 to May 31 (Establishment)
Theme: Help plants recover from transplant.
- Daily AM: visual scan all plants for wilt or sunburn
- Watering — bed: soaker hose 30-45 min, every other day → wets soil to 6" depth
- Watering — containers: the jalapeño and blackberry grow bags dry faster than the bed; check daily by finger-test
- Sunflower seedlings emerge 5-10 days after planting; thin if multiple seeds came up in one spot
- Days 3 + 7: transplant-shock check — all plants firm + new growth visible by day 7 = OK; drooping that doesn't recover by evening means root or water issue
- Watch for: cutworms (chew through stem at soil line; use cardboard collars if attacked) + aphids on new growth + flea beetles on tomato foliage
- End of Week 3 (~May 31): first sidedress feeding — 1.5 cups Garden-Tone broadcast around drip line of tomatoes + watered in; ~1 cup Garden-Tone (or Berry-tone) in blackberry grow bag; ~½ cup Garden-Tone scratched into top inch of jalapeño grow bag + watered
Weeks 4-6 — June 1 to June 21 (First fruit + heat onset + leaf-footed bug arrival)
Theme: Watch for first flowers and fruit set; deploy shade cloth; begin pest scouting.
| Milestone | When | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| First tomato flowers | ~30 days post-transplant (~mid-June) | Tap each flower cluster gently in morning to assist pollination (vibration like a bumblebee) |
| First fruit set | ~14 days after flowering | Watch for ripening 30-50 days later |
| Deploy shade cloth | Daily high consistently 95°F+ (typical mid-June) | PVC frame + 30-40% knit cloth + clips; cover west + south sides especially |
| Increase watering | When daily high 95°F+ sustained | Soaker hose every other day → daily; check soil moisture at 4-6" depth; containers may need daily watering |
| Sunflower flowering | ~60-80 days from seed (mid-July typical) | Begin intensified leaf-footed bug nymph scouting on sunflowers |
| Leaf-footed bug season opens | Typically early June onward | See IPM card below |
Leathery brown spot on the blossom end of tomato fruit. Cause: inconsistent watering + excessive nitrogen. Mitigation: keep mulch deep, never let soil dry to >2" deep, reduce Garden-Tone if persistent. (Source: AgriLife)
Per Molly Keck (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension IPM specialist): "The trick is to catch them when they're immature. You prevent more damage by catching them before they become adults and stop that next generation."
Identification:
- Adults: dark brown, ~¾ inch long, leaf-like extensions on back legs, white/yellow stripe across back, full wings — sometimes confused with stink bugs.
- Nymphs: smaller, red/orange and black bodies, cluster in groups, move like spiders. These are the priority targets.
Keck's alcohol-tray method:
- Pour rubbing alcohol into a baking sheet
- Hold tray below the nymph cluster
- Flick or shake plant; nymphs fall into the tray
- Squash any that miss the tray
Sunflower trap-crop integration: Sunflowers are leaf-footed bug magnets. Scout them FIRST every 2-3 days during pest season. When clusters appear there, eliminate them ON THE SUNFLOWERS before they migrate to tomatoes. Unmonitored sunflowers can become a population reservoir — the work of the trap crop is the scouting.
Source: AgriLife Today — Protect your garden from leaf-footed bugs
Blackberry note: primocane growth visible — green canes shooting up. Pinch tips when canes reach 3.5-4 feet to encourage lateral branching (= more fruit potential). The grow bags may need daily watering once heat builds.
Weeks 7-12 — June 22 to August 31 (The heat-pause + peak pest season)
Theme: Cherokee Purple takes a fruit-set break; jalapeño keeps going; blackberry primocanes fruit; leaf-footed bugs at peak.
Cherokee Purple: typically stops setting new fruit when overnight temps stay above ~75°F (mid-June onward in Pflugerville). Existing fruit ripens during this period. Plant stays alive — new fruit-set resumes in September.
Jalapeño in its grow bag: heat-tolerant; continues producing all summer. Container actually makes heat-management easier — can move under shade or against the house wall if needed. Harvest peppers when 3-4" long.
Blackberries: the two Prime-Ark Freedoms fruit on this year's canes in late summer/fall (August-September); Big Daddy and Ouachita fruit earlier, on second-year wood (Big Daddy already has berries; Ouachita around June-July). Watch green berries → red → black ripe (~6-8 weeks from flower). Grow bags often need daily watering in peak heat.
Sunflowers: in full bloom and at peak leaf-footed-bug attraction. Maintain scouting rhythm.
- Watering — bed: daily early-morning soaker; deep watering 1-2× weekly in evening to recharge subsoil
- Watering — containers: often daily; finger-test top inch of soil — if dry, water
- Mulch refresh: add 1-2" cedar bag if mulch has settled below 2" depth
- Garden-Tone: every 4-6 weeks during active production; pause for tomatoes during peak heat-pause; continue for jalapeño + blackberry
- Pest watch — daily during outbreak: hornworms (4" green caterpillars with white stripes — handpick); spider mites (fine webbing under leaves; spray underside with water 2-3× weekly); leaf-footed bugs (alcohol-tray method — scout sunflowers first, then tomatoes)
Late in this window the fall planting begins — and some of it starts indoors. Southern peas and winter squash want sowing in the first days of August; napa cabbage and Swiss chard want their seeds started indoors under a light, reaching transplant size in about six weeks. Fall bloomers and bluebonnet seed go in toward the end of the month.
Full detail, varieties and timing on the Fall Garden page. Care cadences for these crops get added here once they're actually in the ground.
Weeks 13-16 — September 1 to September 28 (Fall flush begins)
Theme: Cool nights return → tomatoes resume → fall garden planted.
- New tomato flowers appear as overnight temps drop below 75°F
- Fall harvest runs September through first freeze (late November)
- Plant the fall garden — cilantro, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, snow peas, beets, green beans, arugula, potatoes; transplant the napa cabbage and Swiss chard started indoors in August (carrots now wait until November — see below)
- Watering frequency drops back to 2-3× weekly soaker (containers every other day)
- Fall fertilizer application — Garden-Tone around all plants
- Rake and bag fall leaves for mulch (we don't have a compost bin yet — that's a 2027 project)
- Sunflower wind-down: harvest seeds for next year if desired (heads dry on stalk; cut + hang to fully dry); compost stalks
Weeks 17-20 — September 29 to October 26 (Peak harvest)
Theme: Best gardening season in Central Texas.
- Tomatoes producing well — pick ripe daily
- Jalapeños continuing
- Blackberry first-year fruit harvest — pick when fully black (still firm = under-ripe; falls off when touched = perfectly ripe)
- Cilantro emerging in the shade area
- Lettuce, spinach and the fall greens growing; southern peas ready to pick (55-75 days from an early-August sowing)
- All four blackberry plants are already in their grow bags — no fall blackberry purchase needed this year
Weeks 21-24 — October 27 to November 23 (Pre-freeze)
Theme: Watch forecasts; harvest before frost.
24-48 hours before forecasted freeze:
- Harvest ALL remaining tomatoes — even green ones (ripen indoors on the windowsill)
- Harvest ALL remaining jalapeños (damaged by freeze) — or move the jalapeño grow bag to the garage/covered area if hard freeze threatened
- Cover tender fall crops with frost cloth or sheet for the freeze night
- Blackberry grow bag is hardy — stays outdoor; consider tucking against the house wall for radiation warmth
- Cilantro, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, carrots tolerate light frost (often improved by it)
Post-freeze:
- Remove tomato plants (annual; pull and compost)
- Remove jalapeño from its grow bag (annual; pull and compost; reuse grow bag year 2)
- Blackberry: prune any dead primocane tips after winter dormancy; the floricanes (year-2 wood) will produce a big crop next year
- Box: rake mulch, add 2-3" bagged compost, mulch over for winter
- Direct seed carrots — AgriLife's average planting date for our region is November 10
- Continue cool-season harvest through December-March from shade area
Year-round watchers
| Watcher | When it activates | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Soil moisture at 4-6" | Mulch lifted reveals dryness | Increase watering |
| Container moisture (jalapeño + blackberry grow bags) | Daily finger-test; containers dry faster than bed | Water more often than bed; daily in peak heat |
| Heat 95°F+ sustained | Mid-June onward | Deploy shade cloth |
| Hornworms | June-August | Handpick; marigolds help deter |
| Aphids on new growth | Spring + fall flush | Spray with water; encourage ladybugs |
| Spider mites | Dry heat July-August | Spray underside with water 2-3× weekly |
| Leaf-footed bug nymphs | June-August peak | Alcohol-tray method (Keck); scout sunflowers FIRST, then tomatoes |
| Sunflower trap-crop monitoring | June-August | Every 2-3 days minimum; daily during outbreak |
| Squash bugs (any squash present) | Through the squash growing season | Check undersides of leaves for bronze-brown egg clusters; crush them. One egg cluster per plant is the point to act (Utah State). Mechanical control first. |
| Squash vine borer (any squash present) | Through the squash growing season | Look for flat reddish-brown eggs laid singly at the base of stems, and for sawdust-like frass. Butternut is considered resistant. Once larvae are inside the vine, sprays don't work — prevention only. |
| Blossom end rot | Anytime fruit forming | Audit watering consistency + nitrogen |
| Forecast freeze | Mid-November onward | 24-48hr pre-harvest of tender crops |
| Lulee in garden area | Always | Visual check; tomato/jalapeño foliage = mild risk; raised-bed + grow-bag height helps; no blood meal / bone meal in our config = Lulee-safer |