Welcome to our garden plan

Our 72" × 28" raised bed already has a layer of yard debris (sticks and leaves) at the bottom — it's called hugelkultur, and it slowly feeds the garden as it breaks down. On top of that we add a mix of organic raised-bed soil + composted cattle manure (Sam's idea; backed by University of Maryland Extension guidance), plant tomatoes with companion herbs that help them, build a tall trellis for the vines to climb, and put up a removable shade cloth for when Pflugerville's brutal summer arrives.

The jalapeño gets its own 10-gallon fabric grow bag adjacent to the bed (Sam's preference). The blackberry gets a 25-gallon grow bag — Sam's hydrangea retains the half-whiskey-barrel where it lives happily. Sunflowers go on the opposite side of the yard as a leaf-footed-bug trap crop.

Pflugerville's summer is hard on tomatoes. Cherokee Purple typically stops setting new fruit when overnight temperatures stay above ~75°F (mid-June through August), but the existing fruit keeps ripening. We'll deploy shade cloth when sustained 95°F+ days arrive, keep mulch deep (3-4"), and run a soaker hose under the mulch to keep watering consistent. In September, the fall flush brings new fruit until first freeze in late November.