Welcome to our garden plan
A beginner-friendly Pflugerville food garden, grounded in Texas A&M AgriLife guidance.
What we're growing
Plus 2 spare tomatoes in fabric grow bags, several Cherokee Purple sproutlings going to friends as gifts, and a fall garden planned for September.
The big idea
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'll add organic raised-bed soil mix, 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 blackberry gets its own half-barrel container because blackberries prefer slightly different soil from tomatoes.
Because our German Shepherd Lulee spends time in the yard, we chose companion plants she can be around safely. Chives (and onions, garlic, leeks) are toxic to dogs — so we substituted basil, parsley, marigolds, and nasturtiums instead. They're all dog-safe per the ASPCA toxic plant list, and they happen to be great tomato companions.
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.
How to use this site
- Plant Guide — what to know about each plant we're growing
- Shopping List — everything we need, where to buy it, with clickable links and prices
- Garden Map — where each plant goes in the bed
- Care Calendar — week-by-week watering, feeding, and what to watch for
- Fall Garden — the second-season plan (cilantro, lettuce, broccoli, carrots)
- For Sam — Sam's photo project guide
- For Rowan — kid-height tasks and Rowan's plant
What grounds these recommendations
Every plant choice, soil recommendation, and care suggestion on this site is grounded in authoritative Texas-specific sources:
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension — the state authority on Texas vegetable gardening
- Travis County AgriLife Extension — local Austin-area calendar and soil guidance
- Central Texas Gardener (PBS Austin) — regional expertise on tomato varieties
- ASPCA — pet toxicity reference for Lulee's safety
- Williamson County AgriLife + Texas Master Gardeners + Austin Organic Gardeners