My Garden "To Do" List

Below is my "To Do" list. It is specific to the North Central Texas (Dallas) area. Sometimes it is hard to keep all the dates straight and keep ahead of the weather. I find that adding the dates as a notification in my cell phone is a handy reminder. Hopefully this list will be helpful to others in the area.

January

• Anytime
• Cover tender plants with row cover during extreme cold
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
• Fertilize at least once
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• 01/01 Order your spring seeds

February

• Anytime: 
• Transplant any plants that need to be moved
• This is one of the best planting months for permanent plants
• Prune fruit trees before bud break
• Check the status of your mulch and add as necessary
• Cover tender plants with row cover during extreme cold
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
• Prune peaches and plums by 40 - 50% to encourage 45° angle growth. Grapes by 80 - 90%. Other fruit trees as needed
•  Fertilize at least once
• All planting areas and turf with a natural-organic fertilizer at approximately 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. If the soil is already healthy, the rate can be reduced to 10 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. 
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• 02/01
• Starts seeds for
• Peas (outdoors)
• 02/07 
• Plant short day onions outdoors
• Start Seeds for
• Beets (outdoors)
• Broccoli (indoors)
• Brussel Sprouts (indoors)
• Cabbage (indoors)
• Cauliflower (indoors)
• Carrots (outdoors)
• Celery (indoors)
• Cilantro (indoors)
• Collard Greens (indoors)
• Kale (indoors)
• Lettuce (indoors)
• Parsley (indoors)
• Potatoes (outdoors)
• Spinach (in or outdoors)
• Swiss chard (in or outdoors)
• Tomatoes (indoors)
• Turnips (outdoors)
• 02/25 Check fruit trees for early blossoms. Especially apricot trees. Protect blossoms from frost and possibly hand pollinate due to lack of bees with cold weather.
  

March

• Anytime
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
•  Cover tender plants with row cover during extreme cold
•  Fertilize at least once
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• 03/01
• Start Seeds for
• Asparagus crowns (outdoors)
• Rhubarb crowns (outdoors)
• Horseradish crowns (outdoors)
• dill (indoors)
• eggplant (indoors)
• peppers (indoors)
• radishes (outdoors)
• 03/13 Last Spring Frost in Dallas 
• All seeds can be started outside after this date for the most part but be careful with unplanned freezes
• Begin hardening off transplants to be moved outdoors
• 03/13 Switch from cool to warm season annuals
• 03/15 Put out humming bird feeder for spring migration
• Start seeds for
• Corn (outside)
• Snap, bush, and pole beans (outside)
• Lima beans (outside) 
• Watermelon (outside)
• Cantaloupe (outside)
• Squash (summer) (outside)
• Zucchini (outside)
• Cucumber (outside)
• 03/15 Spread diatomacious earth around strawberries to prevent slug/pill bug damage 
• 03/25 
• Start seeds for
• Pumpkin (outside)

April

• Anytime
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
• Thin peach fruit to 5” apart, plums to 4” apart, apples and pears to 1 per cluster.
• Fertilize at least once
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• 04/01
• Start seeds for
•  Black eyed peas (outside)
• Okra (outside)
• 04/15
• Start seeds for
• Sweet potato slips
  

May 

• Anytime
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
•  Fertilize at least once
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• 05/07 
• Start seeds for
• Fall tomato (indoors/outdoors)

June

• Anytime
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
• Fertilize at least once
• All planting areas and turf with a natural-organic fertilizer at approximately 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. If the soil is already healthy, the rate can be reduced to 10 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. 
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• Prune blackberries to remove fruiting canes after harvest. Prune new canes to 3’ in height to encourage side branching.

July

• Anytime
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
• Fertilize at least once
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• 07/01 Start Fall tomato transplants outdoors
• 07/24 Order Fall crop seeds
  

August

• Anytime
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
• Fertilize at least once
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• If your soil is not yet healthy, apply dry molasses at a rate of 10 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft.

September

• Anytime
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
• Fertilize at least once
• All planting areas and turf with a natural-organic fertilizer at approximately 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. If the soil is already healthy, the rate can be reduced to 10 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. 
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• Corn gluten meal and or dry molasses can be used as a pre-emergent to control annual winter weeds
• Anytime through Oct 15th depending on when the temps start to cool
•  Start fall seeds for
• Turnips (outside)
• Carrots (outside)
• Lettuce (outside)
• Cilantro (outside)
• Parsley (outside)
• Broccoli (outside)
• Brussels Sprouts (outside)
• Cabbage (outside)
• Cauliflower (outside)
• Spinach (outside)
• Collard Greens (outside)
• Kale (outside)
• English/French peas (outside) 
• Beets (outside)
• Cilantro (outside)
• Dill (outside)
  

October

• Anytime
• Plant cool season annuals
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
• Fertilize at least once
• All planting areas and turf with a natural-organic fertilizer at approximately 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. If the soil is already healthy, the rate can be reduced to 10 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. 
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• Greensand at 40 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft
• 10/1 Plant Strawberries crowns so they are ready to produce more fruit in the spring
• 10/15 Plant Garlic cloves and onion bulbs for spring

November

• Anytime
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
• Fertilize at least once
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus
• 11/01 Check the status of your frost protection as you will need it soon
• 11/22 First fall frost in Dallas

December

• Anytime
• Turn compost pile at least once per month
• Cover tender plants with row cover during extreme cold
• Fertilize at least once
• Folier spray Garrett Juice Plus and drench  plants roots with Garrett Juice Plus