Home Production and Storage

Gardening and Food Preservation Schedule

Month	Tasks
January	Gardening: Check supply of garden seeds; purchase seeds. Sprout seeds indoors for fresh living foods. Good buys; Avocados, bananas, cabbage, cauliflower, grapefruit, oranges, pears, potatoes, winter squash Food Preservation: Meats and beans – canning and dehydrating. Refill mason jars with canned dry beans. Dehydrate citrus foods.
February	Gardening: Plant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers indoors for garden starts. Sprout seeds indoors for fresh living foods. Good buys: Avocados, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, mangos, pears, tangerines, winter squash Food Preservation: Meats, beans
March	Gardening: Prepare garden soil as weather permits – clean out dead organic material. Plant peas is possible. Prune grape vines, shrubs, and trees. Sprout seeds indoors for fresh living foods. Good buys: Artichokes, asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, grapefruit. radishes, spinach Food preservation: Meats, beans
April	Gardening: Plant Artichokes, Asparagus, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Onions, Peas, Radish, Rhubarb, Spinach, Turnips Plant end of April of Beginning of May: Beet, Carrot, Cauliflower, Endive, Lettuce, Parsley, Parsnip, Potato, Salsify, Swiss Chard. Sprout seeds indoors for fresh living foods. Good buys: Asparagus, bananas, cabbage, onions, pineapple, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries Food preservation: Strawberry jam or fruit leather, dehydrated pineapple,
May	Gardening: Plant remainder of garden. (Celery, Cucumber, Dry Ban, Snap Bean, Spinach, Summer Squash, Sweet Corn) Put indoor starts in garden after danger of frost is past. Sprout seeds indoors. Plant most tender seeds after soil is warm: Cantaloupe, Eggplant, Lima Bean, Pepper, Pumpkin, Tomato, Watermelon, Winter Squash, Good buys: Asparagus, bananas, celery, papaya, peas, pineapple, potatoes, strawberries, Food Preservation: Strawberry jam and leather, dehydrated pineapple
June	Gardening: Care for garden. Begin harvesting peas Good buys: Avocadoes, apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, cherries, cucumber, limes, mangos, nectarines, onions, peas, pineapple, summer squash Food Preservation: Strawberry jam and leather, Sweet cherries – canned and dehydrated (late June)
July	Gardening: Harvest beans, peas, tomatoes, spinach, zucchini, cucumbers, plums, apricots, pie cherries Plant beets, kale, spinach and turnips for Fall Harvest Good buys: Apricots, bananas, blueberries, cabbage, cantaloupe, cherries, corn, cucumber, dill, green beans, nectarines, peppers, plums, prunes, watermelon Food Preservation: Apricots – jam, dehydrated pieces and leather. Pie cherries – canned. Green beans – dehydrated and canned.
August	Gardening: Harvest raspberries, green beans, tomatoes, corn, pears, peaches, nectarines, cucumbers, summer squash Plant onions for fall harvest. Good buys: Apples, bananas, beets, berries, cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumbers, dill, melons, nectarines, peaches, pears, peppers, plumbs, potatoes, summer squash, tomatoes Food preservation: Raspberries – jam and fruit leather, green beans – canned or dehydrated, Tomatoes – canned or dehydrated. Green beans – dehydrated or canned. Corn – frozen or dehydrated, Peaches – frozen, canned or dehydrated. Bartlett Pears (late August) – canned or dehydrated
September	Gardening: Clean dead vines out of garden as necessary. Continue harvest until frost. Harvest and dry herbs before first frost. Harvest winter squash. – keep stems attached. (Winter squash is harvested 45-55 days after flowering) Good Buys: Apples, bananas, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, dill, grapes, greens, melons, onions, pears, peppers, potatoes, summer squash, tomatoes, yams Food Preservation: Peaches – canned, frozen, dehydrated, leather. Grapes – juice. Pears – canned, dehydrated, leather. Apples – applesauce, apple pie filling, dehydrated slices and leather. Store winter squash in cool dry place (50-55 F) and check monthly for softening and rot.
October	Gardening: Harvest pumpkin and winter squash. Clean dead vines out of garden Good buys: Apples, bananas, broccoli, grapes, peppers, pumpkin, yams Food Preservation: Dried pumpkin seeds. Carrots – dehydrated. Onions – dehydrate. Potatoes – cure potatoes for 2-3 days after harvest at 55-60 F with high humidity. Store potatoes in cool location with good air circulation.
November	Gardening: Rake leaves and put in compost pile. Sprout seeds indoors for fresh living foods. Good buys: Apples, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cranberries, dates, pumpkin, sweet potatoes Food Preservation: Turkey broth after Thanksgiving. Freeze left-over turkey. Meats and beans as food in canning jars are being used.
December	Gardening: Sprout seeds indoors for fresh living foods. Good buys: Apples, avocadoes, bananas, grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, pears, pineapple, tangerines Food Preservation: Canned meats and beans. Dehydrated pineapple and citrus fruits.