Every year I use my homestead garden journal and planner, and every year I find things that could be better. This year, for the 2025 version of the planner, there are about 30 pages of new charts and guides.
For myself, I was itching to go through all of my reference books for fruit trees and berry bushes to create succinct, comprehensive Monthly Chore Lists for the orchard. As I organized the monthly orchard information, I realized that the pruning requirements of various fruit trees and berries are also a little tricky to keep straight. The new Fruit and Berry Pruning Requirement charts are a new reference that summarizes their needs. Similarly, I hope to encourage us all to invite beneficial insects to our aid, rather than reaching for chemicals. I created another chart summarizing which plants will help attract beneficial predators and naturally reduce pest pressure on fruit trees. Several Homestead Garden Journal and Planner users wrote to me with their own requests and suggestions. These included a place for tracking garden expenses and a seed planting and germination tracker, which I also managed to fit in among this year’s 290 full color pages!
The Homestead Garden Journal and Planner is available as a digital download from my Etsy shop or as a bound book printed by Kindle Direct Publishing (aka Amazon). Here are my suggestions and the details on the two versions.
The Printable Etsy Version might be better for you if:
- you want a digital file for reference, but do not need a paper version
- you have a monthly printer ink service (like HP Insta ink) and can print color pages for a low monthly fee
- you are really just looking for the colorful summary charts and guides, not so much the calendar aspects of the planner
- you would like to reorganize the order of the pages in the planner (several people have told me that they would like the harvest or canning record pages to be all grouped together, rather than spread out throughout the year, for example)
- you need to print a larger quantity of some of the trackers, like the soil amendment log
The Bound Version published by Amazon might be better for you if:
- you have to pay a lot for color ink (the entire planner is 290 pages, and you will pay more having to buy all that ink, rather than the Amazon printing cost)
- do not want to deal with printing and organizing all the pages in a binder
- you want a nice bound book to put on your garden book shelf (or shelves, ahem, if you are like me ;)
The UNDATED version that I created last year (also available as an Etsy printable or printed by Amazon) might be better for you if:
- you live in a very different growing zone, outside of zones 5-8, or if you live in the Southern Hemisphere
- The Undated Version is organized by season and allows you to adjust your garden plans. For example, those living in an area with long winters will have plenty of time to do the 6 checklists between early fall – late winter, but a shorter amount of time to complete the gardening activities on the 6 checklists between early spring and late summer.
- you have an inexpensive way to print things, and you would like to simply print a new planner and new calendar pages every year (Etsy printable version)
- Note: I have created an inexpensive (3$) supplemental file on Etsy with just the new guides/trackers added in 2025 so that those who bought the undated version last year can add those in.
Monthly Fruit & Berry Checklists
On our small homestead we have a little of everything in our orchard. That is perfect for meeting our family’s desire for a variety of fruits, however managing the needs of so many different types of trees is a challenge. I am excited to use these new fruit and berry checklists to help me care for my orchard each month.
*Hint: For more details on the chores listed in each checklist get your hands on some of the great source books referenced at the bottom of each page!
Pruning Recommendations for Fruits and Berries
Did you know that it is better to wait until the blossoms fall from stone fruit trees before you prune them in the late winter/early spring? Or that primocane fruiting raspberries have different options for pruning depending on whether you prefer two medium harvests or one large fall harvest? There are a lot of details to keep track of! I recommend reading the detailed versions in the source books and then using the charts in my book to jog your memory as you go through the year.
Beneficial Insects for Your Fruit Trees
While I did include some of the organic chemical treatment options in the monthly fruit and berry checklists, I highly recommend taking a more natural approach to pest control as much as possible. I added several charts about beneficial insects and how to attract them to last year’s, 2024, Homestead Garden Journal and Planner. This year I added one more chart specifically aimed at attracting beneficial predators to or fruit trees and berry bushes.
Hint: beneficial predators for the orchard include a lot more than just beneficial insects. Shrews, birds, toads, and small snakes are all wonderful garden predators that help keep pests from getting the upper hand.
Seeding and Germination Tracker
This planting chart was a suggestion from a couple of the 2024 homestead garden planner users. I tested this out last season and found that it was helpful; especially for all of the work that I have been doing with herbs and wildflowers that need a period of cold stratification. (There is a chart on cold stratification in the planner as well).
Garden Expenses
This new section was also added based on user requests. I think it is a great idea, though I sometimes do not want to know *exactly* how much I spend on all my garden goodies (ha ha!).
Suggestions for 2026?
As you can see, I love hearing from you all! It is so helpful to have other perspectives on what worked well or didn’t as you have incorporated the planner into your homestead garden routines. I am definitely not getting rich from selling these. It is a lot of work to put them together, but I feel like my planner is so helpful that I would make it for myself, even if no one was buying it. :) I hope it serves you well too.
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