I’ve always said growing your own food is the easiest thing I’ve ever done and the hardest. Sometimes it takes a lifetime to get it just right, but seeds want to grow! They are little bundles of life trying to live and all they need is a little help from you to make sure they are watered, have some sun, and are protected from pests. There is a HUGE sense of accomplishment when you eat the first tomato of the season!  

The hardest part of gardening is getting to know your environment, after all there are so many different parts of an ecosystem.

My name is Jennifer Osuch. I’m the author of the Preparedness Planner Series and I’m also one of the lead teachers at Self Reliant School–where my husband and I teach preserving, cooking and gardening skills.

I’ve been gardening for over 20 years, but I’ve had my share of failures. I remember one year all I harvested was butternut squash even though I planted a huge crop, and the only reason the squash was doing well, is that it was coming up from the previous year. It was frustrating!

But then I started jotting things down in a notebook. Things like average last frost dates, and I made a list of the things that grow well in my area. Then I also kept track of what treatments that I gave my plants and the soil. Needless to say my notebook was a mess. I struggled to find things from year to year, but when I was able to look back on what had been done or how the weather was the previous year. It made a huge difference.

So I decided to design a planner that would make it easy to jot down the little things I wanted to take note of. The Preparedness Planner Gardening Edition is the most comprehensive gardening planner on the market. I know because I’ve tried them all!

This is a downloadable PDF (you print it out); once your data is entered it becomes a non-electronic (no computer programs required) seed storage and gardening record keeper.

This planner also lets you keep track of planning your garden, soil amendments, seed inventory, growing and watering records, fertilizers, pest control, harvest and tools, projects, chores and budget. There is also a large resource section included as well as various journaling pages.

Did you know you can grow some foods indoors all year long?

Herbs and lettuce produce well in a well sunny window!