Life on the homestead rarely fits into a single timeline. At J & J Homestead, everything we do revolves around three overlapping schedules:
what needs to be done right now, what needs to be prepared for the next season, and what requires planning for the year ahead. This past weekend touched all three—and it was busy in the best possible way.

From daily animal care to garden planning and farmstand preparation, the work we do today lays the foundation for months (and years) to come.

Life on the Homestead Is Always Moving

No matter how full the weekend gets, daily chores always come first. Caring for our animals, checking water and feed, and making sure everyone is healthy and comfortable is the heartbeat of our homestead. These routines ground us and keep everything else running smoothly.

Once those daily responsibilities are complete, we can shift our focus toward the bigger picture—planning, preparing, and building for what’s next.

Planning Next Year’s Garden Takes Thought and Intention

A large portion of this weekend was spent planning next year’s garden. Garden planning on a homestead is about far more than deciding what sounds good to grow. Every crop has a purpose, and every decision impacts how efficiently our land supports our family and our community.

When we plan our garden, we consider four main goals:

• Food for our family – Crops we rely on for fresh meals, preserving, and seasonal eating
• Food for our animals – Vegetables and greens that supplement feed and provide enrichment
• Produce for the farmstand – High-quality vegetables and fruits our customers love
• Starter plants for sale – Vegetable seedlings grown in our greenhouse to help others start their gardens

Balancing these needs takes careful planning. Space, timing, succession planting, and expected yield all play a role. A successful homestead garden starts long before seeds ever touch soil.

Seed Inventory and Greenhouse Planning

Once the garden plan begins to take shape, the next step is conducting a seed inventory. Going through our seed collection allows us to see what we already have, what needs to be replenished, and which varieties performed best in previous seasons. This helps us avoid overbuying and ensures we’re planting crops well-suited to our growing conditions.

My next task—coming later this week—is creating a detailed greenhouse seed-starting schedule. Knowing exactly when each seed should be started helps us maximize greenhouse space, stagger harvests, and grow strong, healthy plants for both our garden and our farmstand customers. It’s a detailed process, but one that pays off all season long.

Preparing the Farmstead Space

After a full stretch of planning, we headed back outside to continue working on the area where the farmstand will soon be placed. This part of the weekend was all about physical labor—clearing vines, removing brush, and taking down trees to make room for what’s coming next.

It was a tough day of work, but it was also incredibly rewarding. Every cleared space makes the vision feel more real and brings us one step closer to opening the farmstand.

Building Something for the Community

What excites me most isn’t just putting up a farmstand—it’s what that space represents. Our farmstand will reflect who we are and what we’re trying to bring to the community: fresh food, connection, transparency, and a shared appreciation for homestead-grown produce.

Each weekend of planning, clearing, and preparing builds toward something bigger. The work is hard, the to-do list is long, and the seasons move quickly—but it’s absolutely worth it.

Life on the homestead will always balance today’s needs with tomorrow’s goals and next year’s dreams. And weekends like this remind me that every step forward, no matter how tiring, brings us closer to the life we’re building here at J & J Homestead.