The Homestead Planning Kit
Seven worksheets, built to be printed and written on with a pencil in a barn or over a canner. No email required, no account, nothing to unlock. Print the ones you need and ignore the rest.
Why paper. Most of this work happens with wet hands, gloves on, or somewhere with no signal. A clipboard survives that. It also means the record still exists in five years, when whatever app you would have used is gone.
The seven worksheets
What has to happen this season, and what has to be bought before it can.
Almost every homestead failure we hear about is a timing failure rather than a knowledge one. The fence went up after the goats arrived. The canner was ordered the week the tomatoes came in.
What you own, what it can process in one batch, and what you are missing before harvest.
Batch capacity is what decides whether a harvest gets preserved or composted. It is also the number people guess at.
What went in where, what came up, and what seed you have left.
Rotation and germination both need last year's page. Memory reliably reports that everything did fine.
Bird count against floor space, roost length, nest boxes, and the predator checks that have to happen at dusk.
Space and closure are the two things that decide whether a flock thrives or gets eaten, and both are countable.
Roof area, expected rainfall, storage on hand, and what the gap is.
Collection is arithmetic. People size tanks by eye and are usually out by a factor.
Every load you want running, its running watts, its starting watts, and the total.
This is the single worksheet most likely to change what you buy, because the honest number is usually smaller than the one people fear.
What needs sharpening, oiling, draining or testing, and when it was last done.
A dial gauge that has never been tested and a chain that has never been sharpened both fail on the day you need them.
Seasonal planning
One row per job. Fill the buy-by column first, because that is the one that fails.
| Job | Season | Must be bought by | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fence line repaired | |||
| Coop closed up for winter | |||
| Canner gauge tested | |||
| Seed ordered | |||
| Generator run under load | |||
Food preservation equipment
Capacity per batch is the column that decides whether a harvest gets put up. Write the real number off the manufacturer, not an estimate.
| Equipment | Model | Capacity per batch | Last serviced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure canner | |||
| Water bath canner | |||
| Dehydrator | |||
| Freeze dryer | |||
| Vacuum sealer | |||
| Grain mill | |||
A dial gauge needs testing once a year. Most county extension offices do it free. A weighted regulator does not, because a weight cannot drift. Pressure canners.
Garden and seed record
| Bed | Crop | Variety | Sown | Seed left | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hybrid seed can be saved and it will germinate. It just will not breed true, so the plants will not match the parent. Note the variety either way, because next year you will not remember. Seed storage.
Poultry setup
| Measure | What you have | For how many birds |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor floor space (sq ft) | ||
| Run space (sq ft) | ||
| Linear roost (inches) | ||
| Nest boxes | ||
| Waterers | ||
| Feeders |
Extension guidance generally puts roost space at 6 to 10 linear inches per standard bird, more for large breeds, but breed, climate and how much time the flock spends indoors all move it. Measure and count rather than trusting one number. Ask your state extension service for your birds and your winter.
The dusk check, which is the one that matters
- Everyone in and counted
- Door latched, and latched in a way a raccoon cannot work
- No new digging at the base of the run
- Hardware cloth still sound where it meets the ground
Nothing is predator-proof. A raccoon opens simple latches, a weasel fits through an inch of gap, and a determined dog digs. Housing is predator-resistant, and the check is what makes it work. Coops and automatic doors.
Rainwater collection
| Input | Your figure |
|---|---|
| Roof footprint (sq ft) | |
| Rainfall this period (inches) | |
| Collection efficiency assumed | |
| Storage on hand (gallons) | |
| Gap |
A square foot of roof yields about 0.62 gallons per inch of rain before losses. The collection calculator does the arithmetic. Collected rainwater is not drinking water, and a first-flush diverter does not make it drinking water.
Backup power
| Load | Running watts | Starting watts |
|---|---|---|
| Well pump | ||
| Freezer | ||
| Refrigerator | ||
| Furnace fan | ||
| Lights | ||
| TOTAL RUNNING | — | |
| LARGEST SINGLE SURGE | — |
Add every running watt, then add only the single largest starting surge, because only one motor starts at a time. Adding every surge together is the most common sizing mistake and it sends people to a generator heavier and thirstier than the job needs. The sizing calculator works from your own nameplate figures.
Tool and equipment maintenance
| Item | Job | Interval | Last done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canner dial gauge | Test for accuracy | Yearly | |
| Canner gasket | Inspect, replace | Per manufacturer | |
| Generator | Run under load | Monthly | |
| Generator | Fuel stabilised or drained | Seasonal | |
| Hand tools | Sharpen, oil | Seasonal | |
| Hardware cloth | Check for breaches | Monthly | |
| Gutters | Clear before wet season | Seasonal | |
Reference tables worth printing with the kit
These two are here because they are the ones people look up at the worst moment, with a canner already loaded or meat already sliced. Both come from the primary source, and both stop where the source stops.
Pressure canning: PSI by altitude
| Altitude | Weighted gauge | Dial gauge |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2,000 ft | 10 PSI | 11 PSI |
| 2,001 to 4,000 ft | 15 PSI | 12 PSI |
| 4,001 to 6,000 ft | 15 PSI | 13 PSI |
| 6,001 to 8,000 ft | 15 PSI | 14 PSI |
Weighted gauge: 10 PSI from sea level to 1,000 ft, 15 PSI above 1,000 ft. USDA dial-gauge tables stop at 8,000 ft. Above that, ask your county extension office rather than continuing the pattern. Source: NCHFP / USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.
Jerky: heat first, then dry
- Heat the meat to 160°F (poultry 165°F) before it goes in the dehydrator.
- Then dry at a constant 130 to 140°F.
The order is the whole point. Inside a dehydrator, evaporating moisture absorbs most of the heat, so the meat barely warms until the water has gone, and by then surviving bacteria are more heat resistant than they were at the start. A kill step applied at the end lands on the hardiest survivors. Applied first, by wet heat, it lands while they are vulnerable. Source: USDA FSIS.
Common questions
Do I have to give an email address to get the planning kit?
No. Every worksheet is on this page and stays here. There is a signup at the bottom, but it is for hearing when equipment we recommend gets discontinued or when we correct something, not for unlocking the kit.
What is the point of printing a worksheet instead of using an app?
Most of this work happens where a phone is a nuisance: hands wet, gloves on, in a coop or over a canner. Paper on a clipboard survives that and does not need a signal. It also means a record still exists in five years when the app is gone.
What pressure should I use for canning at my altitude?
With a weighted gauge, 10 PSI up to 1,000 feet and 15 PSI above it. With a dial gauge, 11 PSI at 0 to 2,000 feet, 12 PSI at 2,001 to 4,000, 13 PSI at 4,001 to 6,000, and 14 PSI at 6,001 to 8,000. USDA dial-gauge tables stop at 8,000 feet, so above that ask your county extension office rather than continuing the pattern.
Why does jerky have to be heated before it is dried?
USDA FSIS calls for heating meat to 160F, or poultry to 165F, before it goes in the dehydrator, then drying at a constant 130 to 140F. Inside a dehydrator, evaporating moisture absorbs most of the heat, so the meat barely warms until the water has gone, and by then any surviving bacteria are more heat resistant than they were at the start.
How much roost space does each bird need?
Extension guidance generally puts it at 6 to 10 inches of linear roost per bird for standard laying breeds, with more for larger birds. The worksheet asks you to measure and count rather than giving one number, because breed, climate and how much time the flock spends inside all move it.