This time of year is all about crop planning. I start by determining how many pounds per week I would like to harvest of each crop. From there I can determine exactly how many seeds I will need for each crop. Then I do an inventory of all the seeds I currently have, as most seeds stay viable for many years.
Next up is the seed order where I break down each crop by variety and order new seeds if needed. Finally I create the planting schedule which spans the whole season with the date for each crop variety planting and how many seeds will need to be started or transplanted. When the days become long and crazy I don’t have to do any calculations to figure out what needs to be started in the greenhouse, I just look down at my planting schedule find today’s date and the many tasks that need to be done are listed right there. Keeping good notes from year to year of what you sell and how much you sell, is extremely important in determining what you should grow in future seasons. Farming is a business, so farmers must look towards their numbers when making decisions around their crop plans. All of this work requires a lot of time in front of the computer staring at spreadsheets but it is well worth it.