It’s the last day of January, so you know what that means – our 2025 Homestead Plans!

(Okay, maybe you didn’t know that, but I did.)

Like last year, we’ve got several things established that have been in the works for years, so this year is mostly about maintaining and expanding items. Let’s go!

Bat Box

Why is this still on the list? Because we’re busy people, and sometimes the easiest and shortest tasks are the hardest to get done. Move over, Snake: 2025 is the year of the Bat Box!

Chickens

We gained and lost the same number of chickens this past year, so we’re back to only four hens. We definitely want to expand our flock, and possibly get a rooster, depending on how our neighbors feel. (Thankfully, there are already roosters all over our neighborhood, so it’s not a crazy thing for us to do around here.)

We may also expand the run so our chickens have more room to roam, should they not get out in the tractor on particular days. More hens, more eggs, more fun!

Plants and Planting

I’m finally testing the soil (today, in fact!), so I’ll have a better idea of what we need in each bed and, therefore, what we’ll plant in each one. I’ll get those details in a different post. But for now, here’s what we’re planning on maintaining and planting this year.

Fruits

• Blackberries: We’re expanding the bramble yet another row, so we’ll hopefully get even more blackberries to eat, can, bake with, and sell. Oh, and invite people to pick. Yay!
• Peaches: We’re already having some freaky winter weather – first, incredibly cold temps, followed by the spring temps we’re predicted to get in the coming weeks. I’ll be happy if we get peaches this year, and we’ll do our best to mitigate any early blossoming and late freezes, should they occur.
• Maypops: We got so many of these last season, and I made so much maypop syrup and maypop curd, which is the bee’s knees. As I’ve mentioned in my Maypop post, once you get these established, there’s not much maintenance, other than keeping them out of the places you don’t want them to grow.
• Other fruit trees (Persimmons, Pawpaws, Serviceberry, Fig): We’ve had these growing since we moved in, many of them from bare root plants, and many of them have grown pretty tall and well. We got about two figs last year from one tree, and we’re hoping that the other fruit actually, y’know, fruits this year, since we planted at least three of each, and our neighbor has pawpaws and persimmon plants, as well.
• Other perennials/biennials: Strawberries just aren’t doing it for us in the yard, so we may try a container strawberry, like our blueberry bush on the porch.
• Annual Fruits: We got one big watermelon last year, so we’ll try some melons again, but I’m choosing to be zen about it and be happy with whatever we manage to get. Otherwise, the other fruits will be ones labeled as vegetables below.

Vegetables

• Tomatoes: We have seeds for our usual Cherokee Purple, San Marzano, and a couple of new types (Paul Robeson and Black Krim). We’ll also have Cherry Sweetie cherry tomatoes, because Preschool Homesteader, and I quote, “only likes cherry tomatoes.”
• Sweet Peppers: Going with what works, because it works! Corno di Torro Rossi (big, beautiful, prolific pepper plants, ahhh), and banana peppers for the porch.
• Hot Peppers: We’ll use up what seeds we have leftover, such as jalapeno, poblano, and habanero, and we’re trying some new types this year – Carrot Bomb and Big Jim.
• Corn: Going with a sweet variety this year – Golden Bantam 12-Row. The popcorn last year was fun and colorful, and was less popcorn-y than we wanted. Great for decor, though!
• Sorghum: Apparently you can use this for Three Sisters planting, too, so I’d like to give it a try.
• Cucumbers: I may have gone overboard with the types this year, but since we didn’t get a lot last year, and because Preschool Homesteader loves cucumbers, we went hog wild. We managed to get our Marketmore 76 (I missed out last year and no one had it when I ordered!), as well as two new types: Suyo Long, a nearly-seedless slicer variety that’s, well, long, and Dragon’s Egg, a cucumber that looks like an egg. This was 100% (okay, maybe 90%) for Preschool Homesteader. Oh, and maybe the Silver Slicer variety I panic-bought seeds for last year when our others just straight up died. We’ll see.
• Okra: We did all right with okra last year, but I want more, more, MORE! And for this reason, we may make a new bed for them so we make my okra dreams come true-oo-oo (cue Hall & Oates). We’ll have Clemson Spineless, Jing Orange, and the cool Mayan variety we grew last year.
• Winter Squash: I’m taking a break from the heartache that is my candy roasters dying on me just when they look amazing, and we’re trying cushaws instead this year. And maybe a butternut squash.
• Pumpkins: Small Sugar! These were fabulous last year, both for giving us so many, and for making very tasty pumpkin puree. Gooooo pumpkins!
• Beans: Kentucky Wonder, Provider, and new this year, Midori Star Edamame, because we all love edamame, especially Preschool Homesteader.
• Snow peas. Maybe we’ll get more than, I dunno, five? They were tasty off the plant, though!
• Various hardy greens and roots: My mustard greens have reseeded themselves for the past two years, so I’m going to let them do that again. Otherwise, I’ll attempt to plant our usual kale, collards, radishes, and daikon.
• Potatoes and garlic: These worked great last year, and were a cool learning experience. I won’t get the garlic in until the fall, but I’ll be stoked to get a softneck variety so we can have some tasty, tasty garlic scapes. And potatoes? It’s like having an Easter egg hunt every harvest, except the eggs are underground, covered in dirt, and are actually potatoes. Whee!

Flowers, Herbs, and Lettuces

• Our usual kitchen herbs will be planted: basil, cilantro, and parsley. I’ll also have to replant mint, because I’m one of exactly 4 people in the world that can kill a mint plant. Call me, I’m for hire.
• Lots of flowers in the works this year: chrysanthemum, daisies, marigolds, and other cool local perennials that we planted last year.
• We have so many random lettuces, arugula, and other softer greens that I just want to get planted on the porch and not keep in seed packets.

I’ll probably end up buying more plants and seeds as the seasons go on, so stay tuned as I spend all of my hard-earned money on plant dreams. (I could do worse!)

Miscellaneous

Otherwise, we’ll keep on doing our thing around here: homebrewing, cheesemaking, canning, and fermenting. I’ll have classes, camps, and baking parties, oh my! And, of course, I’ll have my markets and festivals, so come see me and get some tasty stuff.

Preschool Homesteader gets more and more responsibility every year, which is so good for everyone. She gathers eggs, feeds our outdoor cat, and can maintain more of her garden this year. She said, and I quote, “When it’s spring and the ground isn’t frozen, I’m going to dig holes for plants!”

Happy homesteading, y’all!