Home / Guides / Harvest, Storage & Post-Harvest Timing
Harvest, Storage & Post-Harvest TimingAnnual Harvest and Storage Calendar Template
This template shows how to build a calendar for your own farm or garden. It uses your frost dates, crops and storage spaces, not fixed dates.
Key points
- Start from your own frost dates and records, not fixed dates.
- Lay out crops, storage, preserving and cleanup in one view.
- Review monthly and adjust to the weather.
- Refine the template every year using your notes.
- Keep past calendars so trends in your own fields become visible.
What is the purpose of the template?
An annual calendar puts harvest, curing, storage, preserving and cleanup in one place. It helps you see overlapping workloads, spot gaps and prepare ahead. It also becomes a record that improves each year.
The template is a structure, not a set of dates. You fill it in with your own data and local guidance.
Keep it on paper or in a shared spreadsheet, depending on how you work. The format matters less than whether people actually look at it and update it. Print a fresh copy each January and note any changes in your crops, equipment or storage.
What should you collect first?
Begin with your average last spring frost and first fall frost, and note that these are probabilities, not guarantees. Your state extension and the National Weather Service or NOAA climate data can help you find the typical range for your location. Plant hardiness zones tell you about winter minimum temperatures, not frost dates or planting dates.
Then list your crops, their expected harvest windows from your own records and the storage or preservation plan for each one. Include notes on what you grow for market and what you grow for your own pantry, since they follow different timelines.
- Local frost dates and their range
- Crop list with expected harvest windows
- Storage spaces and their conditions
- Preservation methods and sources
How do you lay out the year?
Use rows for crops and columns for months or weeks. Mark harvest, curing, storage and preservation tasks for each crop. Add rows for equipment, cleaning and checks.
For example, if your onions and garlic are harvested in summer and cured, your cellar crops are harvested in fall and your freezer work runs across summer and fall, the template will show where those tasks overlap and where you need help.
Color coding helps. Use one color for harvest, another for curing and storage, another for preserving and another for cleaning and repairs, so busy periods stand out at a glance.
What tasks belong on the calendar?
Include pre-season jobs such as cleaning bins and servicing coolers. During the season, include harvest, curing, cooling, packing and preserving. After the season, include records, equipment storage and a review.
Add recurring checks for stored crops, temperature and pests. Add reminders for any licensing or food safety tasks, which vary by state.
Do not forget recurring tasks outside harvest, such as soil testing, planning next year's crops and ordering seed and supplies. They fit into the same calendar. Block off time for rest and repairs, since a calendar with no slack falls apart in the first wet week.
How do you use it through the year?
Review the calendar at the start of each month and update it with actual dates. Move tasks when weather shifts, and add notes about what you learn. A calendar on the wall or a shared spreadsheet keeps everyone aware.
If you have a crew or family helping, post it where all can see.
Check the calendar against the forecast and the Crop Progress reports from USDA NASS if you grow field crops, since they show how the current season compares with the usual pace in your state.
How do you refine it each season?
At the end of the year, note what happened against the plan. Which crops came early or late? Which storage spots worked? What was lost, and why? Use the notes to update the next year's template.
Over several seasons you will have a record that fits your farm better than any general chart.
Keep old calendars. A stack of past years shows trends, such as earlier springs or later frosts, in your own fields. Add one line at the top of each month for the single most important job.
Where do you get reliable guidance?
Use land-grant extension for crop timing and storage, the National Center for Home Food Preservation for tested preserving methods and USDA agencies such as NASS and RMA for data and programs. Ask your county extension office when you are unsure.
This site is independent and is not affiliated with USDA or any extension service. If you are unsure about a local rule, call your county extension office before you plan around it.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed: November 2026. Educational information, ranges only. Confirm timing with your county extension office.