From Garden to Jar: Planning a Backyard Garden for Canning Season

There’s something incredibly rewarding about walking out to your backyard, gathering fresh produce you’ve grown with your own hands, and knowing it will be preserved and enjoyed months later. But that feeling doesn’t happen by accident—it begins with thoughtful planning.

When I first started canning from my own garden, I planted what looked good in the seed catalog without much strategy. I ended up with too many cucumbers, not enough tomatoes, and herbs that bolted before I could use them. It didn’t take long to realize that if I wanted to fill my pantry jars with the right kinds of food, I needed to plan backward—from the pantry shelf to the garden bed.

The first step is looking at your food preservation log from last year (or simply remembering what you ran out of quickly). What did your family love? What didn’t get used? This gives you a clear idea of which crops are worth your time and space.

Next, think about your preserving goals. Are you focusing on sauces, salsas, pickles, or jams? Each of these has its own stars in the garden. If salsa is a must-have, you’ll need a healthy amount of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers. If jam is more your thing, plan for berries, rhubarb, and stone fruits if your climate allows.

Staggering planting times is also helpful. A flood of ripe produce can be overwhelming if you’re not ready to can it all at once. Succession planting—spacing out your seeding every few weeks—can help spread out the harvest and make preserving more manageable.

Don’t forget about space-saving options like vertical trellises for beans and cucumbers, or container gardens for herbs and cherry tomatoes. Even a small space can yield a surprising amount of food with the right setup.

And then there’s the beauty of herbs and extras—basil for pesto, dill for pickles, mint for jelly. These little additions can elevate your preserving game and bring new flavors to your pantry.

As you plan, keep notes in your food preservation log. Record what you’re planting, where you sourced your seeds, and when you expect to harvest. Later in the season, jot down how much each crop produced and how it translated into preserved food. These notes will be gold next year when you’re deciding what worked and what didn’t.

From garden to jar, every step reflects care and intention. And when you're in the thick of harvest season, standing over a pot of bubbling fruit or sterilizing jars, you’ll be thankful for the groundwork you laid in spring.

A little planning now means a pantry full of goodness later—and the deep satisfaction of knowing you grew it all yourself. Using a food preservation log helps you track all your work, from the first planting of the seeds to putting your ripe produce into jars, tracking the food keeps your from wasting time and money, and gives you a history of what you've used in the past.

Visit my Etsy shop, PriscasPlace, to get your copy of my food preservation log "Preserve and Provide."https://www.etsy.com/listing/4299354225/preserve-provide-a-food-preservation-log

Track your hard work and save money at the same time.