Start the New Year Off Right - Start a Garden JOURNAL!
Gardening is no exception to the “learn from your mistakes” rule. Observation is key to good gardening. The best way to keep track of the good, bad and ugly in your garden is to JOURNAL! Grab a pen and start now. Winter is a great time to get started – not much going on in the garden so you have time to design and write. But the key is to keep it simple and keep writing all year.
Ever wondered when you planted a favorite tree, what it looked like when it was young? What you fed your perennials last year to make them burst with blooms? Using your garden journal is a good way to answer such questions in the future.
Keeping a garden journal builds your awareness of what happens in your garden over time and helps you focus on what you still want to do. Building your soil, compost and land management is also a great way to keep information for future. Taking notes on your gardening methods also shows you what works and what doesn’t. And your records can serve as a reminder of what is normal for your garden. For instance, if a tree starts looking straggly at a certain time of year, you can check your records to see if the same thing occurred in years past. Also, when to prune different plants for the best results.
Don’t be intimidated or overwhelmed by the process of starting a garden journal. Think of it as your baby book for the garden, you want to write down all details so you’ll remember. Gardens change and without a good record – you could forget. Fill it with pictures of your favorite plants and recipes for planting success, and don’t worry about getting it dirty. It’s for your eyes.
Yes, you could make a garden journal on the computer, this style of journal is useful for the gardener who wants to look at gardening activities in a variety of different ways using a template with endless room and opportunity. You can upload pictures you take of your garden during the growing season and view results, year after year.
However, research shows that writing on paper taps into a different area of your brain and actually benefits you psychologically. You need to decide what’s best for you – go with it. Some people are planners, others organizers, some enjoy photo’s or drawing their notes while yet you might be the one who is detailed as a record keeper.
Nothing is set in stone so you can change along the way if you find Diary Style Garden Journals are not for you – maybe something formatted that you just fill in the blanks with details & information. It’s your personal gardening journal – so make it fun & use it.
A diagram of your current garden is a great way to get started.
An inventory of your plants, including their current size/health/age/flower color/blooming season.
A list of gardening tasks you want to accomplish, including seasonal gardening chores.
Lists or photos of plants you want to include in your garden.
Photos of the gardens of your dreams.
Sketches of your ideal garden.
Notes from garden lectures and books.
Photos from garden tours.
Notes on the weather and how it is affecting your garden.
Photos of your garden as it grows and evolves.
Anything about the garden that pops into your mind and would be fun to read months or even years from now.
What You'll Need:
Binder - We like the kind with the clear window slip on the front for decorating purposes.
Lined paper
Graph paper
Blank paper
A Pen that feels good in your hand
Lots of colored pencils - every color you can find
Paper & plastic pockets - could be the pocket dividers or whatever is available.
Inside the Garden Journal - things you'll keep track of like the species you plant and their varieties. Where you plant them may also seem an obvious note. But here are some other specifics to think about.
Frost dates for your specific zone.
Planting dates for seeds and plants
Transplanting dates
Pictures of your garden or plants.
Source and cost for plants and seeds (however, you may not want to have a record of costs! It can be a real eye opener at the end of the year) If you’re a gardener you’ll understand!
Design a Plot Plan
Pests you've found hanging around.
Pollinators that are around, as well.
Notes on other wildlife you may spot in your yard or garden.
The day you divided perennials
Describe the soil. Good loamy stuff? Or is it a work in progress? Raised beds or posts?
How each plant did in your yard? If you had crops - did they taste good and perform well? If you had flowers - did you like the blooms and were they long lasting? Will they reseed?
Inspiration & thoughts while working in your garden. (great to read in the cold of winter)
Don't forget to have a page in there for a Garden Wish List!
The pockets come in handy for receipts on garden purchases, pictures, seed packets with seeds still inside. You can also tape seed packets inside the journal so you can refer to them during the growing season.
The blank paper can be for free drawing, or cutting and pasting idea from magazines and other sources. I have all kinds of great snippets glued or taped inside my journals. It's also a place to tape pictures of your garden and plants; successes and failures.
If you have favorite quotes or sayings... "Children in our lives are like flowers in our garden - very special!"
Throughout the months, go back and add notes about some of the things planted, or ideas you tried. Did that heirloom pumpkin do well in your garden? Did the new tomatoes taste good? Did some things bite the dust before you could enjoy them?
Keep detailed planting notes and crop rotation schedules for all your vegetable beds. Do a simple sketch or take photo’s at different times during the season to show your garden progress.
It’s all about dates – A garden journal is a great place to keep important garden milestones. When the garden was soil dry enough to do a first tilling, when were you able to actually plant the garden? Patterns will emerge.
Have a page just for first and last frost dates in YOUR yard. Even though you can find the average first and last frost dates for your area, your particular yard has it’s own micro climate. Even parts of your yard will have their own micro climate.
Keep notes about the specific seeds that you’ve planted. When did you start those heirloom tomatoes? What kind of lighting did they require for optimum growing? When were they ready to go out in the garden? Did you start them too early or too late?
Keep notes about your container gardening exploits. List the type of plant and the container you chose for it. How did it do? Were there specific watering requirements.
Keep a fertilizing schedule for individual plant groupings and vegetable beds, then keep track of the results and when you need to schedule the next fertilizing date.
Write about your failures. Did you try a new technique that was a disaster? Maybe you planted in the wrong place or added too much fertilizer. A garden journal is the best place to put the lessons you’ve learned each year.
Garden calendar for planting dates
Over time, you'll find that your garden journal is not only a wonderful scrapbook of you and your garden, but it also becomes a valuable personalized tool for your future gardening endeavors. Plus it helps family members enjoy gardening from your perspective. Encourage your children and grand-children to keep a Gardening Journal.
