Garden Journals

rrsmith60 1/30/2012, 1:12 pm

As I’m new to the forum (not to SFG) this subject might have been discussed to death, however I’m curious to know if others out in SFG land maintain a gardening journal.

I’ve been keeping one for the past 7 years and I’m always amazed at how many times I refer to it.

I write in it from the beginning of winter planning through fall garden clean-up. My journals are spiral bound and 5”x7”x1-1/2” thick (never counted the pages). I’m starting my 8^th one this year.

I draw plans for boxes, landscape layout dreams, sketch plants (not well) and mostly make observation regarding my garden and plan for the coming season. I record what the ph was, how much and what kinds of amendments, growth (or lack of) and production. I also record the rainfall in the garden and LFD and FFD.

I can’t tell you how therapeutic it is to record your joy, success and failures in the garden as well as creating a wonderful reference tool to have of ones garden.

So, how many of you do garden journal?

quiltbea 1/30/2012, 1:41 pm

Yes, I also keep a garden journal which is smaller than yours but I get all the pertinent data I need. Sometimes I have to look back to find what date I did what and so forth, so its been helpful. Daily hi and lo temps, rainfall or snowfall, what was planted, harvested, what sections watered, all go down in the journal. Separate garden bed and cold frame plans are drawn in the front pages so I know what is planted where. In fact, I still enter daily temps and weather, rain and snowfall since I do a journal for each spring thru winter season and haven't started mine for this year yet. I'll start my new journal Feb 1st since I start seeds indoors in Feb.

Mamachibi 1/30/2012, 2:06 pm

I do. It's in a three-ring binder because I keep a lot of my records online during the off season. Everything gets printed out and put in a binder at the start of the season. I track weather info, daily notes, photos of bugs and weeds and plants, and there's a whole section for field trials of the first plantings of different varieties.

At the end of the year, I weed out what I don't need and have it comb-bound at Staples.

Unmutual 1/30/2012, 2:55 pm

I have repeatedly tried to keep a journal and repeatedly failed. One day I might get it going...

littlesapphire 1/30/2012, 3:30 pm

I started keeping a journal last year, in a bright green three ring binder. I mostly used it to work out plans for the future, like the layout of my veggies, and to keep track of when I first harvested each plant. I also kept a pretty good record of how many pounds of tomatoes I harvested, lol.

**camprn** 1/30/2012, 6:33 pm

I keep a journal for gardening in a 3 ring binder and my bee journal on the computer. I am going to try and track my planting this year on Folia too.

miinva 1/31/2012, 9:22 am

I'm with Unmutual, I've tried but haven't succeeded. Hope springs eternal Smile

A glance at the blog linked in my signature will attest to my poor data tracking skills Wink

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