I keep lousy gardening records on purpose.

LOL. So funny. I had intended on keeping some records and I do have a grid that I use to write down what and when I planted - mainly in case I forget. Or if nothing comes up to see if I filled the space already or not. I had pretty garden markers but have even abandoned those for the most part. I either have produce or I don't. And this my friends is why I will never enter the world of science.

I carry a small 3.5- by 6.5-inch spiral notebk in my shirt pocket and each day I enter the temps and weather for the day. I stick the pen thru the spirals so I don't lose it. I can draw my grid and number the bed and then enter the name of the plant or seeds and dates I planted at any given time. It really helped me realize how long some things took to germinate, what the temps were that day, what varieties are doing well for me and which aren't.
Anything pertinent to the crop I jot down. With the numbers from the rain gauge, I know when I might need to hand water my beds.
Its been so helpful. I look back to see when I planted something and I can jot down when I expect something to harvest so I can use that square for something else later.

The 1st year I had a large notebk but found I didn't remember to add things I should have. I rarely carried it into the garden. That's something I now keep for plans and expectations of seed starting dates, lists of seeds I have and their purchase date and soil mixtures and even recipes folks here have shared which I now keep in the house. It now serves another purpose for me altogether.

Give me a little one that can fit in a pocket and I'll take notes more often.

I successfully kept lousy records this year.

I found a PDF for a foldup garden journal online which I printed out and used, when I remembered it. It was nice because it dated the months in terms of before/after frost, and had a few printed notes for what plants were still okay to sow outdoors. I jotted down when some things germinated or were ripe, and when I noticed certain insect problems. Now if I can just find where the cats batted it off to....

I started a blog and gave up on it. I found out that, for me at least, I can blog, or I can garden. Doing both and keeping up with life just wasn't in the cards for me this year.

I think my best record this year are all the photographs I took. They are dated and I tried to give each one at least a brief description of what it was, and/or why I took it. It's fun (and funny) now to look back on them and remember how I was so worried about something not growing well, when I just needed to give it time. And how fast everything grew!!! (I am still ticked about the cucumber beetles, though.)

I never remember to take a notebook to the garden or to write in it when I am back in the house. I so bad wanted a mailbox type thing in the garden area. Hubby has a garden railroad and I love cabooses. He came up with this solution for me. The side comes down to access the inside. It is about 3' long and 8" inches wide. The top is a solar light! He is so awesome! It didn't make it out to the garden last summer but did make to the garden table! He promised the posts will go in the ground in the spring. So I will have a place to store my little notebook and misc!

How cool is that! Sure beats my old mailboxes.

CindiLou wrote:So I will have a place to store my little notebook and misc!

What a great idea! Hmmm... something to add to my hubby's HDL...

This was an interesting read for sure. After reading, and skimming some, this is what I've concluded...

The post was overdue. Take notes, don't take notes, it doesn't matter, it's your patch of dirt. We have all kinds.

Now, for what my grandfather would say when I was learning sayings and trying to repeat them and sound "cool." ..."Son, it don't take all kinds...We just GOT all kinds." Think about that for a minute. Here I was a teenie trying to fit into an adult's world by saying things that would get approval and show I was a grown up. And, guess what? Some of us are still struggling with this behavior.....like keeping garden notes.

The lessons I learned over the past 20 years from this one little saying? Yup, we GOT all kinds. Black, white, male, female, republican, democrat, and, yes, purple. And, that is what makes this country, forum, and my life so fun and full of adventure I can't possibly put it into words, though I am trying.

I am a HUUUUUUUGE note-taking, pencil-pushing, graph-paper-loving, weather-studying, bird-photographing, flipping NERD! So much so, that the wife takes one look at me sometimes and says, "Are you dorking out again?" We laugh and I carry on. It's become a household joke, and now if she yells "where are you?," I will yell back, "dorking out, be there in a minute." And, though it hurt me to come to grips with this when I was younger, I have grown to embrace it. And, I encourage everyone that hasn't (none identified here just a general statement) to do the same.....EMBRACE IT!! You are different and should be celebrated with a parade.

I, as you have come to see, have spent many hours overthinking something I already know works. I have bought and blown through pages of graph paper because it makes pretty squares and helps me design my garden layout. I measured up my new garden area in 4 inches of snow....in my slippers...because I couldn't wait to get my ideas on paper. I use facebook to keep my friends, who tease me about it btw, updated on upcoming snow storms. (I plow snow in winters, so it's kind of justifiable for me to follow.) But, these things are what landed me a beautiful wife that knew what she was getting, but just didn't know how much, convince her to marry me somehow, and have three great kids that are not falling far from the apple tree....but in their own areas of life. And, I wouldn't change any of it and/or feel guilty about any of it because all but the kids knew what they were getting in me.

That all said....phew....I will only keep a couple notes in the garden. What I planted and where. And, that will only last until the sprouts pop up because then I will know what is where. I may try to add the harvest dates on my calendar, but I already know how that will go based on trying to do the same thing last year.

Your eyes and brain are your best note-keepers. When the soil looks dry, it probably is. When the skies get cloudy, grab an umbrella. When the fruits look ready, they probably are. Pretty simple nowadays. We don't have to worry about when to fertilize or when to add amendments anymore. And, God Bless for that.

I will leave you with the three sayings that have meant the most to me.

- It don't take all kinds, we just GOT all kinds. (My grandfather)

- Walk down right side of road...safe. Walk down left side of road....safe. Walk down middle, and sooner or later......squish....just like grape. (Mr. Miyagi)

- I am what I am and that's all that I am. (I'm Popeye the Sailor Man...toot toot)

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, too.

BackyardBirdGardner wrote:

- I am what I am and that's all that I am. (I'm Popeye the Sailor Man...toot toot)

I've always liked that quote, too. According to Wikipedia it's ""I yam what I yam and tha's all what I yam." I only point that out 'cause it's more fun to say!

Cindilou.....I love that caboose.
I'm train happy so that would go good in my garden, too.
Love it. Lucky you.

Megan is this the one you used?

http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/01/free-download-2009-spring-garden.html

Middlemamma, thanks for posting that link. Even if I neglect to use it to keep up with my notes, it is great information and will look cute tied up with Irish Linen Twine that I bought for stringing beads.

Middlemamma....Thank you for the link. I've printed out mine and made it up but instead of tying it, I stapled it.
I have a stapler with about a 4" neck on it so I just rolled one side in half, stuck it under, and voila, its stapled down the middle in 3 places now.

I plan to carry this into the garden with me in my garden smock, with updates so I don't forget things. At my age, writing things down is a necessity. ha ha

You're welcome guys!

I really like the little house in the suburbs!

middlemamma wrote:Megan is this the one you used?

http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/01/free-download-2009-spring-garden.html

It is indeed!!! It's a very handy little thing. Thanks for finding the link so others can try it, Jennie. I liked how small it was but so much information at the same time.

middlemamma wrote:Megan is this the one you used?

http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/01/free-download-2009-spring-garden.html

That little book is great! Plus It says I get to start doing my inside seeding in a month! I keep thinking 3 months to garden time and I forget I have to start my seedlings! I think I might make it through the winter!

middlemamma wrote:Megan is this the one you used?

http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/01/free-download-2009-spring-garden.html

This is GREAT!!! Now I have a little notebook, now to hang onto it until planting time, which is in only a few weeks Time to come out of hibernation , greet the sun , and grow something...

Only one problem, now I want to buy all the things listed in the booklet I don't have already.... must resist must not give in don't give in .... nope.... still no willpower I'm going shopping

Selandra wrote:I want to buy all the things listed in the booklet I don't have already.... must resist... must not give in... don't give in .... nope.... still no willpower I'm going shopping

I'm with you...let's go shopping

12 weeks before our first frost date happens to be my birthday!

I keep notes, sometimes in depth, sometimes not. Since I garden with my family, it's more of a memory book, and some thing to leave behind for my grandkids, so they can verify that I did not just suddenly go nuts, I already was. I got the 3 year subscription to plangarden, so I could drag and drop my boxes, and add a layout of the yard, house, and put the trees in there too. I'm not good with excel and figured why re-invent the wheel. Some days I record the weather, only if it's unusual weather or extremely hot, we had 100 days of 100 degree weather one year here, and another year it did not top 100 all summer, those things are worth remembering. Some years I remember with out writing them down. 1988 here has more record highs than most other year, that was the year I had my second child in AUGUST, all my kids were summer births 'cept for one and he was an October baby, so I still went through the summer pregnant. Something else that is fun to track and you can do this on your calendar, if it rains on the first day of the month, put an x on each day it rains that month. Most times it really will rain 15 days that month-trust me.

I just found a digital scrapbooking tool, and it's free. I just put the pictures in there, add a quote, and I'm done. I did a slideshow for last years garden and shared it with my parents. I'm doing a calendar this year, adding pictures from that month, making a few notes, and I'll print it out at the end of the year as a keepsake, and maybe if I remember to compare notes. For me keeping notes on spring rainfall has been handy, we have had 2 wet springs in a row, the first year we lost many seedlings because we could not put them out, last year we held off a bit, and didn't lose but a few.

For me writing things down, makes room for more junk to ramble around up there, too much and I'm easily confused.

One more reason to keep notes, I checked out a book (1 among many, since it's too cold to go outside) today at the Library, it's Thomas Jefferson's Garden book. Yes, it has actual notes he recorded in it. For example, 1775 & 1777 both have records, but not 1776-wonder why??? On January 26 1772 he records the deepest snow they had ever seen, 3' in Albermarle. As I was glancing through it I saw correspondence between him and George Washington.

Whether or not you write it down, or record it electronically or digitally with photos, is up to each individual. And how much you record is up to you, but I will be making a note of my 5yo grandson playing with his tractor in my garden while singing about marrying the farmer's daughter.

I personally would buy a book of boffer's notes, comments, and quotations!!!

FarmerValerie wrote:
I will be making a note of my 5yo grandson playing with his tractor in my garden while singing about marrying the farmer's daughter.

He's a good reason to keep those notes.

FarmerValerie wrote:I just found a digital scrapbooking tool

Share please! Also, I enjoyed reading your thoughts, thank you.

Megan wrote:

FarmerValerie wrote:I just found a digital scrapbooking tool

Share please! Also, I enjoyed reading your thoughts, thank you.

Megan, it's called smilebox, you download the software, and just add pictures and comments as you go. I am not one for long projects, it's a good thing that the garden is constantly changing, I am easily bored and if I cannot finish a project quickly or we run out of money half way through, I get distracted and/or cranky. I like the idea of scrapbooks, but the money involved is way too much. I can justify my cake decorating toys, as I teach cake decorating, but not scrapbooking.

Go to my slideshow page on my blog http://rocksinmygarden.blogspot.com/p/slideshows.html Check out a slideshow or two, or if you already have and like it, just click on the link that says personalize a picture slideshow, download the software, it does have a free option, and away you go.

Right now I am doing a 2011 calendar, adding pictures for each month, and notes for what I was able to do, yes so I can compare next year-but just for personal use. To me it is fun to compare the weather for a couple of years. I'll pay the one time fee of $5.99 to have it put on disk so I can print it out and have a keepsake of my family in the garden. With the free version you can post on your blog, and you can share on facebook, it just has an add for smilebox on it wit the free version, but that's no big deal.

If you have any questions, just ask.