Garden Journal

Thinking about starting a garden journal... might help to remember what I did right. Or wrong. LOL

Those of you who keep a garden journal... any insights on what to record, what's worked or not worked for you?

I know I want to have pictures, dates, charts... maybe even keep my seed packets? I'm thinking a large 3-ring binder.

I've just begun mine this year, so I have a lot to learn too. So far, I've kept track of early spring temps, to help with last frost date. And I got a rain gauge to record rainfall amounts. I'm also recording sprouting dates, harvests, soil amendments, insect observations... gosh I guess it get's complex fast!

I purchased a composition notebook and included the "map" of the garden, sowing, transplant dates, the the information from the seed packets.
And then I journal my observations and thoughts every couple of days. I have to have pictures of the garden printed out because I want to include those as well.

On the back pages I have taped copies of charts and other juicy information I have found from books and magazines...oh yeah, I also included a recipe I tried and LOVED.

Great ideas....

Including charts and recipes makes me realize that yes, I do want a binder... one with clear pages that I can keep full size pages in, magazine articles, photos, things I print, etc. I can also put a spiral notebook in it for my observations, etc.

Better get started before I get too far behind!

Yup, I can already see how this info will really help me next year, and in the long run.

Anyone else? What kind of data do you find invaluable?

The different varieties you have grown, and if you can fit in time to weigh it note the yeild for the amount of space and length of time they take and if they tasted really good or just mediocre. I grow for flavour, shape and colour and I can see that saving me from trying to remember what to grow and what not to plant again.

Color? Good idea! I cook by color... so why not garden by color??? Love it.

the other half bought me a journal to record stuff in after hearing " weres my blue note book" ??? where's my ( ) < but mostly i want to use it to check on plant dates, sprout dates and harvest dates and yelds



boog

Tril wrote:Great ideas....

Including charts and recipes makes me realize that yes, I do want a binder... one with clear pages that I can keep full size pages in, magazine articles, photos, things I print, etc. I can also put a spiral notebook in it for my observations, etc.

Better get started before I get too far behind!

I tried this and had hoped to also keep my seeds in the page protectors along with info I had gathered on each type of crop.

But when I added the seeds, it made the binder too big for the rings, and I had bought one of the HUGE D ring style binders. The seeds all slide in the page protectors to the same spot and then your width is insane...and if you put more than one packet of seeds in the page protector is too "open" and they slide right back out if you have it open on a table or something. It just didn't work.

So I just went back to not having the seeds in the binder and just keeping all the info I wanted to in there.

Just some of my experiences! Maybe you can make it work better and let me know what you did.

Jennie

I am an Admin Assistant and am in front of the computer a lot. I keep a word document as my journal. I started it March 12 last year. It is already 27 pages long and it includes no pictures (the document would be huge if I did). I mostly use it as a diary - I write up what I did the night before, what's blooming / growing, what seeds I planted, how many caterpillars or tadpoles I have, what birds and insects I saw, etc. I just looked back at last year for this week and in some ways I'm way ahead, and in others I'm really behind. I like typing it because I type MUCH faster than I write and at 27 typed pages, it would be a lot of hand writing!! I would love to have a pretty notebook, but that just isn't going to work for me.

Hey Nancy - I was going to ask about the same exact thing - I type faster than I write and paper, around my world, is easily misplaced, yet I'm fairly organized on the computer. I was thinking about word document, excel charts, and of course all the pics are digital anyway (and I was playing with Picasa for another family project)....so I may try to do mine digitally as well. Thanks for the hints and tips.

I bought a blank paged sketch book for a journal. On the first few pages are my boxes. I drew the boxes/squares in pen and numbered them. Then filled in the plants in pencil. That way I can change it as the plants change and not forget what is in the square. I decided to not put markers in the box. I then started to journal by date after the box pages. As I planted, I wrote down what was in the square by number and box (north box, west box, 4x4), when it should germinate, mature and need harvesting. As well as what the variety was and any other info. My journal has MM smudged on it, but that's ok, I think next winter, I'll be looking at that with a smile. I also wrote on my calendar in the garage when things should germinate/mature/need to be harvested by date so I can just glance at it.
I will add pictures to the journal as I get them. Oh, I also added what I was doing, like hoops and how long I was cutting the pvc and helpful hints like how to mix the MM easier. Because, there will be more boxes I'm sure.

Good point on the seed packets... if I put those in my binder it will be the empty ones. I'll store my seeds somewhere else, not in my binder.

I'm finding that the rest of my gardening is taking second place to my SFG. Not sure I like that. LOL

So is mine Tril. I have a large rock garden that I need to weed. I hate to weed it, it's hard on the knees. It's been there for years and is used to keep the side yard from washing away. I put weed barrier under when I started it. That worked for several years, but then as soil washed into the rock garden, weeds started to take hold.

I'd much rather just set and look at my sweet SFG.

I have a banking that I need to do something with... I'd like to plant it with creeping phlox. Grass won't grow on it and if it did, I'd have to "mow" it with a weed wacker, no way I could use my lawn mower. I stopped at a True Value garden center to look at the phlox today. $9 per plant. Sheesh. I'd rather buy more SFG material!!! LOL I didn't get the phlox... I got two very hardy/nice looking pickling cukes.

I have a bank of sand (use to have an above ground pool there, so that's why it's all sand) and I've started to grow sedium on it. Also, a great plant that will grow anywhere is bishops weed. It does kind of die out in the later part of the summer, but it's very tolerant and kind of pretty. They both return year after year and the bishops weed can be mowed and will come back.

Biship's Weed!!!!!!!! Excellent suggestion!!! I have some in a perennial bed (I didn't plant it, previous owner did) that's doing very well so it likes growing here. I love the varigated leaves, it mounds, it spreads AND it flowers.

You made my day.

I have kept a journal for several years; no photos in it but I do take and load pics online. I have a simple weather station and record daily am/pm temps, a rain gauge to measure rainfall, and info such as varieties planted including date of planting. My trees, shrubs and perennial info is in as well; tree trunk diameter growth each year, when plants are divided, etc.

Ok, I'm going to come clean... what with the talk of computer journals and all... I'm keeping a physical journal in a moleskine notebook AND I'm doing an online journal here:

http://myfolia.com/gardener/LentilSoup?display_as=Folians

I actually found out about Folia from a post on this forum, I think. I've really been enjoying it! Still, I can't quite bring myself to fully trust online stuff, which is why I'm also keeping a physical notebook journal too.

Tril, that's great you have Bishop's weed. I bought a small pot of it a few years ago and it's all over the place now. It grows in sand, deep shade, sun, just every where. Invasive, but prolific. Glad I made your day .

Lentil, I do not trust on line stuff mostly because my computer keeps having to go to the shop. I'm thinking I have to get a new one some day. Thanks for sharing a link to your journal, that's very cool.

Several years have passed since this thread was last in play.  Just wondering what methods of logging/journaling folks are using these days.

If you've purchased a gardening journal book/scrapbook/binder that you use (and like), what kind is it and where did you get it? What types of information does it include places for, and what is it missing that you wish it had?

I'm good with Word and Excel, but recognize the value in maintaining information offline, as well.  Although many of you encouraged me to keep a journal for my gardens this year, I wasn't organized enough to actually do it. It's not exactly a "New Year's resolution," but this is something I'd like to do, going forward.

I have a "myfolia" account, but the site seems awkward to me and haven't really used it.  Do any of you find it valuable?  Perhaps I should check it out, again?

I just use a college notebook, 10.5" x 8". On my second one. Maybe I will take a couple of photos to show what I write.

Word document so that I can use "Find" ...Which would work better if I either didn't use abbreviations or was consistent in what word I used for various plants. (Did I type cucumbers, cukes, my map abbreviation Ck, or did I write out the variety name...? )

Everything I do is in that spreadsheet. Then I can copy from year to year....

This is a good thread to resurrect, Ginger Blue. Some threads are really worth bringing back so we do not have to repeat ourselves.

It's about time I collated all my bits and pieces that are spread over Word and also stuff printed out.