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ianna_gw

Do you keep a garden journal

ianna
14 years ago

Hi all,

Do you keep a garden journal? if so what information do you include? I've just started one but thought I'd ask you for tips on what to include.

Ianna

Comments (33)

  • freshair2townsquare
    14 years ago

    a. diary-ish entries
    b. sketches of beds - the way i'd like them to look, or the way i need to change them when i divide/add/remove, or yet-to-be-broken beds
    c. time/labor/cost estimates of projects in my head - for example, a new bed would need grass removal, soil amendments, edging, plants, mulch & all of these would take time, effort and money to buy and use
    d. to-do-list - one big one

    the journal entries are in chronological order from the front of the book - the to-do-list starts on the back page and works backward, crossing things off as i go - the sketches and project estimates are mixed in with journal entries on the days i feel like writing/drawing all that out

    ~ freshair

  • jenangelcat
    14 years ago

    I started one this year. I'm keeping a record of seed starting dates, what germinated what didn't, what survived transplanting, what I need to stock up on next year, things I want to do differently and a record of bloom times. Essentially lots of lists.

  • gldno1
    14 years ago

    I have kept one for about 4 years now. I do a daily journal type thing. I put asterisks by things I may want to look for later so that they jump out at you.

    I refer to mine a lot!

    Mine are nothing fancy, just steno notebooks that I fill each year.

    I reserve a few pages at the back for lists of plants I want or tips that I want to try.

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    14 years ago

    Do you include lists and notes on a computer document in the same category? I do keep meticulous notes and records on the computer. I have documents for everything.
    I have:
    Plants in the Garden- a table of the plants in the garden, which includes the genus/species/cultivar and common plant names as well as a word about flower color and foliage color (like if it is golden or variegated)
    Plants to Get- a list of plants I want to get for the garden (lol, long list!)
    Plants to Move- just keep notes on plants I want to move and those that need to be divided
    Notes- general notes and ideas on the layout of things and where I want to put something

    I do also keep a notebook handy at the computer now so I don't have so many sticky notes flying about the place. I use it to make quick notes and also keep a list of things on it too. I have a list of plants to ID etc.
    I have an urge to make lists. ;-)
    CMK

  • token28001
    14 years ago

    I started a blog in December. I enter something into it almost every day, sometimes a couple entries per day. I do it mostly for myself, but to also share my garden with others. I've already started rereading entries posted in January to decide what to do this winter. Since I wintersow a lot of seeds, I have something going on even when it's snowing out.

  • janetgia
    14 years ago

    I don't have one at all and have never kept one. However, judging from the fact that there's a daylily blooming in my garden right now that I don't remember whether I planted it or whether it was here when I moved in last fall, perhaps this would be a good time to start one! :)

  • ianna
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks all. I think I have enough information to move along. I would like to create my templates on a computer and handwrite the rest so I can write as i see things. Although I can't help being a bit of a romantic wanting to create an 'antique' botanical journal complete with preserved specimens. Hmm I might just indulge in such a project.

    One thing that does bother me a lot is the kinds of pests I'm seeing (or not seeing) and so having perhaps samples of the preserved chewed up leaves and the list of suspects would surely help me in the future in dealing with these things.

    I will produce a daily journal including info on temperatures and weather. Notes on what's blooming or growing. Things to do.

    I will try to keep a separate page for vegetable gardens (I practise container gardening plus I start the seeds myself... and biggest note to self for next season-- DO NOT PLANT 200 tomato seeds, DO NOT PLANT 200 tomato seeds, resist buying 7 different variety of tomatoes)

    I will also thought about placing a separate area for plant information although - I still have issues about doing so. Much of these stuff is internet available... Yet though, I am interested in prices variables about plants. I have an issue about overpriced and yet easily grown perennials and so don't wish to be fooled into buying anything pricey...

    I will also have a separate page for Future Reference, including first frost date, last frost date, what worked, what to move, to divide and what's blooming.

    I thought too to include some observations on neighbors plants. For example, I started noticing how plentify japanese maples are in my area. Japanese Maples are considered zone 6 plants and yet in zone 5b it's everywhere. Is it climate change? Another example, allium bloom time. HOw is a zone higher than mine growing alliums later than mine? Don't understand that at all. It's a mystery I want to solve.

    So I guess there's lots of things I could include in the journal. Also like gldno1, I am inclined to be to the point when it comes to notes. I don't like to jot long diarish style observations. That would be the way to go for me.

    ianna

  • natal
    14 years ago

    Sounds like a full time job, lol! Don't be surprised if all those good intentions gradually fall by the wayside.

    I kept journals for years. I used (still do) lined blank books. My entries were never over elaborate. I kept a separate 3-ring binder filled with sheet protectors and a table of contents. At first it was neat & organized. Then it became overstuffed. I probably should have started another, but my interest waned. Now I'm back to simple notes in the blank book. At times I wish I had been more thorough, but after a few years you get a feel for what's important and what's not.

  • little_dani
    14 years ago

    I keep a journal, along with many, many scraps of paper that need transcribing into my garden journal.

    The most important part of my journal is a calendar. I buy one of those half-size desk calendars, with big spaces to write in. I note when seeds are planted, and the days to germination, when they come up, dates for transplants of tomatoes, peppers, etc. I note rain dates and amounts, moon phases, bloom times, harvest dates, etc., etc., etc.

    Along with my calendar, I keep a spiral notebook of graph paper. I keep lists of plants; plants ordered, planted, coveted, purchased, died- all manner of plants! I keep lists of seeds and bulbs and cuttings. And I keep sketches of gardens- those I have, have had, and desire to have in the future.

    I staple a 6x8" manila envelope to the inside cover of this notebook, and keep recipts and invoices and such in there. I am likely to paste pictures of attractively planted pots, and interesting ideas I tear out of magazines into this notebook. It gets real full and fat after ahile, and I get a new one to fill. I keep all the old ones.

    This calendar and this notebook are MINE, MINE, MINE! Nobody else touches them that I know about. I keep them at my little desk that is really a desk, and not at my computer. This is one of the few organized things I do.

    Janie

  • natal
    14 years ago

    Back in 2001 & 2002 I was active on the Vegetable Gardening forum. One of the posters, Vgkg, started a garden journal thread every week. It was a fun place to read what was happening in other peoples gardens and a way to keep track of your own. I printed my posts every week and kept them in the Journal Entries section of my 3-ring binder. There were also a couple of other posts I made related to gardening that I printed and kept and it's fun reading them now. I guess that's the general idea behind blogging today, I just prefer the hard copy, same with a newspaper and a book. ;)

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    14 years ago

    -Ianna, this is OT, but do you grow you tomatos in pots too? I am really interested in what size container you use. This year I put most of mine in pots, seven gal. pots I think. I am hoping that will be large enough, lol.
    CMK

  • PRO
    Nell Jean
    14 years ago

    On my Computer:
    A Word document for each bed, with photos of what I'm talking about, scanned in sketches, and entries for future plans.
    A few lists, separate to the beds.

    Online:
    Blog, indexed by plants and season.
    Photo Storage (Photobucket and Picasa), tagged by plant names for easy searching.

    A Pile of Notes:
    I mark off the DONEs and type the keepers into documents to which they pertain before I toss them.

    Nell

    So far, I've kept this system going for more than a year, until it became a habit.

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    14 years ago

    WOW! You guys are good! I have often thought of starting a journal, but then never do. Every year I say "now WHEN does THAT bloom?" or "what the heck is THAT plant that I don't remember planting?" and then I think that a journal would be a great idea, although I never start it! This year I have been taking a number of pictures of the yard and plants in general and putting them in picasa. I only put a caption here or there with the date of that particular batch of photos. At least then I'll have record of the bloom times and plant combos. I suppose this may be a good way to also take pics of areas I would like to change and make an entry in the caption as to those changes. Hmmmm....maybe I'll try that.

    Thanks for sharing. This thread has lots of great tips for journals.

  • frogview00
    14 years ago

    I'm doing a blog. For many reasons. Mainly, so when I'm old I can look back and remember what I have accomplished. But also, almost every plant I have has a story of someone or some place that will make me recall things of my life in NC.I must say, I've had a lot of fun doing it. I laugh while typing. ( is that the first sign that my mind is going?????)

  • louisianagal
    14 years ago

    Yes, I started a journal after relocating to north MS after Hurricane Katrina. I guess I needed to start something permanent about my new life, because I had to start over. I really am glad I keep the journal. I had never gotten around to it in my previous life. I use a small pretty blank spiral notebook, not a full size notebook. It has pockets in front and back and in those pockets I keep receipts and garden center business cards, or phone numbers, for example. I can carry the journal around in the garden with me and just jot a couple things down maybe once a week or so. It is sort of diary-style. I don't keep alot of technical plant info, but I have a couple coffee cans or pots on my baker's rack outside, where I keep one plant tag of every plant I buy. They are under the porch and have weathered the outdoors just fine. I make notes of what I've done in the garden (always something new, a new bed for example), what's blooming in my garden and "around the region." I note when the hummers return, the purple martins, when the crapes bloom etc. I also have a list of plants I want and scratch out when I get them. That was esp. useful when I was learning new things for this zone. I also have a "to do" list such as what and where I want to plant more bulbs or relocate a couple plants in the fall. I comment on weather highs/lows and rainfall. It is alot of fun to go back a year or two now, and see what I was doing and the weather and etc at the same time in those years. I do encourage some of you that have considered it, to just grab a small notebook when you 're in Walmart, and just start!
    laurie

  • ianna
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    wow natal, that table of contents are enough to make me salivate. I was thinking more of a daily kind of journal and perhaps at the end of the season, a summary of my observations.

    Since my observations may change date to date, I might as well grab a binder and I can easily tweak the pages to suit my moods for the day. Sometime I am hit by an idea for a craft. For example, I went to an outdoor flea market and rediscovered rustic objects. I love these stuff in my garden. I bought a birdhouse with a cute little porch, a leaf tuffa perfect for my pond waterfall, and plants.. I found a pink achillea which will contrast well with my cardona sages and a large white meadowsweet. Plumy and beautiful.

    I would also like to recall the names of people who will show up in front of my yard around this time of the year and they ask lots of questions about my yard. So I need to jot down the names too. I get this sort of attention all the time but to my embarrassment, cannot recall the names of these folks. It feels awkward now that we are in the 4th year in this location. Also there are strange moments I should jot down. Last weekend, I was out in the porch preparing lavenders for drying when a large black SUV stopped in front of the yard and the couple within just stopped and stared at the yard and then at me - for the longest time. Weird really strange. And just before this, I looked up another car went into my driveway and it was an acquaintance who dropped by so he could take pictures of the yard. (Cottage gardening seems to be rare in my neighborhood)

    CMK - I use the largest containers I can find, but a 7 gal pot is fine. I had been toying with the idea of using triple mix bags for tomatoes but I found bags here in Toronto to be rather small and compact so instead, I dumpster dove for containers used for shrubs and trees. In addition I prepared bamboo trellis which I tied together so the plants can grow upwards. I use smaller pots for my eggplants and peppers. I'm even growing corn in a large pot. I plant in containers because the only location in my yard with full sun is by the front yard and my husband absolutely didn't want me to convert my flower garden into a vegetable garden. So that's the story behind container gardening.

  • treelover
    14 years ago

    Do any of you use notes or your journal to keep track of what seeds you sowed & where? Do you use drawings or . . . ??

    I haven't come up with an easy, lasting way to mark the spots in the beds and am continually forgetting where I've sowed stuff.

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    14 years ago

    Thanks Ianna! I am doing pots for the same reason. I have a small patch for a veggie garden (if I didn't designate this area for veggies it would be taken over by perennials, lol!) but wanted more this year. So I put a row of pots on a useless sidewalk for tomatoes, basil, and an eggplant.
    Anyhow, thanks again.
    CMK

  • little_dani
    14 years ago

    Treelover, when I plant seeds, I use vermiculite to cover them. Once it is watered in, it doesn't get washed away, doesn't blow away, and always shows up to tell me I planted something in that spot or row. I mark the general area with a marker to tell me what it is, but I always know SOMETHING is planted THERE!

    Janie

  • treelover
    14 years ago

    I'll try that next time, Janie. Then all I'll have to do is remember to write down what I've planted. I've used crushed egg shells that way before, but they disappear in no time. Thanks!

  • irene_dsc
    14 years ago

    I tend to use journal-style calenders. Usually dh gets me one as a holiday gift, so I am at the mercy of what he chooses, lol. I like the kind with a lot of extra pages in front or back so I can have areas for idea notes. This year's journal doesn't have those - it has a large-ish page for each week, plus spaces for each day. So, I mostly put the ideas on the large spaces, and note bloom times, when I planted stuff, when it shows up, unusual weather, etc, on the daily spots. I do sketch a little as far as where I planted things, esp. veggie seeds, since my plant markers have a tendency to wander.

    I did also start an excel spreadsheet to try and keep track of crop rotations, now that I have enough veggie beds to make that an issue. I have no idea how well that idea is going to work. I also draw everything in AutoCAD, with layers for each year (past & future, lol) to try and keep track, tho it never does seem to quite line up with exact plant locations for some reason. Tho some areas aren't really documented - like dd's new hot annuals border. Of course, since it is all annuals, I tell myself it doesn't matter since it will all change next year.

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    14 years ago

    Ianna - I received a month by month journal as a gift in 2000. I try to keep it up. Maybe only 2 or 3 entries per month in each year. This lets me know when the last snowstorms are, when I have planted early crops such as peas and potatoes, 1st tomato, 1st frost in the fall. I find it helpful looking back on a monthly basis!!

    Nancy.

  • madcapster
    14 years ago

    As someone just mentioned, I have a tendency to like hard copy journals and the actual writing in them. But after about a year of this and the amount of "stuff" I had to write about, plus photos I wanted to include, it became more of a burden than a joy. SOOOOOOO.........after reading some of the other posters blogs, I decided to take the plunge and am I ever glad I did. I can now have all my gardening information plus as many photos as I want all in one place and totally organized (I'm "a" retentive that way). If I want to look up something about my garden, I just click on one of my labels and go right to anything I have ever written about that subject (all in a matter of a few seconds). Why waste time looking up something for several minutes or hours in my handwritten journal, when I could be out in the garden using that time for planting and enjoying my flowers. I also like the fact that if (God forbid) something damages my journal or all my photos beyond repair or completely destroys them, then they are all safe on line. I found Blogspot to be extremely user friendly, easy for a computer novice and yet fun for someone with experience. Also, unless you give someone the URL for your blog, it basically is private if you so desire.

  • PRO
    Nell Jean
    14 years ago

    So, does that mean we're not going to see your Blogger journal, madcapster?

  • godsacre
    14 years ago

    I STARTED A BLANK LINED JOURNAL THIS YEAR. ONE THING ABOUT MY PAPER JOURNAL IS THAT IT IS THE CLOSEST THING I WILL HAVE TO A DIARY, AS WAS MY RUNNING JOURNAL WHEN I RAN. IT MAY INCLUDE A NOTE ABOUT MY DOGS, OR MY GRANDCHILDREN. PERHAPS THEY WILL LOOK AT IT YEARS FROM NOW, SEE THEIR NAMES AND SPEND A LITTLE TIME IN GRAMPA'S OLD GARDEN JOURNAL. IF I EVER SELL THIS HOUSE, (I HOPE NOT) THE NEW OWNER MAY APPRECIATE SOME INFO ON THE MAJOR PLANTINGS, AND MAY SAVE SOME TREES FROM THE CHAIN SAW.

  • madcapster
    14 years ago

    Indeed.............
    :-)

  • ianna
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Well I started out by buying notebook and started a daily journal Id the plants I have, the beds they are in and their progress. But then I changed my mind and began an excel spreadsheet with a daily monitoring page. I use the codes - G - for growth phase, B - for budding phase, BL - blooming, S - seeding, D- Done.

    I'm separating my vegetable gardening and my ornamental gardening journals as this is 2 different areas. In vegetable gardening I'm closely watching my heirloom tomatoes and once I've tasted them I can then say if I will continue growing them or not.

    On top of this I will add a page of observations and to do list. Photos and seeds and anything creative will go there.

    Ianna

  • lavender_lass
    14 years ago

    There seems to be some posts missing :(

    Anyway, I'm starting my garden journal today! I'm using a purple (surprise) 3 ring binder, with a different section for each garden. I have four garden spaces I'm working on this year and I'm planning on starting two more next year.

    In each section, I want to have a design of the garden on graph paper, pictures of the roses, perennials or shrubs I've ordered to put in the garden and lists of annuals I'm planning to add. The pictures of the roses are really helpful, since most are coming as little bands and won't be blooming for the first year or two. I also want to have before and after pictures of each garden space.

    It's still too cold and wet to plant anything, but starting my journal makes me feel like I'm getting something accomplished (LOL).

  • hollys_hints
    13 years ago

    I wish I had kept a garden journal sooner  I have found that over the years I repeated the same mistakes or bought a plant again that didnÂt survive a few years earlier & didnÂt again  If I would have keep a record of what had not survived I would of saved myself time and money. Since I like keeping track of other things I do at home & at work I started garden journaling. Garden journals or a diary can really help keep you on track. I tried several that were very limiting as to what you could do with them. I like keeping receipts handy for guarantees, a place to list & keep pictures what I want to buy, do or try this fall or next year. Compare weather/growing conditions from year to year, etc. etc. Well, there is a 3 ring binder garden recordkeeping system that does all that and provides flexibility for individual needs. It even has hybridizing charts, forms to write fertilizer & weed control successes & failures and more. Lots of room to write down all your notes and thoughts. I really, really like. What a time saver and it keeps everything in one place. So I wanted to share this with you since it is hard to find journals that offer this much. You can check it out at aGardenersJournal.com

    Here is a link that might be useful: A Gardener's Journal: Plan, Plant, Grow...Record the Results

  • natal
    13 years ago

    Holly, you're not trying to sell something are you? I see
    the same link on your blog or whatever that link is on your member page.

  • aimeekitty
    13 years ago

    I'm just starting, but I have an online journal anyway... and I made a "tag" for gardening there. (I also have a rose and camellia tag...)

    I also keep an online list of my roses and where I got them from and when I planted them, etc.

    It's fun to go back and see the photos even from a few months ago.

  • womanofthetides
    4 years ago

    I bought a garden journal about a year ago and can't find the source. It was great. I think it ended up in a pile of read newspapers and got recycled. It was spiral, pages were thick, had spaces for drawing, pockets for receipts which I used for write ups on care for what I planted. I am so bummed I can't find anything that I like now. The link(s) that Holly provides up above here take you to some Chinese language web site.

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