Saturday in the Garden: The Garden Journal

If composting is the number one key to a great garden,

then I would have to put keeping a garden journal

next on the list.  And it's not just for your garden's growth,

but for yours as well.  Keeping a journal is

an extremely effective way to increase your

knowlege and abilities as a gardener.

this garden IS the beginning!

Every garden has a beginning and, sadly,

most have an end but no garden is ever finished.

The most agony in a garden...and the most love in a garden

And so neither is a gardener's work finished.

Keeping track of what you've tried, what has
or hasn't been effective, and so forth, can save you
a lot of time and frustration. 
My journal is going on it's eleventh year.  

It won't win any literary awards, but these little entries

have proven their worth repeatedly through

the years.   And, it actually makes for some great

reading on rainy days--just trust me on this one.

A few ideas of what I journal and why:

Special applications

 (manure, compost, etc) & tilling

What I plant and when

  plants, varieties & brands, where I got them, price, date planted

How & how much

  seed or seedling, # of plants

Where I planted

  necessary for rotating crops, esp tomatoes that should rotate every 3 years if possible

When seeded plants pop up

avoids waiting too long if a re-seed is necessary, did I plant too deep? etc. 

 Yields

  how much and when--avoids under- and over-producting; also good for

planning specific dishes, ie, grilled asparagus, blackberry cobbler, etc

Problems & treatments

  pests, diseases; what worked, what didn't

Weather

especially the last & first freezes, rains; also watching the patterns have

taught me exactly the best time to plant late crops like pumpkins and gourds

There are also odd bits of info that

I've found to be quite valuable to have in a journal. 

Like when Lowes marks down their mulch to

99 cents a bag.  And what years we get new chickens, 

when the chicks arrive and when they start laying.

(chickens lay efficiently for only so long)
 More recently, the name and phone number of

the farmer that has good straw at a good price.

You just can't record too much information,

especially if you're new to gardening.  Who knows 

what might prove useful?  It can take years for

patterns to show and/or good ideas to be recognized.

I feel the easiest way to keep a garden journal

is just as a simple document on your computer. 

 It only takes a second, you've no hard copy to keep

track of, changes can be made easily and--I'm just

guessing here--you're on it plenty anyway, right?

I title each entry with the date and follow it

with the summary.  It's that simple.  And an added

bonus?  It's like collecting your thoughts at the end of

the day--you review what you've completed
 & then think about what still on the to-do list.

Do you keep a journal?  For your garden?
For your quilting?  Is your blog your journal?