© zsv3207/Getty ImagesA few days ago I found a printed map of all the plants in my garden in 2003. Going through the list, I solved some mysteries about some plants whose names I had forgotten. I'm so glad I found this list. and I will add it to my garden journal, an ongoing record of my garden.
Why keep a garden journal?
A garden journal is a great way to organize information about your garden and plants. You can use it to track:
- Botanical names of trees, shrubs and perennials;
- List of annual flowers purchased each year, bookmark favorites for repeat purchases;
- Varieties of vegetables and their effectiveness in a certain season;
- Inventory of indoor plants;
- A wish list of plants you've read about and want to add to your garden;
- General plan of your garden;
- Planting, planting, pruning, removal, etc. while performing various tasks such as
- Everything you want to remember.
Also, if you sell your home, you'll have a yard record to share with the new owners.
Types of gardening magazines.
There is a gardening magazine for every type of gardener. Many are handwritten, but they can also be stored electronically.
Handwritten Kindergarten Notebooks
Do some research and you'll probably find a garden journal that fits your style of journaling. Keep these tips in mind when comparing options:
gardening e-magazines
If you prefer to go paperless, you can use simple Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. Or there are many apps to help you organize all of your yard information, including:
- Seed to Spoon helps you keep track of what you're growing and harvesting, and includes information to help you through the growing season.
- The planter has a focus on the vegetable garden and will be especially useful for new gardeners
- Trello isn't a dedicated garden journaling app, but it can track anything. If more than one person writes a garden journal, allow collaboration. I use it to keep track of my gardening activities.
Whichever app you try, follow these tips to make your electronic garden journal work for you.
- Choose a program or program that you are comfortable with so that you don't have to quickly learn how to use the tool.
- If you don't write things down, print that information every now and then. A hard copy may come in handy if you stop using the app.
- Combine electronic data with handwritten notes. Some information, especially shopping lists and to-do reminders, are best kept in an app on your smartphone so you can refer to them when shopping for plants.
When and how to start a garden journal
You can start a garden journal at any time because something is always happening in your garden.
Start by laying the groundwork:
- List your plants by name and location in the garden.
- Take pictures of unfamiliar plants to see what they are.
- Collect or photograph plant tags and old seed packets in your journal.
- Make a list of vegetables that you have wanted to grow in the past or that have grown well.
After writing about your garden, decide what you do in your garden and write about it. You may want to keep track of when you planted the seeds, when those seeds germinated, and when those plants flowered or produced crops.
Tips for keeping a garden journal
Keeping a garden journal helps you see everything you've done in your garden and how much it's changed over the years. If gardening isn't second nature to you, here are some helpful tips:
- Start with a simple system. Choose a diary method that you can work with. You can always edit or add to it later.
- Go beyond perfection. Your garden will not be perfect and neither will your gardening magazine. It is more important to store information than to display it in the form of a notebook.
- Ignore spaces. If you are behind, don't give up and try to catch up. Start where you are and keep moving forward.
- It may be useful for you. Enter the information that is useful to you and skip the rest!
