Is this the year you finally get your horticulture records organized ? If so , consider creating a garden journal . It ’s a good way to consolidate all your gardening records in one place so that you’re able to manage your landscape more in effect . There are scads of ground for starting a garden daybook , but the best reason of all is that it will make you a undecomposed , more observant nurseryman . There ’s no downside to that !
Is a garden daybook really necessary ?
To suffice this question , please indulge me as I recount my own experience . Once upon a time , my garden consist of a half XII plants in a very flyspeck garden . I for certain did n’t need a daybook to help me retrieve the names of the industrial plant or their sustenance requirements . But my landscape finally grew along with my passionateness for horticulture . I started cumulate all my horticulture disk in a unproblematic pocket file leaflet . The leaflet became jam with landscape ideas jotted on Post - it notes , article snipped from garden powder store , rocky sketches of my garden , wish lists of plant to corrupt , and revenue for plant purchases . The folder also became a depository for plant tag ( yes , I do keep my plant tags and no , I ’m not a hoarder ) . Eventually , my overstuffed folder approach just did n’t work any longer to keep me organized . After chip in the job some thought , I concluded I needed a right garden diary . But what variety of journal ?
What are the selection for found a garden journal ?
Once I determine I call for a garden journal , my choices for creating one then were more limited than they would be if I were creating one these Clarence Day . For example , one approaching was to go “ old school ” and record hand - written notation and observations in an average spiral notebook or three - hoop notebook computer with check dividers . Or I could have invested in a decent leather - stick to diary design specifically for gardener . I chose the spiral notebook option . It was cheap , easy , and convenient . Besides that , if it develop a niggling marked-up from being haul around the yard with me , no big deal . Nowadays , high - technical school digital garden daybook option are usable as witnessed by the availability of free or cheap templet on - seam . Mobile apps provide yet another choice for ingest photos and recording gardening activities on a smartphone or iPhone .
As for the approach to my own journal , I see myself as a mostly low - tech individual . My simple volute notebook was a good decision ab initio , but I lacked the discipline to keep it up to appointment . So , I abandoned the notebook in favor of create a Word document on my computer . That worked much good for my needs . It ’s a convenient fashion to maintain my landscape painting records and help me organize my “ to do ” inclination of gardening project .
If you plan to start a garden diary , pick out whatever journaling method you determine to be wide-eyed and practical . If it ’s burdensome , you ’re not likely to stick with it .
What should a garden diary include ?
The contents of a garden diary can be as simple or as detailed as you bid . The choice is up to you . Not all garden are alike , obviously , and the gardening detail captured in a journal will vary from nurseryman to nurseryman . As you mull over what to let in in your own diary , think of it as ( 1 ) a historical disk of your landscape , ( 2 ) a landscape labor direction pecker , and ( 3 ) a place to jot down your ideas about newfangled plants to test or improvements to your landscape painting . With those introductory category in mind , believe about including the information that ’s most useful to you . For example , a garden journal can be used to :
Maintain an inventory of plants . This is one of the most practical reason for maintaining a garden journal . An stocktaking let you to bewitch information about your plantsall in one position , including botanic name , common name , cultivar or variety name , height , width , sun and moisture requirements , day of the month planted , location in the garden , and any other information that is crucial to you . A chart data format is the handiest way to capture this information , specially if you have a large or complicated landscape painting . For my function , I found that an Excel spreadsheet on my estimator works very well . While it ’s not physically part of my written diary , it serves as a companion papers . In fact , I rely hard on Excel to capture a great deal of landscape information in chart form as you will see from the examples provide in this article .
A garden journal is utilitarian for recording bloom times . Photo : Pat Chadwick
Use garden daybook to keep runway of when you purchase seeds and whether they are still feasible . Photo : Pat Chadwick
SUMMARY
For all pragmatic purpose , a garden journal serves as a reference tool or diachronic platter of your landscape and an efficacious way to maintain an armoury of your plants . As for data formatting and content , the idea is to utilize whatever journaling approach best courting your gardening need and interests . Do n’t stress out over maintaining the journal to the point where you do n’t enjoy the process . But do get in the habit of recording your horticulture action or observation on a regular foundation . hold a garden journal trains you to be more observant and more attuned to the natural seasonal rhythm method of the garden . Regardless of how much or how little detail you include , at last , you will come to regard the journal as one of your most cherished and utile horticulture tools .
SOURCES
Garden Journaling , North Carolina StateExtension Gardener Handbook , Appendix A
wield a Garden Journal , Washington State University Extension , by Kathy Wolfe , 2012 .
Take Notes Now For A Healthier Garden Next Year , University of Minnesota Extension
Tips and Tasks : Garden Journaling , North Carolina State University Extension Gardener
