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A garden journal helps you celebrate your successes and learn from your mistakes. It's the best place to plan your garden, document your progress, and log key events. It will become your most important learning tool for future seasons and help you enjoy your garden even more this year!
What to Include and Why
A sketch of your garden is the first thing to include. Make sure to jot down the dimensions of each plot and what you planted where. This information comes in handy when you start to weed (you'll know what's coming up), measure the yields of your produce (like the number of salads from your small space), and rotate your crops next year. Most of all, it will help you find the best growing places for specific flowers or vegetables.
Make a list of the seeds you sow and the planting time. Include the date you started any seeds indoors and when you transplanted them, too. Be sure to record the exact variety and brand of seeds to help determine your selections for next year. You may want to keep the seed packages, which contain valuable information, in a pocket in this section, and record information like harvest dates for future reference.
Keep a calendar to plan for expected harvest times or other upcoming events. You'll want to know when those radishes are ready and when you can expect a zucchini overload. Ideally, you should plan the calendar before you sow, but it's never too late to start one!
Here's the good stuff—the place where you record everything that happens in your garden. You can jot down the last and first frost dates, the weather throughout the season, and the soil amendments you've used. You can describe the beneficial insects or birds that visited, the bloom time of perennials, and the pollinators they've attracted. You can even list any interesting thoughts you have when out enjoying the garden. Remember to include a date for each entry! All of this is essential to measure the success of your garden and learn where you can improve next year.
How can we put a price on the taste or health benefits of homegrown food? It's hard to say—but obviously, it's still great to keep track of your expenses. You can include anything like fresh compost, seedlings, stakes, or gardening tools. This record will help you see just how cheap it is to grow your own vegetables, and it will help you compare the best deals at your local garden centers.
Your "log" section can easily get overwhelmed with information. So, it's useful to keep a separate record of any maintenance. You can document your weed control methods to see if they worked or not, or how many hours you've spent pruning. Over time, you can strive to reduce your maintenance time and find better ways to manage pests.
While not absolutely necessary, photos can add a personal touch, help you record usual events, or help you remember the bounty of last fall. Most of our photos are digital nowadays, so you may find it easier to start a digital garden journal on your tablet or smartphone. However, we'd argue that paper is best as you can afford to take it out to the garden and get it a little dirty. Plus, isn't it nice to take a break from our screens?
Whatever you choose to include in your garden journal, remember to add your personal touch. Like a garden, a journal gives you a chance to get creative and add some beauty to your life. In fact, you can think of your journal as a part of your garden—an imprint of this season's growth and achievement, which you can look back on with satisfaction.
Please feel free to contact us for more ideas to fill your garden or garden journal. Our stores in Northwest Arkansas are open and curbside pick is still available.
