Do you keep a journal?

[momofdrew]

I start off well early on with the journal but as the season gathers momentum I slacken off so that by August I have blank pages staring at me...

I try to keep a record of rain fall amounts so I know when and how much to water...

 

[Rosalind]

Oh, absolutely! I think it's a must. Mine's just a crummy graph-paper cheapie thing, because that way I write everything in it without regard to neatness or how pretty it looks--there's no impetus to scribble on scrap paper. Better to make sure everything IS documented than to make sure the things that are documented are done in calligraphy.

When I first bought a house in Massachusetts, I tried to put in a garden similar to the one I had in Ohio, reasoning that the climates and clay-ey soil were similar enough, I could just get the short-season things according to the USDA zones. Um, no. First year was full of failure.

Read a bunch of books and settled on the ancient Inca method of planting several varieties of everything, because chances are at least one will do OK, and you can find special things you like. This worked, in that having a total year of absolute failure is rarer. I normally get at least a little something of everything and a lot of a couple things. Then I make notes on the things that work and buy more of those. I always note type/breed of seed, source of seed (different sources have different germination rates). And I note date planted vs. actual germination date, date of thinning, when hardened off, first harvest date.

This year I started doing maple syrup, so I'm taking notes on that too--that way I can rotate which trees get tapped and give them time to rest and heal. Also yields, yields are important. I don't put down weather so much because there are already so many services that track that sort of thing, although I normally note critter migrations (robins, ducks, wild geese, hummingbirds).

 

[Lavender2]

Just thought I would bump this up for all the new gardeners on TEG
... maybe add some thoughts about how to help organize and record... or what works and does not for you?...

I start a lot of things from seed... flowers, herbs and veggies.
I always think I will remember things the next year ... think... key word there... not always the best plan ...

I started a seed starting journal about 6 years ago... basic, column paper on a clip board.

Annuals, perennials, veggies, herbs .. a page for each

I list the seeds, variety, source, date started... and any starting tips I have found for that seed. (temp, light required for germ, cold treat, etc.)

I don't record when things are planted out, as this will vary every year, so what's the point.
But, when I do plant them out, I record any changes I should make in the dates I start them ... (start 2 weeks later, earlier ... etc)

IF I remember ... :/ ... I go back and (**) the varieties that did well or make other notes about the plants that I MAY forget...

Just simple ... so I know I will keep it up ... and I don't know what I would do without it now!! :happy_flower

How did you all do with your journal last year? ... any fun tips for new gardeners? ... or us old ones? ...

 

[curly_kate]

I try to do one every year on my computer, but I always lose track of it when things get cranking outside. This year, I have one of those pocket calendars. There's not much room, but I figure I can put it in my pocket when I go to the garden & make notes in it right then & there. We'll see how it goes....

 

[ducks4you]

Honestly, I think I'm doing good since I have an little and old desk in the old fuel room in the basement (where nobody ventures but me, the dogs and one of the cats!!) and all of my seeds, etc. are FINALLY in one place!!
I think that I learn best by immersing myself in a subject and practicing it for awhile. The only tip I can give is something I've read in the last year on using natural barriers:
7 tips for big gardens at "Living the Country Life" (sorry, lost that link), but here's the author's site--
www.mggarden.umn.edu
I have been sawing down these "weed trees", you know, those fern type trees that grow about 5 feet a year...EVERYWHERE...and I use the sapling sticks as support stakes for my gardening. Then, at the end of the season, I can throw them on my burn pile. At first, I was afraid that they might re-root themselves. But then, I figured, if they were deep enough, and that was STILL a concern, I could cover the bottoms in plastic before I stick them in the ground. (None of the one inch diameter sticks rooted last year.)
Here's some interesting pictures from the article:

If you can't read, it says, "To make a living fence shown above, willows are cut before they bud in early April, stuck into the soil at an angle, and tied with twine to form an open diamond-shape fence."

 

[bid]

I think I would like to try and make my journal a bit more conversational this year. I kept up with certain information pretty accurately, but it sure makes for boring reading when I look back at it. The info is there, but it needs some... color commentary to make it more interesting. That would add a lot to the real info as well I think.

 

[desertgirl]

I'm with most here-start out strong, taper out as the season goes by....And every year I rack my brains about the best way to set it up so that not only would I be more inclined to kleep up with it, but I could easily access the info. the following year.

I wish there was a user friendly computer program that could help us organize.



Any techno-savvys out there want to design one?

 

[curly_kate]

I've used the calendar wizard in Word, and just typed info in there. My problem was I never remembered to type in my notes when I came in from outside. I'm going low-tech this year to see how it goes.

 

[vfem]

Honestly, I think I'm doing good since I have an little and old desk in the old fuel room in the basement (where nobody ventures but me, the dogs and one of the cats!!) and all of my seeds, etc. are FINALLY in one place!!
I think that I learn best by immersing myself in a subject and practicing it for awhile. The only tip I can give is something I've read in the last year on using natural barriers:
7 tips for big gardens at "Living the Country Life" (sorry, lost that link), but here's the author's site--
www.mggarden.umn.edu
I have been sawing down these "weed trees", you know, those fern type trees that grow about 5 feet a year...EVERYWHERE...and I use the sapling sticks as support stakes for my gardening. Then, at the end of the season, I can throw them on my burn pile. At first, I was afraid that they might re-root themselves. But then, I figured, if they were deep enough, and that was STILL a concern, I could cover the bottoms in plastic before I stick them in the ground. (None of the one inch diameter sticks rooted last year.)
Here's some interesting pictures from the article:
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt191/ducks4you_2009/willowfence.jpg
If you can't read, it says, "To make a living fence shown above, willows are cut before they bud in early April, stuck into the soil at an angle, and tied with twine to form an open diamond-shape fence."
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt191/ducks4you_2009/WillowTower.jpg

Those are wonderful suggestions and I think I will take advantage with our willows this spring! That tower looks great for my green beans this years.

 

[obsessed]

I always attempt to keep a journal. But it always gets lost. So now I am trying spreadsheets! I use excel to diagram what I planted where and then will type notes in the boxes. We shall see how it goes.