Hello all! I'm new to this forum and to gardening! In the spring I decided to jump in with both feet and planted hundreds of seeds in my greenhouse. I did quite well but fell short when it came to documenting what worked and what didn't. This year I'd like to be more organized but I'm not sure how to start. Do any of you have a journal or diary that you use to keep track? Do you use an online journal or do you just use something on your own PC? I'd like to use something where I can use text and pictures but I really don't know where to start. Any advice? Gwen
Hello Gwen, You might like to investigate some of the free weblogging software that is available. Examples include LiveJournal and Blogger. Here are some examples of gardening weblogs - see if this is something similar to what you are looking for: http://stephinthegarden.blogspot.com/ http://thenaturenut.blogspot.com/ http://chloesgarden.blogspot.com/
Hi, Gwen. I use a spreadsheet: One row for each plant and columns for recording the information belonging to that plant. I don't keep photo or ongoing plant history but you could use the rows between plants for the latter. If you have a large volume of data to maintain, you could use a workbook with multiple worksheets organized by letters of the alphabet with additional sheets for plant related items (e.g. supplies, to-do list, etc). Photos could be organized separately using one of the many 'photo album' applications.
Hi Gwen: I've been accused of being a bit anal about it, but I use a standard spreadsheet (Excel) with a line for each stem. It means I can add a column anytime it seems necessary, which is at least anytime I do anything out of the ordinary for a block of plants. As I am propagating under rather strict governmental regulations, I need to be able to trace each and every plant back to when it arrived on the farm. As I am rather new to most of this (and often find myself trying to sort thru conflicting "expert" advice) I have to be able to look back on my proceedures and other circumstances (like the weather) to evaluate them. I include routine photos of leaves (young and mature), growing tips, rooting progress at transplanting (and eventually fruit), as well as any specific concerns. One function of the routine photos is for confirmation of plant identity, as what you are told is not always what you have been sold. It may sound daunting, but it's way more fun to look it up than to try to remember what the #@&* happened back in March (or even last week!). Ralph
I don't keep a garden journal as such, but I maintain a number of plant databases in my handheld Palm device, using a mobile database program called HanDBase. Data can be imported to and from MS Excel. The reason I use a handheld is that the databases are with me everywhere - when I visit nurseries, gardens, attend garden shows, browsing gardening books in the library, etc. I use the same database programme for logging my seed germinating efforts in the spring.
Gwen, Being somewhat of a newbie too (moving from East Coast rooftop gardening to having real soil in Seattle) I just started a blog (www.outthereusa.blogspot.com) as a way of documenting my attempts for friends back East (and to inspire some gardening envy). I had been reading the journals of a 1800's horse breeder, and it reminded me of the value of small bits of information routinely compiled. Having a lot of space and not much budget, I am going the seed route myself. What worries me is what the seed leaves of my native plants will look like and whether I will be able to distinguish them from the competition. For this reason, although I am planting them outside, I am devising a way to keep tabs on them and will attempt to be methodical about how I keep track of them, including taking pictures of seed leaves and young plants.
Call me old fashioned, but I have a five year garden journal that I write in (with a pencil) I have all sorts of extras in my journal, pictures, seeds taped to the pages. and lots of dirt. I'm very attached to it. Unlike my computer, I can hug it if I need to. Carol Ja (I got it at Lee Valley Tools)
I have a program on my PC called My Garden Journal, and have found it is easy to make notes in it, you also add pictures to it, chart your weather etc...But I also keep an old fashion notebook and pencil and try to write things down and then decpher it later...Record keeping is important!
I keep a garden journal and I love it! I use a standard clearview binder and decorated the cover. Inside is 3 different sections 1. the story and date etc of why I planted the garden. Also are the stories of the different permanant plants and the rocks and where they all came from. 2. is the actuall journal part. I made up a worksheet of sorts on my pc and had 50 copies of it made. I make entries each time I work in the garden, plant something new, etc. It has lined spaces for me to keep track of the date, weather, maintanence, new plantings, and other notes. 3. this section is a catch all section - it has seed packets and plant stakes so I can keep track of exact varieties planted. As well as plant notes I have printed out from the internet ect. I also have a few pictures in there too - but not many. I keep an annual photo journal (scrapbook) of all of the pictures of my garden. I am an advid photographer and take pictures almost daily. the written journal was reall started to help me keep track of all of the pictures I take.
