Dateline: 25 April 12014
Keeping some sort of garden journal is a must if you're serious about gardening. A journal is where you can record things like first and last frost dates, what you planted, when you planted it, and all manner of other data. I have endeavored to keep various kinds of garden journals over the years, but none of them worked very well. Then, last year, I decided to turn a large wall calendar into a garden journal, and it proved to be an excellent idea. I've gotten the calendars for free from a vendor I do business with, but you can get large calendars for a dollar or two after the new year at many stores. I tape some file folders into the calendar to make pockets for holding receipts, articles and other pertinent information. Garden notes are made to some extent directly in the square (1-3/4" x 1-3/4") allotted to each day of the month. But most notes are made on a large blank sheet of white paper that I attach over the picture that is above the month. I number each entry of information on the blank sheet, and put the number in the calendar square for the day it relates to. This kind of journal allows you to see and analyze an entire month's worth of information at once. If you're looking for a simple, practical, inexpensive garden journal idea, this is it.
I am looking at companion planting this year. You even need to keep track of where you planted last year as I put out a large plot of corn and one section of corn was somewhat stunted. I finally realized that it was stunted exactly where I had a row of tomatoes the previous year. Very strange but companion planting can carry across to the next year so it is good to keep a record of where things grew for several years.
ReplyDeleteI have been doing that for years on graph paper taped together Then I got smart and took a newly taped together, unwritten on blank one to Staples and had them run off one on a single sheet of paper. After determining that it would be manageable and work well, I had them run off ten more! Now I have just been referring back to them each year to see what was where! Works great instead of trying to remember.
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