Gardening Journals for Garden Planning and Recording Your Successes and Mistakes

It's easy to assume that you don't need a gardening journal, especially if you're like me and started gardening in a small way. A few bulbs here, herbs on the back deck, flowers along the side of the house and so on have added up.

I wish I started recording everything I did from the beginning. When exactly did I plant the iris bulbs that are descendants of my grandmother's garden? And how many the first time? The second?

Now that we are getting more serious about our gardening efforts including our second year of vegetables, it's time that I keep better records. A gardening journal will do the trick. Now my problem is how many? I want a separate one for herbs, flowers, and vegetables. Since I don't have a huge garden, I'll start out small with just one.

What about you? Is a garden in your future? Take my advice and start your garden journal now while you're in the planning stage. If you've already started your garden, no worries. Any time is a good time to begin a diary of planting times as well as your successes and failures to learn from.

Two questions you might be asking are "what exactly should I put in a garden journal?" and "what type should I get?". You can start with something as simple as a spiral notebook and keep it that simple for the rest of your gardening days.

Sometimes though, you need a little guidance. Many gardening journals on the market contain more than just blank pages to record your gardening details. They have planting guides for your growing zone including when to plant and under what conditions to do so as well as other tips to help you make the best of your plants.

In these journals, you should record when you planted each item, how long they took to germinate and flower. For vegetables, you'll want to record the time from planting to harvest and any other details you think are important. You'll especially want to record the things you did wrong as much as the things you did right. Sometimes we learn the most from our mistakes.

Definitely keep track of the success rate of seeds from each company you order from. Some companies give an average success rate of germination. You'll want to make sure their product lives up to their advertisement before you order from them again.

Gardening journals don't just have to be a bland record of planting details. Gardening is an enjoyable hobby for some and for others a way of feeding their families. You can record your child's first interaction with flowers in your garden or how you're teaching her the healing properties of herbs.

Maybe gardening is the time you find the most peace. You don't have to experience earth-shattering epiphanies in the garden to be able to keep an event diary of gardening. Jot down whatever strikes your fancy while gardening.

Not the diary type? Are you more comfortable with the computer than a pen and diary? No problem. You can use software to plan your garden and record everything that you would in a paper journal with the advantage of having it organized exactly the way you want it.

There are software packages that will even allow you to design your garden in 3D. Learn more about gardening software options with Help with Garden Planning - Tools and Software for Free and to Buy.

It doesn't matter what time of year it is, you can begin your gardening journal now.  If your garden is in full bloom, then record how each plant is doing and how you would like to change it next year.  If it's the middle of winter, then start planning your seed order or garden layout now.

Now matter what season, a gardening journal is an excellent way to keep track of your garden plants and plans all year round.