Once you start to garden you are hooked for life. It is not only a hobby; it is a passion. All sorts of things go into the hobby of gardening. Choosing the right seeds, knowing the weather patterns, discovering what grows best in your region, identifying the type of soil, determining what things you can do that help nurture your garden and on and on.
Much of what you need to know comes from the experience. However, many gardeners do not keep a chronicle of what affects their garden from year to year. The successful gardeners advise that you keep a journal and jot down the things you discover about your garden as you discover it.
A garden journal will help you remember your experiences so that you can be a better gardener year to year.
(Courtesy:Firdaus Ariff at flickr.com)
Here are some ideas on how to keep a garden journal.
· Purchase a multi-pocket folder and notebook. The multi-pockets of the folder will soon be filled with torn out pages from your favorite gardening magazine that offer stories on gardening. The notebook will soon be full of notes about things that affect your garden including when the last frost breaks, when the first frost arrives, precipitation information, what flowers you’re growing and how they are coming along, periods of drought and rainstorms, dates of good harvests, dates of bad harvests. Note the weird insects you see, the date you saw it, and draw a picture of it in the notebook. If you see a flower that interests you jot down notes about it, the date you saw it and draw a picture of it. Jot down the date you plant seeds indoors or in your garden as well as notes on how the seeds are doing and what you are doing to maintain them.
· Create monthly calendars. The calendar notes should remind you when to start seeding, what species of plants to install, when to harvest vegetables you are growing, and more.
· Keep empty seed packets in the folder. The packets contain good information about the seed that can help you maintain it. Write down the date you planted the seeds on the packet with a permanent marker.
· Learn how to use Google or other Internet search engine. Google can help you gather information about that weird insect you discovered and educate you how to deal with it. It can also help you research information about plants in your garden and how to maintain them. It can help you identify the flowers that interested you enough to write about them in your notebook so that you can buy and include in your garden next year.
· Draw an aerial view sketch of your garden and yard. Do this at the beginning of each new season to help you decide where to place certain plants or seeds.
Update your information through the year every year. As you plan your next year garden you can refer back to your notes, which over time will show trends that will help you improve the garden and do a better job of maintaining the plants from year to year.
