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Garden Gate:  Garden Records  |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6791 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6791 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 18 2017 : 08:41:44 AM
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Each year I keep records of what I buy; where; cost; when planted; and notes on the plant. Except for this year. I kept no records or invoices. Don't know where my mind was in the spring. I did manage to put labels with each plant to tell me whether it needed dry or moist soil. Helps with the watering.
This morning I harvested my Mexican oregano for the last time this season. This was the first year I grew it and can't remember if it is an annul or perennial and where I bought it. Will have to look up each on-line nursery I order from to find out who sells Mexican oregano.
Lesson learned. Next year I will keep records of everything I buy and do. My old records came in handy when I wanted to know when I planted tulip bulbs in a container to bloom in the spring. Went back to 2015 and found I planted them in Oct. Garden records are important.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
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farmgirl68
True Blue Farmgirl
369 Posts
Katie
Bangor
Pennsylvania
USA
369 Posts |
Posted - Sep 18 2017 : 09:46:08 AM
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Yes they are Sara. I find them the most difficult thing to manage in gardening :-)
Katie #7422
Friends are the flowers that bloom in life's garden. |
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1Anne
True Blue Farmgirl
99 Posts
Anne
Lebanon
CT
USA
99 Posts |
Posted - Sep 18 2017 : 12:39:00 PM
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I also keep records with hand-drawn diagrams of what was planted when - it helps my memory for crop rotation. My garden is small but my last memo to myself for this year will be: Downsize!!! :-) Anne
Yes, in God I trust. |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4714 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4714 Posts |
Posted - Sep 18 2017 : 1:27:10 PM
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I also keep a yearly log with photos of my successes and not so good plants. It really helps me out the next spring. I have a tendency to forget the plants that didn't work out for me. I used to draw diagrams, but my art skills are greatly lacking. The pictures not only help me remember where things are, but also what spaces need filling in.
Dawn in IL
Life is like a novel, every day is a new page...... |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6791 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6791 Posts |
Posted - Sep 18 2017 : 2:20:36 PM
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Katie - lol- I know what you mean about having a hard time keeping up with the records.
Anne, like you I used to draw diagrams but now that I garden mainly in containers I don't. The few perennials in the ground I do note location in their folder.
Dawn taking pictures is a great idea.
When school supplies go on sale I stock up on those color folders and have one for each plant. This winter I need to go through my garden file and pull out all the old folders I know for certain I will never grow again - ever.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
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MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
6680 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
6680 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2017 : 10:47:27 AM
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Sara, this is a great idea. I actually never thought of documenting anything. I was just attempting to store it all in my brain, but with this being my second year I can already see that's not going to work. The green beans I had last year grew wonderfully, but all my green beans from this year died. I wish I could remember the difference in them so I can get the same as last year for next year. Next years garden with definitely involve some documentation.
Krista |
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farmgirl68
True Blue Farmgirl
369 Posts
Katie
Bangor
Pennsylvania
USA
369 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2017 : 06:28:03 AM
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Some great ideas!
Katie #7422
Friends are the flowers that bloom in life's garden. |
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saram
True Blue Farmgirl
521 Posts
Sara
Biggs
CA
USA
521 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2017 : 09:36:14 AM
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I began keeping a garden journal in 1994 to try to track the productivity of my vegetable garden. I write in it rather sporadically, but in general I log how many plants of each item I put in, what variety it is, how well they germinate/grow/produce. I also make a page or two each year for logging how much I put up for the winter. The original idea was to determine just what I needed in order to feed my family from the garden year round. But it has also turned into a journal of life on the farm, and it now holds a very high position on the list of items to grab in the case of an evacuation.
Krista, I also hang onto the packing slip that comes with my yearly shipment of garden seeds. That helps to remember which varieties were tried that year. It could be taped into a garden journal.
Sara |
Edited by - saram on Oct 21 2017 09:37:27 AM |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1143 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1143 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2017 : 9:31:16 PM
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I have kept a small journal for nine years. It documents plant location, variety, and how it produced, as well as environmental factors. I know when we had a drought year, a very wet year, when the cabbage loopers strike, etc. I also draw small diagrams for my ornamental beds so I can remember what varieties I planted and where I got them.
Mine is pretty sporadically kept, but the information is invaluable! Here's something funny that happened, though: Many years ago, I planted a 'Juliet' tomato. The plant grew to be HUGE, almost 8 feet in diameter by the end of the season, but it produced one crappy (tasteless) tomato! I swore off 'Juliet' forever. Then, my mother gave me a transplant this spring that was grown by a co-worker. This tomato was AMAZING...hundreds of Roma-type tomatoes producing right up until August! I had to find out the variety and I was stunned to find it was a 'Juliet'! So, lesson learned: Don't write off a variety until you have tried it from a reputable source. My first Juliet was purchased as a transplant from a local plant farm, and it is very possible that the tomato wasn't a Juliet at all!
Now I'll have to go back and amend my notes.
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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Garden Gate: Garden Records |
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Garden Records
