Too Good Not To Share

When you move to a new area of the country and you are an avid gardener, it can be a challenge. Of course, general gardening things like how to start seeds and how to compost don’t change, you can move those anywhere. But some things like when and what to plant couldn’t be more different. Sometimes I feel like a beginner gardener just learning the ropes. That’s why I think a gardening notebook is so important.

Now you might call this a garden journal, garden diary, or a garden planner, but either way it is extremely important for new and old gardeners alike. A gardening notebook gives you a place to keep track of all your observations throughout the year. It helps you remember – and improve – your garden for next year.

To be effective a garden planner needs a few things:

• // A place to draw your garden plan. I start with my dream garden and end up with a close, but different, plan each year. Once I get out in the garden the plan always changes and evolves. Once everything is planted I make a note where it went on graph paper, or in on online garden planner. It trying to consolidate this so I have everything in one place.
• // A place to make notes about seed starting dates. I’m not talking about general dates, but the actual date that you planted your lettuce seed. You are going to want to make note of the variety you planted, when you harvested it, and how it turned out.
• // A place to make note of fertilizer used and when.
• // A place to keep track of how much you harvested of each variety.
• // A place to keep track of pests that are specific to your area.

That might seem like a lot of information to keep track of, but it’s not, once you have a place to write it all down, it’s very easy. Pick something that you can grab and make notes in. I promise you will be that much ahead next year.

Several years ago I attended a class at the local community college about growing perennials. One of the things the teacher taught us was to become a student of plants. She encouraged us to understand its growing habitat, how to propagate it and what kind of soil and fertilizer it needed. We discussed pests and how to harvest, dry and store it for future use. I learned a lot from that class!

The Gardening Notebook has in-depth pages for all common vegetable, fruit and herb varieties. Angi has taken the guess work out of growing and gives you a solid foundation to start, so you have confidence. Each of these pages discusses planting tips and tricks, problems and pests and harvesting and storing. I like to add companion planting do’s and don’ts to my pages too.

Only print what you need

The printables are what really make this notebook worth the price. Angi has blank sheets for everything you could possibly keep track of in a garden, and you only need to print what you need. She’s takes the work out of creating it yourself. The blank pages include:

• // Garden Calendar
• // Planting Guide by frost date
• // Grid Garden Planner to sketch by hand
• // Keep notes about local resources (plant sales, nurseries, etc.)
• // Project Planning
• // Expense Worksheet
• // Seed Sowing sheet for dates & notes
• // Pest and Problem Worksheet
• // And of course a blank Plant Sheet so when you add to your garden knowledge you have a place for recording it

The Gardening Notebook by Angi Schneider is my favorite garden planner. Its 126 pages are helping me to plan and see my Texas garden in a whole new way. I encourage you to start keeping track of your own garden adventures. This e-book can help.

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