How do you keep track of your garden?

Mander

I've been very casual about the garden and haven't had any kind of long term plans for things like crop rotation, pruning, etc. But I'm wondering if I should be keeping better notes and developing more of a plan.

What method do people use? Just a notebook that you keep with your tools? What kinds of things do you take note of?

Hostafan1

I've been gardening for about 50 years and have never "had a plan " nor kept notes

Loxley

I take photos which helps me remember what's where, but I wish I did a plan when I planted bulbs last autumn, cos I instantly forgot where I planted them and accidentally dug a few of them up.

nick615

Draw a diagram of your plot in blank form, and make a copy each year to record what crops you've grown and in which position.  Thus, at the start of each season, by laying out the last few years' diagrams (safely kept in a ring binder), it's easy to plan where best to plant the new year's crops.  I use the same folder for holding seed orders notes etc. and any catalogues I want to keep.  One file = everything to hand permanently?

dappledshade

Loxley said:

I take photos which helps me remember what's where, but I wish I did a plan when I planted bulbs last autumn, cos I instantly forgot where I planted them and accidentally dug a few of them up.

Same here 😁

I’m hopeless unless I label pots planets with bulbs or do very roughly sketches of where hardy perennials and bulbs are planted...

floralies

I've never had a plan or a notebook, the garden just sort of evolves and changes.

Singing Gardener

I used to just keep notes in a garden diary but now I've got a whole set of word documents and spreadsheets and have got a bit obsessive about recording everything!

PurpleRose

I have a sheet of paper for my seeds. I make a note of the seeds, date sown, how many seeds (if they are countable), date first germinated and how many germinated.

I could do with a further plan as I do forget what is planted where. Every year I think this and have tried a few things (diary, photos, pictures) but they do fall by the wayside.

raisingirl

No plan. Every spring I find myself saying to several plants 'oh hello. Did I plant you?'. They usually nod

Butterfly66

I keep a notebook/diary. Random mix of ttd lists, ideas, wish lists, note of things done/planted or when something flowers etc. I do enjoy been able to look back and compare years or to remind myself where I might have planted something! I make a quick note at the back of the time we spend in the garden, started out of curiosity to see how many hours it would take to get the jungle we inherited under control.

I also have a spreadsheet of what plants are in which bed, but after a brief flurry of enthusiasm I haven’t kept it up to date, ditto a list of all the seeds I have/did have at the time.

WildFlower_UK

I don't have a lot of maintenance to worry about, but for veggies (which I only started growing last year in pots/containers and expanding into a raised bed this year), I'm using good ol' fashioned Excel to keep track of what I've planted in each area/pot so I know for crop rotation. I have a wild flower meadow area which does its own thing and apart from deadheading during the summer, I leave all Autumn/Winter and just the last couple of weeks have started to cut back dead growth and weed ready for this year. If you have a lot of areas with plants of differing needs, then writing them down is a good idea. I find the very act or writing it manages to make me remember things better, so even if you don't reference it often it might help in rationalising it in your head. My work is computer based so I'm used to tracking in Word for example, and it's easy to add photos from your phone to a digital log.