One of the most under-appreciated yet incredibly important resources for any gardener is a garden journal. These tools can range from a simple notebook to a bulging folder crammed with observations and knowledge built up over many seasons.
In this article, we’ll go through the ins and outs of garden journals, including why they’re so important and what kinds of things to keep track of.
What is a garden journal?
A garden journal is an invaluable resource that keeps a detailed record of everything that occurs in your garden. Some gardeners may prefer a pen and paper setup, whilst others might want to use their computer or a dedicated app.
A garden journal allows you to track your garden activity throughout the year. This allows you to compare the current growing year to past seasons. This wealth of information helps to build a more intimate and effective relationship between gardener and garden.
This also helps you identify important patterns and adjustments for your individual garden. By noting down things like weather behavior, planting dates, and wildlife observations, you can plan and adjust more effectively during a new season.
Why keep a garden journal?
Nature is unpredictable, and a garden is no exception. The ideal time to sow particular seeds or divide different plants can change depending on various factors.
The climate and weather of each year will be slightly different. Wildlife levels will fluctuate accordingly. And each garden is wholly unique when it comes to its particular soil composition and layout.
Keeping track of all this information year after year is impossible to do through memory alone. But a garden journal can help by allowing gardeners to track sowings and seasons, weather patterns, plants that worked, plants that didn’t, and other information.
A garden journal becomes a one-stop resource tailored to each garden and gardener. Put simply, a garden journal enables you to get the absolute maximum out of your garden every year.
For extra help on growing specific plants, check out our plant care tips.
What to track in a garden journal
Dates of Planting
One of the main things to track in a garden journal is when specimens were planted and where. This can be done using a calendar, which can also be used to record other events such as when seeds were planted and when shrubs were cut back.
By tracking when each specimen was planted, gardeners create a reference point for any task related to that plant. It also helps gardeners to check if the plant is on track for when it should flower and when it should fruit.
Seeds & plant information
Listing the essential information for all plants in the garden helps gardeners to keep abreast of each plant’s needs, ideal seasons, and potential problems. Knowing all of this care information helps create the ideal watering, fertilizing, and pruning schedule for the plant.
For those gardeners that grow crops, one of the key things to record is the crop rotation cycle. This practice helps to maximize the quality and performance of your soil while cutting down on pests and pathogens.
Sowing, flowering, & fruiting dates
Maintaining a yearly calendar when a seed was sown, when it sprouted, when it flowered, and when fruits emerged is good practice for all gardeners. By tracking these dates over several years, gardeners can see the performance of each plant in real-time. This allows you to fine-tune your work to get the most out of every plant.
Weather patterns
Weather patterns are one of the most unpredictable and pivotal aspects of gardening. Fluctuating amounts of rain, sunlight, and wind all affect how well your plants grow. Knowing as much as possible about the climate of your garden, such as which USDA Hardiness Zone you live in, can help you plan for the seasons.
One of the most important things to note down every year is the dates of the first and last frosts. Gardeners will also use frost dates to plan when to sow their seeds and work out when to plant them out safely.
Diseases, pests, & wildlife
Something else to keep track of is any diseases or pests which might afflict your plants. Some of these problems may occur every year, while other infestations may only occur every few years.
When trying to deal with problems, it’s a good idea to record the methods used. This helps you to evaluate how effective these actions are and if any extra measures are needed.
It’s also a good idea to record the various wildlife species that frequent the garden, especially pollinators. Gardens that have a wide variety of animals and insects have more biodiversity, creating a healthier garden.
Garden goals
A garden journal is also the perfect place to record any goals that horticulturalists want to achieve with their gardens. Having clear goals in mind helps keep gardeners on track with their plans whilst also allowing them to adjust if unexpected setbacks occur.
Photos & Sketches
Visual records of the garden throughout the years and seasons are great for both measuring progress and making new plans. Gardeners can use photographs taken at different points of the year to provide clear references.
Some gardeners might even like to sketch out a plan of their garden, deciding on the locations for various plants while also considering layout changes to raised beds and other areas.
Maintenance
Keeping a record of any maintenance tasks performed throughout the year, such as deadheading and pruning, is another good garden journal practice. This can include watering and fertilizing schedules as well.
It’s also a good idea to keep an inventory of gardening tools. This helps to identify when these tools might need sharpening or replacing. Some gardeners might even want to track their horticultural expenses throughout the year.
How to create your own garden journal
Different gardeners will likely prefer different styles of garden journals. Using a large notebook to track everything is a good basic setup. Other gardeners might want to have a computer-based record such as a spreadsheet, calendar, or Word document.
But the best way to create a garden journal is to use ring-binder folders. This allows you to include things like plastic wallets and photograph pages for pictures or even seed packets. You can use different kinds of paper for different records, such as lined pages for your day-to-day observations and graph or squared sheets for garden plans and sketches.
This setup also makes it easy to use dividers to help separate the sections of the journal. You might want to divide things up by each month. Or, you might want to have four dividers – one for each season. Using a folder in this way creates the most versatile garden journaling setup.
Your garden journal will become an incredibly individual resource, tailored directly for your garden and your own preferences as a gardener.
Top 3 garden journals
For gardeners who might prefer a notebook setup, here are three of the best gardening journals on the market:
Three-Year Gardener’s Gratitude Journal
This extensive journal not only provides plenty of space for notes and designs but also includes lots of helpful information and gardening advice. This journal will appeal to gardeners who enjoy mindful moments outside, incorporating some traditional journaling elements for a more intimate connection with your garden.
Ideal for beginners, this colorful journal includes various sheets for recording soil characteristics, sketching out designs, and noting down pests. But its main draw is the sheets dedicated to individual plants. Each of these 55 individual sheets has space for four years worth of observations about the plant, making it great for gardeners who want to experiment.
RHS Gardener’s Five Year Record Book
This expansive planner comes from the biggest name in British gardening; the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). The book allows gardeners to record five years’ worth of gardening observations, with weekly pages that also provide information regarding the best times to plant and observe certain species.
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Garden journal app
While creating a physical garden journal works for some gardeners, others may prefer a more curated, digital approach. That’s where apps like the Garden Planner from the Territorial Seed Company come in.
This extensive resource allows you to create a digital record of your garden that can be easily accessed from your computer or smartphone. You can upload photos of your garden, annotated with notes and observations similar to what you’d note down in a physical journal.
The Garden Planner also provides other resources such as weather forecasts and growing guides for various crops and plants. The digital aspects of this journal enable you to set notifications on your phone to help you keep on track with vital gardening tasks.
You can also compare your stats and records from previous years, allowing you to adjust to seasonal changes with ease.
Conclusion
As we can see, a gardening journal is a fantastic resource for a gardener regardless of skill level. Whether you prefer a traditional notebook or a dedicated garden journaling app, you’ll find that the knowledge recorded within will enhance and nurture your relationship with your garden.