My Favorite Garden Tool
Some people cite their multi-fuctional hori-hori or a vintage garden trowel passed down from grandpa, but my favorite, can’t-live-without garden tool is my journal.
I’ve found that my hands, a substitute tool, or a MacGyvered solution can replace just about any rake, shovel, or gadget, but there is nothing more valuable than the notebook where I write and organize my garden knowledge, experience, data, and records.
Inside the journal I have notes on when I planted, harvested, watered, treated for pests, and added fertilizer. I keep diagrams of garden plans to refer to when planting, and I jot lists of flowers and veggies I’m curious to try. I paste in photos of my harvests and wide shots of my garden beds at each point of the season, so I can have a visual record of how much things have (or haven’t) grown over time. I schedule out dates to turn my compost pile (every six weeks), when to plant tulip bulbs (early November), and when to expect an arugula harvest (about 50 days after planting).
It really only take a few minutes a day to keep up with the record keeping. Yesterday I wrote:
High: 68/Low: 50 Partly Sunny
Salvia starting to bloom :)
Peas have blossoms
Roses near mailbox are blooming
Sprinkled Slug Magic around carrots
Harvested: Bowl of lettuce, first 2 turnips!
Seems like trivial info but if in a week, slugs have eaten my carrot seedlings, I can check my journal and see that it rained after I treated for slugs and I never re-applied. Or next month when I’m shopping for a perennial plant to fill in a spot near my salvia, I might choose something that will bloom in March so that I have color in that area before the salvia’s spiky, dark indigo blooms appear in early May.
The type of journal you use is totally up to you.
There are certainly digital tools for garden planning and record keeping on the market, but I’m partial to pen and paper for most of my record keeping. (I’ll explain some of my garden spreadsheets in a future blog.) The main reason is because it’s portable and I don’t mind getting it dirty. I don’t want to lug my laptop to the patio to refer to my garden plan or get soil and compost juice on my phone while fiddling to open an app. I think the paper looks good with dirt smudges on it. And with a paper journal, I get to add stickers. You’re never too old for stickers.
I use a disc bound system that is set up as a weekly planner. On the month-at-a-glance pages, I write down things I PLAN TO DO like turn compost, plant tomatoes, or spray thuricide to control cabbage months.
On the weekly spread I jot down notes of what I DID DO each day as I described above.
About once a month, I go through my photos and print out a few to paste in my journal, tape in plant tags of things I purchased at the nursery so I can refer to them later, and add in stickers and decoration cause I’m crafty like that.
The cool thing about a disc-bound system is that you can also add in more pages, which is great for keeping my lists, diagrams, and garden expenses all in one place.
This is the system I have created and evolved into over the past few years, but there are plenty of other methods. Below are a few options that are utterly basic and customizable, as well as some that are specifically designed for garden record-keeping and include seasonal tasks and inspiration.
The classic Moleskine weekly planner can be used pretty much the same way I have my journal set up. It’s just a bit more streamlined in its design.
If you want to go with a blank notebook and design your own system, try one with dot grid paper. This way you can create diagrams, calendars, and lists yourself using the guidance of the grid a la the bullet journal method.
Rather that being organized chronologically, this one is organized by plant, so that you keep all of your notes related to one plant on the same page. It also has a pocket to tuck in your seed packets or plant tags, gotta love that!
This is a cool journal that you can use for 5 years to compare your planting, harvesting, and tending dates and methods year over year.
For a bit more whimsy along with garden guidance, try this illustrated planner.
I’d really love to know your garden journalling system and process. Do you use any of the same methods or supplies that I do? Do you have recommendations for great garden planners or waterproof pens or super-cute stickers? Leave a comment and let me know what works for you.
