Start the year off ‘write’ in the garden
The new year approaches, and now is the time to do some planning, plotting and promising when it comes to your garden.
It’s cold and damp out, and no one but the most devoted gardener really wants to be out working in their yard. If you’ve played your cards right, you don’t need to be. Take advantage of the weather and the general slowdown that winter brings. Cozy up in a comfy chair, read some gardening books, peruse seed catalogs and start planning for the new year.
If you don’t have a garden journal, rush out right now and get one. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A looseleaf notebook, some lined paper and some grid paper will work just dandy.
Start out by sketching your yard and marking your beds. You should label them so you know which ones you’re talking about. Next, make an inventory of all your plants and, if you can remember, note when they were planted.
From now on, every time you add or remove a plant, enter the information in your journal. You’ll thank us later.
Your journal should be focused on keeping track of your plants, but also your activities and your results. Do you remember the last time you pruned that shrub? How about when you fertilized your citrus trees? Write it down, and then you don’t need to remember.
As gardeners, we love to try growing new plants. Use your journal to track your movements. If you had success, you’ll have a recipe for growing another of that variety. If you failed, you’ll be able to figure out what not to do next time.
Keeping a journal also will help in the vegetable garden when it comes to rotating your crops.