Inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s detailed, multi-faceted garden book, I started a garden journal last year. Like most of my projects, my aspirations were slightly greater than the finished project. I did, however, manage to create a colorful (and slightly muddy!) version of my summer as a gardener. Here’s what I put in my journal:
1. A layout of my garden plot: I drew a grid to the approximate scale of my present garden. This year, I will probably just cut out a square of graph paper and glue it on the journal page, as my grid squares weren’t always exactly square!
2. A list of plants that grow well together. I consulted a couple of online sites to get a general idea of companionable plants:
http://www.ufseeds.com/Vegetable-Companion-Planting-Chart.html
http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/26-plants-you-should-always-grow-side-by-side
3. Shopping lists:
• Gardening tools and/or equipment
• Plants
• Soil boosters and fertilizers
• Potting soil
• Gardening/crafting books
4. A few pages dedicated to significant weather events and/or trends (rainfall amounts, extreme temperatures, etc.)
5. A planting log: I dedicate a page to each kind of seed I plant. I like to cut the label from the seed bags or the pictures from seed packets to show exactly what I planted for that season. I also list other information on the page such as where I bought the seeds, planting dates, whether I started the seeds indoors or outdoors, when the seeds germinated, and the results of the harvest.
While I will likely never reach the heights of Mr. Jefferson’s agrarian chronicles, I am enjoying keeping track of my garden adventures. The older I become, the more I enjoy linking the pieces of my life together. Gardening, writing, and journaling make an uplifting combination of “favorite things.”
