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| My collection of plant tags |
For the past five years, I’ve been saving every plant tag, receipt and invoice with plans to eventually set up a spreadsheet or start a garden journal. That has never happened though. Just too many plants, too little time.
With the New Year, though, I resolved to make a fresh start. I would take my bulging file folder with all that information and turn it into something useful. Surely there was a ready-made solution out there for me. I checked out several possibilities: bound journals, three-ring binder systems, computer software and on-line garden tracking services.
None of these turned out to be exactly what I wanted. Most were strong in some areas but weak in others. Many were pricey and/or not that user friendly. And the idea of spending even more time at the computer keyboard than I already do just wasn’t that appealing.
I'm a bit discouraged but a garden organizer still sounds like a good winter project. How else can I track which plants I have in my garden, especially when those baby bunnies nibble on my perennial geraniums? (Let's see. Was that a Rozanne or Johnson’s Blue?)
I’d also like to track bloom times, bulb locations, fertilization, pruning, pests and soil analysis/amendments. A “to do” list and a plant “wish list” would be nice as well.
So I’m now in the process of using Microsoft Word and Excel to create pages like those I found online.
If you're interested, check out the garden journal templates at gardensandcrafts.com and Hobby Farm. Other templates on the Web include Homestead Garden, Gardening Quick n Easy and Northern Gardening. The University of Illinois Extension has an especially nice garden journal page for kids. If you're a seed starter or vegetable gardener, there's Arbico Organics and Blue Boardwalk.
Wish me luck. If I get really ambitious, I may splurge on a customized three-ring binder. It all depends on how far I get before the first plants emerge this spring.
After that, all bets are off.
By Karen Geisler
14 comments:
Ah, yes, I know that dream of being completely organized some day. I've kept a garden spreadsheet for several years, but it's mostly been for keeping track of what's in bloom when in what part of the garden. A couple of years ago, it occurred to me to add a page with a plant inventory, and last year I started saving tags for newly purchased plants with the idea that I would scan them and add them to the plant listings in the inventory. How many tags have I scanned and entered thus far? Not a single one! (Sigh) Still, I can dream of getting completely organized. -Jean
Jean -- Well at least we have a plan and that's a good first step. I saw your post about your spreadsheet and really like the idea of color-coding the text to the flower color. Will have to try it if I ever get that far! -- Karen
I always wanted to catalog the garden plants, but never got around to it. It has changed so much through the years that the original drawings are of little help. Good luck!
I've been doing this for at least 15 years. I created my own sheet to keep track of my front and back yard gardens. I'll try to explain for my front garden. I have six garden plots in my front yard and numbered them 1 through 6. I hand drew the garden in the front on a large sheet of poster type paper. By the way, it has to be done in pencil! I simply draw a circle where a plant is in each of my plots. To keep track of all my plants I created a table with Microsoft Word with 5 columns across and about 28 rows down. Each column is labeled as follows: 1) number, 2) scientific name, 3) common name, 4) variety/color, and 5) when the plant was planted in the ground and how many of each plant (for example 5/11 x5, which means I planted that plant in May of 2011 and I planted 5 of them) . I ran off about 4 copies of this table. I numbered the rows 1 through 85 in the number column(I have a lot of plants). As I planted plants in the ground I gave each plant a number. I wrote that plant number in the circle on my drawing and then wrote the information about that plant on the line corresponding to my plant number. I also numbered the plant tag with the number in permanent marker. Over the years, as plants died or I dug them up because I didn't want them any longer, I simply erased that line on my sheet and erased the number from the circle on my drawing. Now that number was ready for a new plant and my drawing showed me an open spot. I took 6 zip lock type bags and numbered them 1-6 for each of my garden plots. I put the tag in the appropriate zip lock bag. All I have to do is look at my drawing, pick a number, and look at my sheet to see what the plant is. I know which plot the plant is in and if I want to retrieve the tag I know which zip lock bag the tag is in. I do the same for my back yard. I keep the drawing, the sheets, and the six quart size zip lock bags in a 2" expanding file jacket. One for the front and one for the back. When I go outside to work on my front yard I take my folder with me and everything I need is right there. If I bought 5 of the same plants I use the same number for each plant, not a new number for each plant. It's really an easy method of keeping track of your plants and keeping all the tags in some semblance of order.I don't have to sit down at the computer. I do everything in pencil and have extra erasers on hand. Like I said, I've been doing it this way for at least 15 years. You just have to make sure you take your folder with you when you work in your garden and be faithful about numbering plants right away.
Thanks GardenWalk. And thanks Faith. Great system! And you've done it for 15 years?! Fantastic! You sound even more organized than my mother, and that's saying a lot.
I use a three ring binder for the original tags and information. Makes it possible to add on. Plus the Blog postings really are helpful for me. They are my present form of journaling the garden and I get to share that with others. Hope this is a help to you as you organize your garden materials and tags. Jack
Color-coding does sound like a great idea!
Thanks Jack. I'm definitely planning to use a three-ring binder.
Not only do I wish you luck, but please let us know how you do. Like you, I have folders and tins filled with labels and tags and seed packets -- all with the best of intentions to get it organized. If only I didn't have to go to a job each day.
Thanks for these wonderful resources. I, too, have my plant tags scattered about and have often thought I should organize them. I especially want to organize them when I am looking for one. :)
I second that emotion. Thanks.
thanks
Organizing a garden is always a fun thing to do. Also selecting the right plants will help your garden and landscape remain healthy and grow with abundance. The care that it receives will benefit you later.
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