How to Make a Gardening Calendar

Despite a growing season that lasts only a few months, your gardening chores can easily extend all year long. If you plan ahead, you will see a larger harvest. By creating a gardening calendar, you not only organize your growing schedule, but also provide an easy method for tracking your soil preparation, pest management and fertilizer application.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spiral-bound weekly planner

1. Choose a large, spiral-bound planner with plenty of room to record all of your gardening plans and activities. During the winter months, you will need less room, but when planting and growing season is here, you will record many things in your calendar.

2. Determine your planting schedule by the variety of plants you will grow. Some seeds must germinate indoors during the winter months. Determine the date you will plant each variety (either indoors or outdoors) and record your plans in your calendar. When you actually do the planting, record the date, the conditions under which the plants were started and the name of each variety.

3. Organize your garden orders early in the year by recording the company you ordered from, the plants you selected, the price, item number and date you ordered. If your calendar does not have enough room for these records, write them on a separate piece of paper and staple them into your calendar on the date you placed the order. Mark your calendar when your order arrives and note the condition of the plants.

4. Attach a garden map to your calendar during the winter months when you have time to plan. Take some time to draw out a workable plan and make a copy for your records. Use your plan as a guide for soil preparation and for ordering seeds.

5. Create a garden legend chart at the back of your calendar if you plant a large variety of flowers or vegetables. By writing down all the plant names and giving them a number or an abbreviation, you can accurately record your planting and ordering schedule without writing the entire plant name each time. This is very helpful if you plant several varieties of the same plant.

6. Schedule your pest management and fertilizer applications. It’s often difficult to remember what fertilizer you used and when you applied it if you don’t record it. Track usage of every application and record the name of the product, which plants were treated and the amount used.

7. Track the progress of your garden. A very important but often overlooked record is that of your garden’s progress. Next year, you’ll look back to see the result of specific pest applications or the result of adding a soil conditioner. Successful gardening is a process of trial and error. By noting the success or failure of each plant, you create a plan for future success.

8. Include the dates when each plant bloomed and when fruits or vegetables were ready to harvest. If you’re tracking flowers, make sure you record bloom times and the plant’s reaction to dead-heading or other pruning methods.

Tips & Warnings

• Record every garden task on the day it occurs. It’s easy to fall behind if you wait a day or two before writing in your gardening calendar. Place it on your kitchen table with a pencil attached by a string to remind you to write in it every day.

[vallain]

on 6/26/2008 I use a notebook for this, but can see the advantages of a calendar.