Thursday 12 June 2008

My Garden Journal


I had thought this blog would suffice as a journal for my allotment and garden. And it does, after a fashion but really I just need somewhere to jot down unremarkable but interesting-to-me-information like "sowed two pots of sweet basil".

So I've appropriated a Roald Dahl hardback notebook that I was saving for some random classmate's birthday. I love Dahl and as it's peppered with lovely quotes throughout I'll be encouraged to keep writing in it.

And believe me, I need all the encouragement I can get. I'm not really a "sticker". I'm not a quitter, more of a flitter and since having children I have developed the attention span of a gnat. It's a wonder this blog has kept going as long as it has.

I've listed all the seeds I sowed the other day at home, the repotting and planting out I did and then I remembered to list all my allotment jobs. It'll also be home to cuttings from the Sunday supplements, plans and ideas.

Do other people keep gardening journals (am I last to the party as ever)? I have previously toyed with the idea but thought it would be just another "To Do", plus there is always the very real possibility I'd lose it. Do other jotters write in it every year or just use it as a reference once they've got a year's worth of info? We keep one at the gardening club but it takes a while for me to transplant the ideas from there to home. I'm hoping it will also be a nice record for the autumn of my years.

3 comments:

  1. I'm like you - not good at sticking to things. I started a garden diary last year and managed it well particularly through the winter and early spring while I was waiting to do things and planning then the weather improved and I was so busy in the garden I didnt write in the diary until the autumn. I have done the same this year. I thought my blog would replace it but like you I think I want to start the diary again for thoughts etc which would be boring to anyone else. I have also started a seed sowing log in which I (if I remember) record what I sow, when, when it germinates, how successful, what compost I used etc. It was my attempt to be scientific but again I am struggling to keep up. Being at work all week by the time I get home, I often only stick my head in the greenhouse to see how my seeds are doing and then promptly forget while I cook tea. I will continue to strive to maintain these records though!!

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  2. Very nice blog. Beautiful garden.

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  3. I started the blog as a way of keeping stock of what is happening in the allotment and the garden, but it got a bit boring. I keep meaning to keep a written journal/diary, so I hope you keep at it - I think it would last 5 minutes with me, but it would help me when I come to think "what is this cultivar?"

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