Keep a garden notebook

A notebook will enable you to keep an accurate garden record across numerous years. I began keeping one when I got my first home in 1984,• Work on two pages at once. Write in planting details on the left page, then monitor progress on the right page. This helps keep all your notes together for each crop you grow.• Be sure to write down any special details like the source of the seed, varietal name, conditions at the time of planting, and what soil preparation you undertook first. This will help you compare the variables that may have affected the success of each crop.• At least once monthly, go around all the crops you have listed with the book in hand and add notes on their progress.• At the end of each growing season, review your notes and write a short summary. Compare it with last year’s summary. Was this a good season? What did well and what lessons have you learned?• Keep records of where and when you made compost, applied seaweed, planted cover crops, and so on.• Also you can record special events like a drought or hailstorm, and other information like dates when you planted new fruit trees or pruned them.