Making a diary

[Hazel at the Hill]

Digger you've given me food for thought there - I like the idea of recording temp....I'm thinking that I'll have to sort out an Access database rather than excel.....hmm project for the future, I think - for now, the spreadsheet will do the job. Might adapt it in due course so that it has a 'sown undercover' and 'transplanted' column, but it's ok for now, I think,

If anyone does think that my plan might work for them, pm me your email and I'll whizz a copy over!

[Earthbabe]

You've all given me food for thought as at the mo I just write down date and what I planted plus the moon phase if I think about it.

Hmmmm more computer work. Something to do in the winter methinks along with the planting plan, the bed plan, the seed buying etc. etc. etc. Just as well I can touch type then.

[Flummery]

Sad old sack that I am, I just label with the date of sowing and then stick the info in my 'garden diary' - the blog. That was the point of it. I can put pics in too. I don't get too bogged down with yeilds etc. I want to know when I sowed or planted and when I ate the first produce. Mainly I want to compare seasons and to remind myself what to sow when I get even more forgetful than I am now. Who are you?

[Dobby]

I now use the
http://www.google.com/calendar

[pigletwillie]

I use a page a day diary, its quick, simple and can be read in bed on those winter mornings that are spent planning the forthcoming campaign.

[borage]

I've got an index book and record sowings, germination etc in that so it's alphabetical.

Spead sheet sounds great but I am not very good with them.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Interesting this - horses for courses, isn't it, grapes? And whatever works ...

I'm 'office based' and use a pc daily for organising (haha! loose term that!) my business stuff, so for me the spreadsheet is just an extension of that.

in fact, I'm surprised that there hasn't been a 'package' sold for gardeners pc's - I mean, we've only been thinking about this for about 3 minutes and we have the basis of a data base which we can package and sell... only downside is that I'll have to split the royalties with you 'orrible lot!

And for any grapes who think that I've smugly got this diary plan sorted, take a peek at me every Sat morning before going to the Hill in the lounge where I surround myself with all the seed packets from out of the snap-lid biscuit tin and sort the array of packets all around in a monster varient on '52 card pickup' and select the luck luck lucky winners who are going to be sown today...........!

[Flummery]

And if you're as big a dipstick as I am, you then find a seed packet that should have been sown 2 months ago! This is where 'What I did today' on the grapevine has kicked me into reality several times.

[Digger-07]

Hazel - there is a package for PC's.

It's called plotcrop and can be found at www.wys-systems.demon.co.uk

I have started to use it but think it's a bit complicated for me.

[TEB]

Microsoft Online templates also do various templates for different Office Applications that can then be customised http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/te...s/default.aspx use the search feature (some hits with "garden" and "plants" search phrase)

[Cutecumber]

I have a notebook - I write the date, the weather, temperatures, any unusual things that are happening, and then I put three little summaries of what I have done (when appropriate), sowed, planted, harvested. I write notes to myself for next year, too, so when i read back I remember not to repeat certain mistakes. So far I have about five years in one book, so it's really good to be able to go back.

I am keen to do something on the PC, as it's easier to organise and search, but to be honest, the notebook (as long as you express things clearly and in a regular pattern) is perfectly adequate.

[Bex]

I've got a Yuppie filofax that I make a note of date sowed, date planted out and date first crop eaten. Also any significant failures.

[JennieAtkinson]

We had a bit of discussion about Excel spreadsheets during the winter, so with a bit of spare time I set one up. Worked out all my planting times, etc. going through each packet of seed. What I had completely forgotten was how bloomin cold it still was in April and couldnt possibly sow any seeds!

My plan for the "allotment in the field" didn't work out too well either as I went to plant the corn in the polytunnel the other day in their "alloted" place only to find that I had placed them in the smallest height bit of the tunnel. Doh!

So plans are great but you have to be flexible. Christmas before last my friend bought me a Victorian Writing Journal. Fancy title on a large A5 book with blank pages. So I kept a written diary last year of eveything I did. Stuck in photographs etc. and I've done the same this year, but looked back to see what I was doing and comparing dates, temperatures, etc. It has worked well ......... and one day my kids might be interested in it!

[Bex]

I would love to be totally organised and have everything computerised but sometimes it just seems to much effort to put the computer on. I work on one all day you see.