Garden and Allotment Calendar/Plan

[Dynamite]

Hi there everyone. I am currently using a "day per page" A5 diary in order to write down and plan my planting, seed sowing and jobs for the year. I am finding that a day per page is maybe too much. Most jobs I do have to be on a weekend anyway due to employment.

This got me thinking.........I wonder what other Forum members with more experience than I have do for their planning.

Does anyone use diaries, charts, calendars, diaries etc etc.

Kind Regards..........Rob

[vixylix]

I use a journal - so I can make notes, write lists of things to do etc and I refer back to it all the time (it is covered in soil!)

I have a spreadsheet too, which holds ALL the information

[Jungle Jane]

I just do a month by page,so you have the whole month to do everything,it's really relaxed

[Tripmeup]

A diary and a blog of sorts if I can remember to update it

[Thelma Sanders]

I found that by the time I get to April/May one page per week just isn't enough, so in a normal diary a week's worth of pages come in handy

[Cadalot]

Take a look at my Diary/ Blog and plans for each of my allotment and sowing, planting and harvesting plan here Alans Allotment: Sowing & Planting Plan

[Lumpy]

What do you mean a plan?

Oh I got it - to keep track of everything you do etc....................I feel a new years resolution coming on for 2018

[Penellype]

Various spreadsheets, documents and lists, plus vast numbers of pieces of paper that defy filing, with to do lists and ideas, some of which get put into practise and some don't.

The main spreadsheet has a list of which crops I am going to start each month, where it is going and when I expect to harvest it, plus the sowing date last year, and this year's date is added when its done. There is also a list of areas of the garden and pots (I have over nearly 50 30 litre buckets plus various other containers) showing which plants are going where and when - this is useful for planning what is following what, where the containers are going to go, and making sure I have enough spaces when required. There is a page for a monthly joblist too, so I can see at a glance when to order nematodes or prune the currant bush etc.

Each variety has a file, which means that I have a folder (on the computer) with every variety I am growing this year listed in alphabetical order. Older varieties no longer used are filed under the year I last used them so I can go back and see what happened to them. The idea is to note down everything about that crop from sowing date, through germination to harvesting, which compost, feed and protection or support it had and any problems. I don't always remember, but I try to update each straight away when I have done something to it.

There is a further list of which container contains what compost and what it has grown for the past couple of years, so that I don't plant carrots in compost that had carrots last year or potatoes in compost that had potatoes in recently. The buckets are numbered which makes life somewhat easier.

Keeping track of the compost is MUCH harder than planning the seed sowing and planting!

My gardening has been described as a "military operation", so maybe I do go a little ott sometimes...

[veggiechicken]

I found that by the time I get to April/May one page per week just isn't enough, so in a normal diary a week's worth of pages come in handy

By the time I get to April I've forgotten all my good intentions, diary, plans............

[johnjohn]

As far as planning timings is concerned I used to use this spreadsheet that was written by Samurailord who used to post on here, it's good because it has dates to sow undercover as well as outdoors:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bzlq...FEcHd1MlE/edit

It's taken from this thread here that has some other bits you might find useful:
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...dar_69843.html

As far as putting a plan together I have a drawing of the plot on excel and just overwrite where I'm rotating stuff to at the beginning of each year.

As I plant or sow I keep a copy of everything that I have done in evernote on my phone and that syncs automatically with my pc so I always have a record but I also write it up into a journal that the kids buy me for Christmas every year. I also keep a record of frost dates in the front cover for future reference.