When we think of gardening tools, we often think of hand tools like pruners, trowels, small spading forks or rakes, or maybe one or the more specialized tools like a Cobrahead or an Asian hand plow.
Or perhaps you are drawn to something larger. I have a fabulous upright weeder that I just draw toward me. It’s a small, specialized hoe, really, with a cutting blade on the inner edge. The handle is about 7 feet long. It requires a bit of precision to use.
Yet of all these tools, my very favorite is something that I use daily, 365 days a year. I just received my third copy at Christmas.
It’s a 10 year Gardener’s Journal. You can see the new copy, and my “old” copy, which I am about to finish, side by side in the above photo.
Here’s what the inside of the new one looks like so you can see why I write in it–and record the weather–daily.
But it’s so much more than that, since as you can see, the old one is twice as thick as the new.
I staple receipts from my plant purchases in there. I may staple larger plant tags as well on the design pages.
I will also insert notes to myself for the next season like “don’t buy anymore tomato seeds,” or “need bean seeds this year,” or “bean pole finials stored in potting shed this year.” You get the idea.
I will begin my third decade gardening with this system January 1. It definitely works for me. But even if this system is not for you, I highly recommend some sort of garden record keeping.
Gardendaze 