Now is the season for thinking about next year’s garden. While you’re flipping through seed catalogs and trying to remember what worked (and what didn’t) last year, why not do something to make future garden planning a little bit easier?

A garden journal is an amazing resource for the home gardener. Use this handy little diary to keep records of everything about your garden, including what you plant, when you plant and where you plant. After one season you’ll be hooked!

A three-ring binder is a great way to keep all the gardening information you need in one place. Use tabs to divide your journal into sections by season. Also include sections named “Problems/Solutions” and “Ideas/Reference.” Place a few sheets of loose leaf paper in each section and add trading card sleeves in each of the seasonal divisions—these sleeves are an ideal size for seed packet storage! Attach a pencil on a string to the binder, so you’ll always have something to write with.

Use your garden journal as you would any other journal. Date your entries and make notes about planting dates, plant quantities, watering and fertilizer frequency, harvest dates and all other garden details. Take photographs of the garden to save as a layout record.  Note frost damage and protection and pest or disease issues in the “Problems/Solution” section. Keep interesting magazine articles, tips from fellow gardeners or new plants you’d like to try in the “Ideas/Reference” area. This fabulous resource can also provide a fun way to pass on gardening tips to the younger generation.

Get in the habit of making entries every time you work in the garden and reviewing journal sections before planting anything new. By the time you’ve finished journaling the spring garden season, you may wonder how you ever got by without it.