I keep a journal of what I do and the effects that my actions have for just about everything in my hobby greenhouse. I don’t write like I am keeping a diary, I just write simple things about what I did; how I did it and then I write something about how my plants are growing at a particular time. I find that it is very helpful in remembering something that I wanted to do, and to remind me about something that I need too do yet.
Do you need to keep a journal? What are the benefits of keeping a journal about what you do in your greenhouse? Let’s talk a little more about your use of a journal and what you might write in it. My journal is a simple bound notebook that is bound with a spiral wire, just so that I don’t have papers flying around. I keep my garden notebook on the table where I do my potting where water isn’t used. Sometimes my book does get a little wet but the sun always dries it out. You can keep yours covered in a clear plastic bag, or a storage box with a lid if you use an overhead watering system in your greenhouse. I like to keep notes about flower and plant arrangements that I think of when I am gardening. Sometimes garden planning is done over a few months and I easily forget what it was I was thinking about doing so I just draw it out in my notebook to remind me. I also like to write down plants that I think about adding to my gardens, what color I want to buy and things like this. When I am working around in my greenhouse I also like to write down things I need. I only order from catalogs, or do my garden shopping, all at one time so that I can get the best deals on what I do have to buy.
Gardening is supposed to be cheap and I buy my tools, seeds, pots and everything as cheap as I can, or I find ways that I don’t have to spend money on what I get. I mean, you could spend hundreds of dollars on gardens, plants, vegetables etc, but if you truly want to take on the hobby of gardening you will want to save as money as you can to build gardens that are inexpensive and beautiful at the same time. Marking in my notebook, I keep track of when I planted certain seedlings, vegetable and cuttings so that I know whether I should be repotting, adding something special for a plant or when a plant might be ready to go outside. The days and weeks seem just to fly by and I might think that I have only had a particular plant in a pot for six months when it has really been in a small pot for a year. Remembering when you potted a plant can also be ‘remembered’ by writing the date on the stick you put in the pot with the plant. If you want to remember what garden plans you have been thinking about, what plants you want to buy, what kinds of gardening supplies you need to obtain yet or replenish then use a notebook in your hobby greenhouse for a better remembering system.