Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: adri123 on October 06, 2013, 19:48

Title: Remembering successes and failures?
Post by: adri123 on October 06, 2013, 19:48

Hi

I'm about to start back veg gardening again after a break.

This time I want to be more meticulous about record keeping etc.

I wonder if there's any nice and efficient way of recording when a variety was planted and how well it did.  I suppose just a jotter book with date/variety and then subsequent comments on suitability for the plot would do the trick but I'm interested to know if others have a better system.

Thanks for any comments

Adri

Title: Re: Remembering successes and failures?
Post by: mumofstig on October 06, 2013, 20:11

You could always start a forum diary  ;)
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?board=37.0

I keep my allotment plan and quite a few notes in an Excel file - it works for me. You just need to find something you are comfortable with doing regularly.
It's no good setting up a file on your puter if you're much happier with a notebook and pencil  :nowink:

Title: Re: Remembering successes and failures?
Post by: adri123 on October 06, 2013, 20:18

Thx Mum.

Apart from sending the odd email you regret the morning after and browsing allotment forums I've not much time for 'puters. 

Have to be a notebook and pen then.

Thanks.

Adri

Title: Re: Remembering successes and failures?
Post by: solway cropper on October 06, 2013, 22:38

I use a spreadsheet and a notebook....belt and braces.

Title: Re: Remembering successes and failures?
Post by: Kristen on October 07, 2013, 10:45

Spreadsheet for me too. Columns for

Variety, Date  of Planned & Actual Sowing, Planted, First harvest, Last harvest and Qty of plants / row length, Comment.

I use the dates to plan for next year what can follow what, and plant the same Qty again unless the Comment says "Too much" / "Too few" :)

Comments column also records what the family thought about a particular variety.

Spreadsheet, for me at least, makes it easy to copy last years, adjust the Planned sowing date and Qty as appropriate and clear the other columns ready for the new season.

I have a separate Notepad file that has sections for the 12 months, and then sub-sections for dates 1-7, 8-14 etc. in which I note "Order garlic", "Prune roses", "Bring hose in for the winter" and the like.