As the garden settles into its winter rest, November invites us to pause, reflect, and take stock of the growing season behind us. The tools may be cleaned and the beds tucked in for winter, but one of the most rewarding garden practices continues long after the last harvest...garden journaling.
Keeping a garden journal is more than just recordkeeping; it’s a way to connect more deeply with your space, your plants, and your progress as a gardener. Here’s why it’s worth picking up that notebook (or app) as the frost settles in.
Why Keep a Garden Journal?
Track Progress and Successes: A garden journal helps you document the growth stages of plants, noting when they were planted, how long they took to sprout, flower, or bear fruit. It allows you to compare results from year to year and track which plants thrive in specific conditions.
Improve Future Gardening: By recording what worked and what didn’t, you can refine your gardening techniques. You’ll learn from past mistakes, such as planting too early, overwatering, or choosing plants not suited for your climate.
Identify Patterns: A journal helps you spot patterns, like which plants grow best in which areas of your garden, or which pests appear at certain times of year. This can guide future decisions on planting locations, pest control, or companion planting.
Soil and Weather Tracking: Recording soil conditions, amendments, and weather patterns helps you understand how these factors affect plant health. For example, noting rainfall, frost dates, or periods of drought will inform future watering schedules and frost protection.
Seed and Plant Inventory: Keeping track of seed types, varieties, and suppliers helps you remember what you liked and where to get it. It can also help you rotate crops and prevent planting the same crops in the same spot every year.
Garden Design and Planning: Sketching garden layouts and noting plant spacing or companion plants in your journal allows you to plan better each season. This is especially useful if you’re experimenting with different garden designs or optimizing small spaces.
Personal Enjoyment: A garden journal can be a creative outlet for reflecting on your gardening journey, celebrating small victories, and enjoying the beauty of nature. It serves as a personal record of your experiences and memories tied to your garden.
Problem Solving: If issues arise—such as pests, diseases, or poor yields—you can look back at your journal to see if similar problems occurred in the past and how you resolved them.
Reflecting in November
November is the perfect time to cozy up with a cup of tea and your garden notes. Flip through photos, seed packets, or scribbled sketches from the season. What grew beautifully? What surprised you? What do you want to try differently next spring?
Taking this time to reflect helps you appreciate the rhythm of the year—planting, tending, harvesting, resting—and see how far your garden (and you) have come.
Start Simple
You don’t need anything fancy to begin. A notebook, binder, or digital document will do. Jot down:
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Weather patterns and soil conditions
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What you planted and when
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Organic products or fertilizers used
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Bloom or harvest dates
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Successes, failures, and ideas for next year
Even a few sentences after each gardening day or month adds up to a treasure trove of insights.
Grow More Than Plants
A garden journal is a reflection of growth—in your soil, your plants, and yourself. As the season closes, take time to look back and celebrate what you’ve nurtured. Every note you take this winter helps you grow stronger roots for the year ahead.
