How do you keep a track of your garden, ideas appreciated!

[Maarlia]

I'm awful at planting things, forgetting and digging the same space. I've tried sticking labels in the ground ( which seem to lose their print).

I also love to buy plants/take cuttings when on holiday and want to remember where and why I collected certain plants.

I guess I'm thinking a, electronic diary/journal and calendar where I can add photos. This would show where plants are, their journey of growth and give reminders of what I need to do.

Something free rather than paid.

Any suggestions appreciated, what do you do?

Insomuch as I do anything, A4 folder with names, out-of-the-ordinary cultural requirements and rough sketch map showing locations.

A five year diary with notes about what I did in the garden, weather, things in flower each week and a lot of photos, sorted by month.

What are you using to write on labels? Pencil on plastic doesn’t fade.

I used a ‘sharpie’.

Thanks for the ideas around a diary/journal, hard copy.

I was thinking electronic as I want to add photos overtime.( and don't have/use a printer)

This is the age old issue of just enough info to remember without making your garden into a hive of plastic labels.

I do two things. I keep all and I mean, all, labels from purchased plants and all old seed packets so I can refer to them later. The latest gets put on top. If I put them in the ground I lose them.

For permanent proper trees etc, once they are established and the label around the bottom comes off, I use large stones with paint and paint the variety onto the stone. Or I buy some of those slate labels, the big ones, and paint the variety onto that.

But mainly I try to call each plant it's name and variety regularly so that I can recite it to myself as I go round the garden. But if I need to know, I can pop to the main shed and get my stack of labels and packets to refer to.

Are you digging them up in the spring? I leave everything standing for the insects. I also put a short bamboo cane in next to the plant. When I weed and tidy up early spring, I can see where everything is. The old growth just snaps off or anything still dormant has a short cane.

Try one of the journaling apps, I use Day One, they have great features - youve given me the idea of adding a gardening section to mine but you could dedicate teh whole thing to gardening.

Great, I will have a look.

I've taken time today to research a little more.

I have just downloaded a diary app where I can add photos and notes against the date, so for instance today, photos of wild seeds planted and where they are located. I can also plan ahead, putting smite against seeds to be planted.

The RHS ‘my garden’ section is proving useful. I can research as I buy and plant, storing in ‘my garden’ through my log in.