Wednesday, January 2, 2013

"She Planteth" ~ An Inspirational Gardening Journal Printable


In the very beginning, God established the garden as our only food source. In the last century, we have strayed from this concept and have found that (behind our backs) seeds are being manipulated, chemicals are sprayed by the gallons and much of the store bought food is no longer the Eden it should be for our bodies.

Thankfully, the truth is spreading and many people are getting back to their "roots". Some have always been fascinated with growing their own produce while others are just beginning to dabble in the dirt. No matter where you are in your gardening journey, it helps to have an organized place to record all your notes, lists and needs. Would you like to create a gardening journal? Think of it as your own personal almanack!



We are offering our Regency inspired printable for those of you who appreciate simple systems. There are many wonderful, detailed and computerized programs out there, but this is for the plain-Jane folks :) I noticed that if I keep things basic in my life, then I actually follow through with my plans.

List of recommended supplies:


For someone like myself (a novice), a journal like this is a motivation! It helps me to stay focused and remember what needs to be done and when. Life can get busy and months can go by until you finally realize that the time to sow a certain seed has already passed! Once you have your journal for the first year established, the following years will be a breeze as you adjust your notes and begin to fine-tune your operation.



This binder system is set up and tabbed in monthly increments. The printable includes a cover page insert, spine label insert, gardening pages organized by month and a back cover page insert.



Some suggestions for using this journal:
  • Record what seeds should be planted (indoors and outdoors) in the proper month in the "A Time to Plant..." section provided for in each month. 

  • Record which and when specific garden chores should be done in the "To Do List/Notes" section in the appropriate month. This would also be the place to comment on pest problems/solutions, frost dates/weather patterns, transplanting dates/first fruits, etc. 
  • Another idea would be to print out (or clip out of magazines) informative articles and include these in your journal for guidance. For example, the March "To Do" List for Gardeners that Deep Roots at Home posted would be helpful for your "March" section. For August, you can print out their "What to do in August?" list and file that behind the "August" tab. September is the time to prepare the fall garden and you might want to include a copy of this post in your journal as well. I think you get the idea! 

  • Sketch out your spring/summer and fall/winter gardening plans and include these in your journal. The following year, these drawings can help you to rotate your plants accordingly to maximize your harvest. 

  • Perhaps there are some gardening projects that you want to attempt. Here is a great place to store these ideas (behind the "Garden Projects" tab found at the end of the printable). When you need some inspiration, flip through your binder! 


Either way you utilize your gardening journal, my hope is that it will encourage you to grow your own food and feed your family in the same way our dear, great-grandparents, Adam and Eve did.



Note: January/February is a good time to order seed catalogs since you have those cozy moments to reflect and dream indoors. Here is a good place to gather some gardening inspiration and information to start the new year off with purpose. Here you will find some great reasons for planting a garden.

"She considereth a field, and buyeth it:
with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard."
~ Proverbs 31:16

Simply download from HERE and print. Please let me know if you have any problems printing.

You may also be interested in our other (printable) organizational tools: "Good Steward Record Binder", "Inspirational Recipe Book", Pantry Labels, Laundry Room Labels, and/or a Baking Basics Jar Set. Artwork for this project was provided by The Graphics Fairy, Reading, Roses & Prose along with lovely drawings by Kate Greenaway. 

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making MondaysModest Mom Monday'sMonday's MusingsGood Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a TwistRaising HomemakersWise Woman Link UpHomestead Blog Hop Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and ConversationHomemaking ThursdaysHome Sweet HomeOur Simple HomesteadAwesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

20 comments:

  1. What a lovely idea! Thanks so much for providing us with this garden journal. I'm off to print it and find a binder. :o)

    Sandra
    Ravenhill Cottage

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I appreciate you letting me know! Thanks for sharing here :) and I hope it works out well for you!

      Delete
  2. This looks great! I need this for the whole farm!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jess, this is just precious! Lord willing I will have a small container garden this year... It's very cold, and harsh up on the mountain where I live with very little sun... So, I'm a little nervous, but this is sweet inspiration! Thank you and Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sure there are some plants that will appreciate that habitat. We used to live in the hot dessert and managed to squeeze out a decent garden if that gives you hope ;) Let me know how it goes!

      Delete
  4. What a lovely way to plan your garden! I am also sharing about planning your summer garden over at my blog today. The turn of the year always makes me excited about summer...even though we are several months away from it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Time flies so fast, spring will arrive in no time :)

      Delete
  5. That looks fascinating!

    I am trying to learn to garden. I had a go last year but sparrows, greenfly, and a flood meant that only the courgettes grew!

    This year I am determined to be organised! x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great idea! I love this! Thanks so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like your approach to the simple journal and wanted to download it, but had trouble. Not sure where or why. Anyway, take care.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I am sorry to hear that? Would the program not let you? I am wondering what the problem was? I would be more than glad to email you a copy if you send a request to me at pleasewritetojes@hotmail.com. Thanks for letting me know :)

      Delete
  8. What a delightful idea, sweet JES. I wonder if it would help with my gardening skills {{smiles}}

    It's always a joy to have you at Roses of Inspiration. Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  9. How beautiful, JES! Thanks for sharing such a lovely planner, we loved seeing at From The Farm and of course, so did everyone else! It's one of this week's favorites! Hope to see you again this week!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh I love this Journal! Now if I could just figure out what to plant when! Like what to start indoors and when. Also when to move them outside.This planner is simply perfect,thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  11. How pretty I love this. I would love to make for a friend. Thanks for sharing it again! Feel free to come and link at The Fabulous January Party!
    http://ourholidayjourney.blogspot.com/2017/01/january-fabulous-tidy-up-link-party.html

    ReplyDelete
  12. Very nice printables... and as always, they are beautiful. Thank you for sharing this. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I can't get access to the printables. I've tried to download them and I get a request to access from Google Drive prompt. I requested to access them but I haven't heard back from anyone. Is there anyone who could help? Thanks, Katie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so sorry about that! Somehow along the way, I think Google did updates that locked my printables. I have tried to fix it. Please let me know if it works now :)

      Delete