I have bought myself a shiny new notebook. I love new books. As the blank pages call out to me I always vow and declare I will use my very best handwriting and I won’t dog-ear the pages! By the end – if it doesn’t get abandoned along the way, it’s usually in such a state, barely recognisable from the pristine condition it was when it came into my possession. But this one was chosen specifically for its ability to absorb a little dirt and become “rustic” as is fulfils its duty as my gardening note book, destined to live in the shed.
No longer will there be notes scribbled on seed packets or grubby scraps of paper containing vital information turned into paper mache within the pockets of the freshly laundered gardening apparel, or even worse – ideas tucked into the leaking sieve of my head with full intentions of being remembered for future reference, only to be completely forgotten forever moments later. This way if I have anything remotely interesting to record I shall be able to briefly stop what I am doing and pop into the shed – without even taking my boots and gloves off, jot it down and then get back to it with the minimum on disruption to the gardening experience!
So I shall use this wee book in an experimental way to see if this year it actually adds any value. I am going to record the details of each crop in an alphabetical way instead of the traditional chronological way of a diary. For example, if I have something to say about carrots ( although I don’t imagine there will be much to say about carrots as they are actually quite boring) then I will turn to the C section and flick across to the carrot page and add it to the wealth of information I would have already placed there.
Now don’t get me wrong, a gardening diary is also very useful for things like when seeds were sown and when things should be harvested, and what the weather was like etc, but for that random pieces of wisdom (generally gained through a bad experience, although sometimes coming about through a pleasant surprize) that isn’t really specifically related to any particular date but just needs to recorded somewhere to prevent it’s unfortunate re-occurrence, then I think my wee note book will become a precious possession when it comes to understanding the quirks and nuances of gardening in my veggie patch.
While general information can – and will – be gleaned from the many, many gardening books and magazines I have collected, I hope my notebook will be my voice of wisdom and reason in the seasons to come!
Come again soon – as I fill in the notebook with this seasons “don’t ever do again” and “wonder what I did so I can repeat it” I’ll keep you posted.
Sarah the Gardener : o )