I love having a vegetable garden, but it is not something that comes naturally to me. For the first few years of our marriage I attempted to grow gardens and the most I ever yielded was five berries. 

Eventually I got smarter and started putting in some research before I just dug a hole in the ground and stuck some seeds in it and the vegetables actually grew. 🙂

This year I bought some heirloom seeds, which I’ve never tried to grow before, so it will be another learning year for me, but I am excited to utilize our new property!

One of the biggest difference makers for me in finally achieving success with our garden, was to start keeping a garden notebook. I keep track of what I want to plant and when, what needs to be started indoors, and what can go directly into the ground, which zone we are in (we are actually between two zones), and what the last frost date is. That sounds like a lot, but it all fits on one page.

A Garden Notebook Should Include: 

• The last frost date for your area
• A list of all the seeds or plants you want to plant this year and dates for when to plant each 
• Identify which seeds need to be started indoors
• A shadow map of your house so that you know what areas of your yard get the most sun throughout the day 

I like to draw a shadow map whenever we move into a new house. That lets me see where shadow are throughout the day so that I can figure out the best place to plant the gardens for them to get optimal sunlight. I just draw a very quick sketch of the house several times throughout the course of a day and shade in where the shadows are. 

I tried to start this morning, but it is a cloudy day, so there really aren’t any noticeable shadows.

Here’s an example of what a very simple one might look like.  I try to have at least one example from the morning, mid-day, and afternoon. (The rectangle would represent your house.)

We were very busy over the weekend, so I haven’t gotten around to starting our indoor seeds. I’m planning to get to that within the next day or two. 

This will also be our first year starting seeds indoors. I’m expecting a steep learning curve!

Want to see more easy gardening tips?