I inadvertently create a garden journal via my posts in my blog, on Facebook, and on YouTube. Because all three of these platforms have excellent search resources, I can find when I do almost everything I do in my garden, how I do it, and why. During the winter, as I begin my garden inside, and throughout the year, I check my past garden posts regularly, and I also create new posts pertinent to that  day and year. 

This happened yesterday, after I noted that my starter Sun Sugar tomato plant arrived with blooms. I searched my blog posts and discovered that my Sun Sugar Tomatoes behave similarly last year;

Sun Sugar Cherry Tomato A Sweet Treat & The Earliest to Produce in My Garden

As I recalled why I purchased Sun Gold Tomatoes, I recalled my posts about the BHG Children’s Garden:

After I recalled my children’s garden posts, I was reminded of my Heavenly Blue Morning Glories that I always plant along with the Sun Gold Tomatoes — because of their complementary colors. In a snap, I discovered all my posts about my Morning Glories, and I created another https://jackikellum.com/heavenly-blue-morning-glory-an-annual-vine-to-create-a-secret-garden-direct-sow-in-summer-planning-my-garden-in-winter/post about the same. I did all of this yesterday:

Heavenly Blue Morning Glory – An Annual Vine to Create a Secret Garden – Direct Sow in Summer – Planning My Garden in Winter

My online posts about my garden are essential for me, but this year, I’ll create a DIY journal that I’ll keep in the garden area of my house.

I find that purchased journals do not allow me enough space. I need a lot of extra writing pages that I can insert wherever I want, Honestly, I believe that the most cost-effective way to create a journal is to buy a binder refill with calendar. You can opt either for the smaller A5 Binder or an 8.5 x 11 Binder and buy a refill package for that size. You can buy a black & white or color refill  package, which includes a calendar and additional pages. The cost for this set is $9.95. 

For extra notes, I can use standard notebook paper that I can buy from the dollar store.

To make this system seem to be more garden-official, I have bought a set of 2 binders from Aesthetic on Amazon. The binders come in other colors, but I have opted for the Sage and Beige Set:

I’ll use one of the two binders to house the seed packets that I buy:

I’ll also record my creative blurts in my journal,  During a recent ice storm, i jotted down the following thoughts:

“Little shards of sleet fell upon the frozen ground. A mockingbird greeted me at my back door. Chittering chinks of ice filled the air.” Jacki Kellum

As I listened to the sleet plinking all around me, I was moved. I knew that an important time of my year was about to happen–the time to lie fallow–or to at least shift gears.

Winter is a time of lying fallow. It is a time of rest, but it is not a time to forget about nature. Even during winter, nature has a song.

The mpre that I expound, the quicker I’ll fill my initial set of journals.

That is okay, I’ll just buy more binders and more dollar store notebook paper. The main reason to DIY your own journal is that you have all the room you need to grow.