I think that record-keeping is really valuable. Gardening makes you observe and experience your environment - the seasons, the weather etc, but if you write stuff down you will remember more and can learn more from it. Or that's my experience of it. I've been gardening for many years, but I'm learning so much more this way.

I tried to keep notes in a notebook in the past, but I always forgot to keep up with it. I finally decided to try doing my garden notes in a blog. That worked surprisingly well. I seem to remember to write things down more easily, possibly because I'm already in the routine of turning on the computer every night and checking emails etc.

I record when I plant things and what I'm eating mostly. I usually forget to record rainfall, and I don't yet have an outside thermometer, but I do make notes on the weather, and particularly the wind direction. Occasionally other people read it, but it is mostly there as a record for me.

The link is below. It seems pretty easy to set up a blog this way - I thought it would be difficult which put me off for some time, but it actually wasn't.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden diary

I save my seed order receipts in a binder and make notes beside the variety. For those transplants that I buy (broccoli seedlings, onion sets) I just write at the bottom of the receipt about those. The record keeping is just on varieties, satisfaction with the vegetable, and success/failure. We keep rainfall and temperature records for our bees, so I can look that up if needed.
I'm not one for sitting and writing when I could be out weeding and picking. However, the sparse notes that I do keep are helpful in selecting what to plant next season.

Jekyll it's springtime for you, how wonderful! i enjoyed having a look at your blog and like the way you 'verb'.

How long have you been keeping the blog? Is it easy or difficult to search for archived information? How many years can be archived? Did you use a special program?

Marling you sound like a model of efficiency! i tried a similiar system with roses/ornamentals but have trouble staying on top of it. i wouldn't have guessed that it would be important for bee keepers to track rainfall, interesting. May i ask what kind of thermometer you use?

We have an outdoor thermometer hanging by the entrance to the barn so it isn't in direct sunlight, and is somewhat protected from rain. I can't remember offhand the brand, but we bought it at our local Ace Hardware (my husband says it would have been easier just to go to the hardware and buy a farm from them in one fell swoop rather than piecemeal as we are doing now!).
And thank you--no one has ever called me a model of efficiency. I've been called lots of other things, but this is a first!

I keep an excel spreadsheet. In it I have a seed-bank/plant list of seed stored in the fridge and plants I have, and I try to keep track of germination percentages. There is a column for comments for each year.

Also I have a page for a journal, with the date on the left column, weather next (only if it's noteworthy, hot, frost, high rainfall...), comments (X emerged, Y flowered), Activity (tilled bed Z, Planted A, cooked B with C), harvest, and reminders. The reminders section will have dates or date ranges for planting, transplanting, ect and is the only part to get filled in advance.

Another page is where I try to put in what I spend on stuff.

Last is a wishlist of plants I've seen online or in other folks gardens to keep an eye out for.

Excel is nice because it's easy to add columns for more information, you can do complex cut/paste, and you can sum up columns.

I have just started again, but now I am using my Genealogy program as I can create anythting I want and need there, plus it is so easy to store photos as well. I just create new "fact types" to work with my needs. I found it can also be used for other needs also as long you do a little planing and create as I said "fact Types" But then that is me as I do a bit of genealogy also and so I don't need to go somewhere else to find and see what I have created. And the cost can be free if you find one of those programs that are free for download.
Paul

Bet those genealogy programmers never guessed you'd be using their software to track the progress of your garden Paul ; )

Another page is where I try to put in what I spend on stuff.
That's one thing i'm not planning to keep records on PS! Otherwise good suggestions on things to keep track of.

Thanks for the feedback marlin. i'm thinking it might be nice to find a thermometer that records the high and low temps for the past 24 hours. i've never seen a thermometer like that but they must make one...

I use 2 ways to keep records. I keep the hard data in Excel spreadsheet and the thoughts and comments in a beautiful garden journal my daughter gave me several years ago. I find the data helpful in remembering what was successful and what was not but the journal reminds me of all the joy of gardening, and some of the distress, too.

I record the variety planted, date planted, date transplanted for those not direct seeded, germination date, and first picking date. I haven't put the pricing into the spreadsheet but keep receipts. Believe it or not, I get far more back from the garden than I spend. Some things are carried long term, like the boards for a raised bed, but the annual expenses are usually recouped by early summer by the value of the produce I harvest.

I keep track of rainfall for watering purposes but don't record it. General weather patterns usually make up some of the comments in the journal.

Looking back over the journal and other records is pleasant in the winter. It helps plan next year's garden and is a warm reminder of summer days in a cold and dreary season.

Sandy

Keeping my "model of efficiency" reputation--here is a site that has a high-low outdoor thermometer for about $35.
www.weatherequipment.com/taylor_thermometers.htm

There are more expensive ones, but those are designed for weather stations and tell humidity, etc. The above site has quite a few to choose from.
Since we get up at 5 am, I am the "low" temperature taker, and my husband takes the "high" in midafternoon. We are NOT high-tech!

My records are somewhat scimpy by any standard. My one detailed record is my garden layout and the location/dates (started, transplanted or sown) of each variety. This is the foundation of my crop rotation and kept for every year.

There is a rain guage in the garden that visually guides me to moisture needs. I use Rainbird drip irrigation.

My only amendment is cured compost that I amke myself with four bins. It is applied in spring and fall with some sidedressing over the growing season.

My only other records are seed trades and sources.

If ever I decide to certify as organic I do have all the forms and data sheets essential for total record keeping. I am content at present with the barest of records.

I got an outdoor thermometer from wal-mart that stores the day's min/max for $7. It's got suction cups to stick to your window. There is another one in my greenhouse and I've noticed that the GH thermometer reads a couple degrees lower at night than the window one when the GH door is open, so I think the temperature of the window causes it to read a little warm at night.

I've tried all the all the above without success, excel is too dull and you have to switch the computer on, by them I've forgotten half of what I recorded in my head, tried a book, and binder but same thing, took them outside to record at time of observation, got involved and left them out in rain and sun.... Blogging is one of my more successful ventures but even that dried up in April?? I was getting feed back but not much... recently I hit on my answer for the fundamentally lazy and needy of back up and info gardener, I searched myself on this forum, one night and just saved each thread, it's not scientific and has big gaps, obviously but in doing it, I have pin pointed a some key things to concentrate on next year.
Also a lot of my problems where 4 yr old twins who constantly removed stakes and replaced them elsewhere, I am the Scobby Doo of the plant world with all my mystery plants :-)

All I did this year was photograph my garden frequently in spring and early summer. At the end of the year I sort of note some "lessons learned" as I'm cleaning things up and getting fall crops in. As they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words, and I intend to look back through this year's photos as I'm planning and planting the 2010 garden.

Lots of ideas here, guess i'll borrow a few and see what sticks. Thanks everyone!