Like bmoser, I use a spreadsheet. Main folder shows the yearly Fall and Spring layouts. It includes current/active garden, future/planned garden, and historical garden information. I just keep adding rows to the spreadsheet. A second folder shows Notes (things to remember). Other less-used folders contain spacing distances in inches for a given # of plants in my rows, seeding dates (which I don't keep up with anymore), conversions for # seeds per oz, g, tsp, etc.. As an example....I have a row based rectangular garden which is 28.5 ft by 78 ft. The most used folder would be the one showing the garden layout. The top 30 spreadsheet rows show the future planned Fall 2014 Garden layout. Rows 31 through 60 show the current Spring 2014 Garden layout, Rows below show past yearly Fall/Spring Garden layouts. The garden layouts help me to plan row spacing and plant location for the current (Spring) garden while factoring in how this impacts the future (Fall) garden. I started using the spreadsheet method in 2004. Prior to this I had a paper-based system. It was far too cumbersome to keep up with. I find the spreadsheet approach to be much more efficient. This post was edited by grandad on Wed, Apr 30, 14 at 9:26

I'm still digging, but wanted to update: Lisa & Marsha, you should be all set with the sedum. I bit the bullet and lobbed off a good sized chunk of what was there, and put the rest back. Apparently it IS very easy to propagate them by taking a cutting, removing the bottom leaves, and sticking them in the dirt, but I got you each about 5 or 6 stems with a chunk of the root. Most things I potted up last weekend, so they've had time to recover, but some that I'm doing today might look a little 'limp' tomorrow. I know you guys all know that the fall swap isn't about "looks," though ;) Did I put Maltese Cross on my first list? If not, I've got 3 good-sized chunks to share. Annie- I know this is last minute (and if it's better to do it in the spring by all means hold off till then), but I'd like to have a turtle-head. I know it's in bloom now, so if this is better done in spring, that's totally fine. I've got a big bed of daylilies currently out of the ground because I need to bring the whole bed up higher- is that something that you'd be interested in? In that bed I have Sea Gold, Suzy Wong, Fairy Tale Pink, Peggy Bass, Phoenix Ruffles, Brocaded Gown, Voluptuous Pink, Lilting Lavender, Lavender Illusion, and Cancun. If any of those interest you, I'll bring for you; if not, maybe there's something else I can bring for you?

It's a relatively small town. I just figured that the back yard was too small and really belongs to my wife's dogs. The front yard was big enough, but...If I were going to put in an edible landscape, I'd make it look good. No one is going to holler if I make it look nice. That was part of the thinking. The other part is that when we bought this place, the drainage in the front yard and driveway all ran to the foundation of the house. I had to change that w/o changing the overall direction of which way the runoff drained. In the process of getting the runoff to drain away from the foundation, I ended up with this garden. The overall drainage on the lot runs south by southeast. I didn't change that, nor did I make it run north by northwest or something equally stupid. The overall drainage still runs south by southeast. I'm not flooding someone else's property, nor is theirs now flooding ours. That's about the only landscaping code I have to deal with, here. In short, I didn't ask anyone's permission. otoh, I've done this sort of landscaping in years past, in locations where the codes were somewhat more...stringent. So, I already knew my limits and had some idea of industry standards. - and I'd learned which way the locals in this town leaned, so to speak. Plus, the landscaping was a real mess when we moved in, and it is now well on the way to being extraordinary. If I'd just laid out a traditional garden with rows, people might have a right to holler a bit. Instead, I went for well-landscaped and extraordinary. The only problems we've had wrt others in our front garden were feral dogs, cats and kids. That's no longer much of a problem. The biggest problem has been from that damn squirrel, getting our tomatoes before they're ready to harvest. He'll be on the menu, if he keeps it up this year.

Ginny12 Thanks for the book title and author. Is that book easily obtained? Our home has some of the old glass(makes distortions when one looks through)two over two windows usually in pairs. Wide eaves with curved brackets.Three set of french doors on first level,one set to parlor, one set to dining room and one into sunroom. Wood work is painted so I haven't even begin to see what is underneath. Floor in dining room and parlor is chestnut wood. Wood floor in sunroom is painted and I have seen square cut nails in the wood planking. I think is may be cedar I scuffed up a small piece but not for certain. I have an old china cabinet in kitchen that may have been original to house. It is large maybe eight or ten inch carved trim around it. The glass doors is tinted a slight blue green. Drawing room has a huge stone fireplace, eight an' half or nine feet wide Ceilings ten feet on first floor, eight feet on second and wall to four feet then rafters angle up to make attic room ceilings seven feet. We have boiler for heat and no air conditioner. I think there might have been a cupola on top of house because there is a flat area about eight by eight in the roof area that has tar paper on it(which would have been their form of air conditioning)This has a small door in it so I can use a step ladder to see all around the neighborhood which is woods and farmland. The bedrooms facing west will have the best view of the future gardens, now covered by lots of snow and seven degree temps. My retreat is upstairs (sun porch, that has been built in)has windows facing east, south and west, I want a view of the gardens from there but probably only get a small one as the barn is due south, with driveway and carriage house taking their piece out of area, also. Any help on perennials and shrubs that other people have found successful that growing almost by themselves. I have pussywillow in another location that I can take cutting from. I would like to graft some apple trees but have to wait to get some root stocks first. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.