May 2018 Blog Train - Working

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May 2018 Blog Train - Working

The May blog train is Flower Power.

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These are such beautiful colors smiley , I had lots of fun playing, thanks for the aco file, Sunny. Here is what I have so far. Comments?

I wanted to do a hippie kit but I couldn't get the elements to cooperate with the my thoughts. As a result, this kit just kind of happened.

Ooh, great theme and palette for this month too!

Well, here's what I've come up with.

It started with just a simple little flower doodle and bloomed from there... (pun intended) smiley

Have been pouring over all the new gardening magazines and catalogs. I think I'm going to need to add another new flowerbed!

@Brenda, that preview is a work of art!

As for me, I've got these simple watercolour journal cards so far. Despite the fact that I love to use flowers in my layouts (you'd be surprised how well they go with trucks and dinosaurs!), I drew an absolute blank for this one. Maybe the inspiration will strike in the next few weeks.

LOVE the crepe paper!!!

See my final previews in post #13!

I tried to find the discussion thread prior to the actual working thread to look up some things ... an avid gardener there requesting certain gardening terms on WS or JCs. I made some 6x4's for a purposeful gardening journal.

Just finished the journal cards, and some quote cards!

Here are my final previews:

EK01 Assorted Elements

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EK02 Flowers

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EK03 Journal Cards

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EK04 Quote Cards

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EK05 Printable Quote

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PK01 Solid Papers

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PK02 Floral Papers

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I only have to do the credits file, then zip and upload, and it's all done!

Hey Bina - I think that was me in the discussion thread. Wow have you got a professional looking set of cards, way more professional than my gardening which is really hit or miss (more miss at the moment because it won't warm up & it's going to snow for the third time in a week smiley . Color me incredibly cranky). I'm really, really impressed with everything you included (though, true confessions, have no idea about beneficial microbes or fungi & now I feel I need to!). Thank you so much for all of this!!

smiley TY! I so like the idea of a gardening planner.

Hit and miss... lol... gardening has so many aspects and deltas it will probs always be hit and miss smiley Journaling anything helps me to think about what it is e x a c t l y that I am doing to which exact end, big fan of journaling myself.
Maybe you can help me hit more and miss less on this particular one. What would you include in a gardening journal? What templates, lists other materials would you like to see? I have some seed packages that I am putting up one of these days. So far I have included:

early indoor seed planting record,
transplants & planting directly in-ground record,
fertilizer application record,
climate data record,
pest and disease problems record,

monthly to do lists,
weekly tending charts,
plot and rotation lists,
garden plot plan,

I am sure I have missed something.

hmm...my mom and Grandmother are gardners...i think it skipped my generation!!! smiley ...but what about companion planting charts? (its more for veggie gardens then flowers..) maybe include some graph paper for sketching out a flower bed layout? growth rate chart? it sounds like a cool idea!!

@Gina: Thank you so much! Your suggestions are great, I will add them smiley

Hi Bina - this is awesome & I'm REALLY excited about what you've already done & what you're thinking about! Here is my reeeeally long answer with, likely, way more information than you'll ever want but here goes. First is my reaction to your list & then additional comments.

early indoor seed planting record - suggeston: make this early seed starting rather then indoor seed planting because I start my seeds outside using the winter sowing method; columns could be: Seed | Date started | Date sprouted | Notes
You might even included the date of first real leaves
 but that's probably not necessary (I always look but have never written it down)

transplants & planting directly in-ground record - hmmm - I tend not to note things like this, but I perhaps I should!

fertilizer application record - I don’t fertilize but lots do


climate data record - this is a really good one! I used to make notes per month about when it warmed up, whether it was rainy or dry (as in above or below average), general notes like that


pest and disease problems record - I don’t note things like this but if I had it, I might (though I’m lucky & really only have slugs to deal with)

monthly to do lists - Yes!!


weekly tending charts - I likely wouldn’t use this but it would be great to include it


plot and rotation lists - I’m not sure I can imagine a use for this, other than noting where I had tomatoes last (there’s a tomato blight going around & it’s apparently a good idea to not plant them in the same plot each year) but, again, it would be great for people with larger veggie gardens

garden plot plan - oh, if only I were this organized!! =D

———————————————

In addition to your suggestions, I’d love several NOTES pages (or one page or one double page spread I can print however many times I need it) on which I could make notes during the growing season about what's doing well, what might do better somewhere else, what is thuggish & needs to either go NOW or be moved somewhere it isn't as happy, what needs pruning, those sorts of things. This could be used by anyone for anything & wouldn’t be specific the way monthly & weekly to do lists would be.

I’d also love a WISH LIST sheet. I tend to day dream about what tools I want, what plants I want more of or wish I could grow, or plants I have in other colors, things like that.

I also track what blooms when so a BLOOM TRACKER (I’m sure there’s a better name for it!) would be great. One of the major problems with planning flower gardens is having things in bloom all season so noting what’s blooming when & where, I can see which weeks/months/parts of months my garden isn't blooming, which helps me find plants that bloom then (mid-July into August are big problems right now). Off the top of my head, I’m not sure how to lay this out but I can brainstorm if you need it.

You might also consider blank month pages (as in a grid without numbers but spaces for them & as much room for writing as possible, & an area to put in the month) so some notes can be made there. Or instead of a grid, it could be a lined (or grid) page with a space for a month on top. I find it’s often useful to know what months I’m making my notes. OR you could include blank seasonal pages (I’ve seen ones other gardeners have made with Early Spring | Spring | Late Spring, Early Summer | Summer | Late Summer, & Fall on them or you can just put several Spring pages in, several Summer, etc. Your call on this.

So, thinking aloud a minute about my gardening season. This might give you ideas - or just be incredibly boring!
The first chore of spring is raking out the beds & then I walk them noticing what is coming back & what isn’t - & I make notes on what didn’t & where it was so I can a) figure out why (was it something I can’t grow? was it in the wrong place? was it just short-lived?) & b) make notes to buy more if it’s something I loved.

I spend my growing season watching how things are growing & what I need more or less of; what blooms when - & the times & places my garden needs blooms; any problems (pests, nasty invasive weeds [which I have masses of], plants that are doing well, badly, or too well in their location. And weeding. Lots & lots of weeding.

Once growing season is over, I cut things back & make notes on how things did & suggestions, if any, for changes for next year (this is in addition to the notes & comments I make along the way).

During the winter, which I mean to be during November & December but usually ends up being January, I look over my notes of things to add & change & start planning where to move things (if needed). I order seeds to start & start them (& I keep a list of what I ordered from where, so this might be a good page to include). I go through live plant garden catalogues & look for things I’ve noted during the season I want to add or need to replace & plan my orders. This also might be a good page (or three =D) to include - Catalogue notes or wish list or something - Catalogue/Company Name | Plant | Info about Plant (as in color, season, etc so some room here would be good) | page #). I can never afford everything I want but I do love catalogue season & daydreaming about everything I want!

Does this help any?

And thanks again for all of this - I’m really excited to see what else you come up with!!!!

PS I do have a small veggie garden so some of my suggestions would work for that, too, or could be reworded to work for both (flowers on beans & tomatoes, etc; first sign of fruit; days until ripe). Or, there could be pages for veggie & for flower. And now I'm making it complicated, aren't I?! =D

Many thanks, Sarah smiley . This sure helps smiley Great suggestions, will defs work them all in!

I am thinking about the format. Being a big 6x8" fan myself, I can see the advantages of having a full 'boss' sized gardening planner in 8x10". What do you recommend?

Bina -

I'm leaning toward 6x8 simply because it would be easier to drag around the garden with me in my tool bag, though either is fine with me. And thank you SO much for taking on this project!!

smiley TY, Sarah!

Y'all are such gifted and creative designers. I am always amazed to see the wide range of ideas that come from a simple phrase and a colour palette. Wow! Looking forward to seeing the final offerings...

Bina, is the seed packet something that could be printed and used for storing saved seed? If so, it would be nice to have a generic one with lines for recording the variety, date stored, notes, etc. Of course, I also realize this kit would have a million pieces if you used every idea that is offered! smiley

Thank you, Madge. smiley
I will add a generic one smiley

It was just a lil TY for Sarah and Gina for giving all this great feedback.. like a writer needs an editor, I need that sort of feedback, like I can never see my own typoes and if I have all the grammar and spellcheck apps on the planet working.... you can dl the pic and print it if you want and if you do not want to wait for my generic one you can just duplicate the blank on top of the print and have a generic one

Thank you, Bina! Not being a designer myself, I can only imagine the work put into a mini kit, andeven more for the full sized kits y'all make... And my eyes cross and glaze over when I read about all the counting, quality checking, gamut issues, etc that is part of the design phase before the kits come to us. I am just so glad y'all know what you are doing!

My portion:

Pretty, Laurel!

I will have mine here in a day or two. Just wanted to save my spot.

Here is mine. Available May 1

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