Many of us have heard of garden journals or seen ads for gardening apps, but few gardeners actually keep garden records. Keeping records sounds like a great idea, but if you end up with a few random notes at the end of the season, it’s not very helpful. While journal-style notebook entries can sound romantic, they may be a hassle to sort through and analyze. On the other hand, keeping track of a few key numbers in an organized system can help you choose better varieties for your garden or maximize crop production. In this post, we’ll teach you what garden records are important to keep and how to organize them.

Why Keep Garden Records?

There are many reasons it’s a good idea to keep gardening records, depending on your gardening goals. Some records can keep you from making mistakes, like planting tomatoes in the same bed two years in a row. Other records can help you improve your efficiency, pointing out which varieties, amendments, or techniques are working best in your garden to save you time and money.

For small farmers and market gardeners, record-keeping becomes even more important. Being able to look back at the inputs and results for each season is a great way for small farmers to analyze their systems and spot issues to improve productivity.

Small farmers must also go further than hobby gardeners and keep records for the IRS and any certifying agencies they belong to, like USDA Organic, Certified Naturally Grown, or other state programs.

What Garden Records Should I Keep?

• Exactly what records you need to keep will depend on your goals. Those gardeners looking to grow as much of their own food as possible will need to track different things than those looking to grow a pollinator-friendly, cottage-style garden. Here are some items you may want to track:
  
  
• Seed and plant varieties
• First and last frost dates
• Planting dates
• Harvest dates
• Pest arrival dates
• Disease issues
• Production per crop by weight
• Cover crops
• Garden layout and rotation
• Maintenance and inputs (ex. Compost application, liming, soil test)
• Weather (ex. Rainfall amounts, temperatures)

While it can be tempting to try to record everything, for most gardeners, choosing a few key items to focus on is enough to make a major improvement in your garden’s efficiency. Sticking with just a few items also lessens your risk of overwhelm or burnout.

If you are market gardening or farming, you should also keep track of these items:

• Any seeds, amendments, or other garden inputs
• Any equipment and tools and their costs
• Sales and other expenses
• Any documentation, like insurance, business licenses, or certifications

Keeping these records on file and easy to access will allow you to provide certifying agencies, the state, or the IRS with documents they may need in a timely, stress-free manner.

How to Keep Records?

Many folks are switching to digital gardening apps, which can provide both accurate record-keeping and design features, even if you’re not artistically inclined. However, many folks still prefer to use their own setup.

Spreadsheets can be extremely helpful for keeping track of number-based data like planting dates or crop yield by weight. You can use a program like Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, or Mac Numbers to quickly record, manipulate, and analyze data. If you don’t want to work with a computer, you can also use lined or graph paper in a binder to keep records.

For garden layouts and rotation plans, having a visual reference is helpful for many gardeners. If you like working by hand, drawing on graph paper and a few colored pencils is a simple way to create a visual plan for your garden. If you’re happy to use a computer, most gardening apps provide visual layouts, or you can use software like Canva, which offers a free basic version to create your own designs.

For on the go note-taking, a small Write in the Rain or similar notebook is handy for keeping in your pocket while you’re out working in the garden. Jotting down a few notes you can transfer into your system later helps avoid forgetting key information, like when the bean beetles first appeared.

 

There aren’t many gardeners who love the idea of dealing with spreadsheets and binders of notes, but a little record-keeping goes a long way in the garden. Your garden records can help you avoid costly mistakes, increase your garden’s efficiency, and improve your harvest.

Growing garlic is a great garden project for beginners and is a lot of fun for experienced gardeners too. It’s easy to grow and pretty low-maintenance. We love planting garlic each autumn after the temperatures have cooled off. It’s the perfect time to be out in the garden enjoying the weather. Plus, a bit of work in the fall and little care in spring means delicious garlic year-round! While garlic is easy to manage, we see gardeners make a few simple mistakes each year.

If you hope to maximize your garlic harvest, here are a few key mistakes you should avoid.

Using store-bought garlic for growing garlic.

Unfortunately, growing garlic isn’t as simple as picking some up at the grocery store. Most conventionally grown store-bought garlic has been sprayed with sprouting inhibitors and may even have been irradiated. This means it won’t sprout in your garden or will have weak growth.

While organic store-bought garlic may be better, it still has a few issues. Store-bought garlic isn’t tested like seed garlic and may bring soil-borne diseases or pests to your garden. It may also be old or weak from long storage and shipping times.

Additionally, store-bought garlic may not be the best fit for your climate or needs. Most store-bought garlic is a single variety of softneck garlic. If you purchase from a reputable seed company, you’ll have access to many types of hardneck and softneck garlic, and choosing the right one will help ensure you get good production, as we’ll discuss below.

Choosing the wrong variety for your climate.

We carry two different types of garlic, each with unique traits.

Softneck garlic is a good choice for southern gardens. It’s also an excellent option for storage, and its soft stems are great for creating braids of garlic to hang in the kitchen or pantry. You can successfully grow softneck in zones 3 through 9.

Hardneck garlic, sometimes called rocambole garlic, does best in cooler climates, typically from Virginia northward. Hardneck garlic gets its name from its tasty flower stalk, called a scape, which you can harvest in early summer. Some widely adapted varieties are suitable for zones 3 through 8, but most are ideal for zones 3 through 6.

Read more about different garlic types in our post Choosing the Perfect Garlic for Your Garden.

Planting garlic too early.

If you plant too early, your garlic will sprout and begin growing leaves. If the leaves get too big, the cold will damage them during the winter.

Exactly when to plant garlic will depend on your location and climate. Most gardeners plant their garlic sometime between September and December. You want to get your garlic in the ground after the temperatures cool off but before the ground freezes.

If you’re growing garlic in a cold climate, a good time is 1 to 2 weeks after your first killing frost. This will allow your cloves to develop roots before the ground freezes. You can plant garlic late in milder climates, but late-planted garlic may produce smaller bulbs.

To find out exactly when to plant your garden, you can use a tool like our gardening app, which will offer precise planting date recommendations based on your zip code.

Failing to amend your soil.

Garlic is fairly low-maintenance, but the better your soil, the better production you’ll get. Garlic is a moderately heavy feeder that thrives in loose, well-drained, fertile soil that’s rich in organic matter.

Each fall before planting, adding 2 to 6 inches of finished compost to your beds can greatly increase your harvest.

Spacing garlic too tightly.

Garlic is a productive crop for small spaces, but it still needs adequate spacing to produce large bulbs. Plant your garlic cloves about 6 inches apart so they don’t compete for light, nutrients, and water.

Overwatering or growing garlic in a bed with poor drainage.

Garlic hates wet feet! Growing garlic in soggy soil can lead to pore production or even crop loss from fungal root rot. If possible, plant your garlic in a spot with well-drained soil. Amending heavily with compost and other organic matter can improve drainage. You can also grow garlic in raised beds.

When your garlic is starting to mature, and the lower leaves are turning brown, you want to cut back on watering, stopping completely about 2 to 3 weeks before harvest. This helps the skin dry and toughen before harvest.

Not keeping up with mulching and weeding when growing garlic.

Garlic doesn’t compete well with weeds. Bulbs in beds with high weed pressure will be smaller than bulbs grown in well-tended, mulched beds.

Mulch thickly in the fall to help insulate the garlic over winter. You will probably need to add another layer of mulch in spring or summer as it breaks down. This mulch will help reduce weed pressure and adds organic matter to the soil. We often use hay, but you can also add straw, old leaves, or grass clippings to your beds.

Harvesting too early or too late.

One of the best parts of growing garlic is the harvest, but you still need to plan it carefully. Garlic is usually ready to harvest in early to midsummer. Wait to harvest your garlic until the bottom 1/3 of each garlic plant’s leaves have turned brown and dry.

Harvesting garlic early can be tempting, but it can affect your garlic production and storage. Garlic that’s harvested too early may be small or may have cloves that haven’t fully divided yet. It can also have thin skin. If the skin doesn’t toughen and thicken, your garlic won’t store well.

Harvesting garlic too late can also be problematic. The papery skins can split if you harvest a bit too late or even start to rot if you wait much too long. This can decrease your garlic’s storage life.

Pulling on the stems to harvest garlic.

In ideal, loose soil, you may get away with pulling garlic from the stems, but most gardeners don’t have perfect soil. Pulling on the stems can damage the stems and bulbs, which can affect your garlic’s storage life. It’s best to gently lift the soil with a garden fork to harvest your garlic.

Skipping the proper curing process.

It may sound strange, but for good storage life, you need to cure your garlic after harvesting before you process it at all. Curing allows the skin to finish toughening and drying.

To cure your garlic, leave it dirty and intact. You can brush off major clumps of dirt, but don’t trim any of the leaves or roots. It’s perfectly fine if the skins look dirty.

Hang your garlic in bunches somewhere cool, dry, and ventilated, like a shed, garage, covered porch, or barn. Ideally, the temperature should be between 60°F and 90°F, and there should be no direct sunlight hitting the garlic.

Allow your garlic to cure for 1 to 2 months. Then you can trim off the roots and stems. Leave 1 to 2 inches of stem for hardneck garlic and trim just above the bulb for softneck varieties, if desired. You can also braid soft neck varieties for storage.

 

If you need more information about how to plant garlic, visit our full Guide to Growing Garlic.

Tomatoes and sweet corn may steal the show, but I think basil is one of the tastiest parts of summer. There’s just no comparing the store-bought stuff to vibrant, fragrant basil leaves fresh from the garden. Plus, they’re worth their weight in gold. Per pound, both fresh and dried basil are more expensive than steak. If you love basil and have some in the garden, it’s time to preserve it before frost comes! Here are a few simple ways to preserve basil.

Short-term Storage for Fresh Basil

Placing your fresh basil in the refrigerator is the obvious choice for short-term storage, but it may not be the best one. Basil is a heat-loving herb that quickly begins to wilt and brown in cold temperatures. The folks over at The Kitchn actually tested basil storage methods and found that basil kept at room temperature lasted the longest!

So, if you have basil that you don’t want to preserve long-term, but will not use immediately, dig out a vase or cup. The best way to store basil short-term is like a bouquet of flowers. Keep the bottoms of the stems submerged in water at room temperature on your counter or kitchen table.

Freezing Basil Puree

Freezing basil puree is a popular method for preserving basil because it preserves the herb’s vibrant color and creates an easy-to-use product for pasta dishes, soups, and more.

To make the puree, you’ll need about one tablespoon of olive oil for every cup of packed, fresh basil leaves. I also like to include a dash of lemon juice, as this can help keep the color and flavor vibrant.

To make the puree, simply blend your basil leaves, olive oil, and lemon juice in a high-speed blender or food processor. Then you can pack them into freezer-safe containers. For small servings, freezing the puree in ice cube trays and then popping them out into a larger container once they’re solid is a great option. For dishes like pesto, you may want a larger serving size, like 1/4 to 1/2 cup of puree.

Drying Fresh Basil

Another simple way to preserve basil is to dry it. Home-dried basil is still much more flavorful than store-bought, and it doesn’t take up any room in your freezer.

You can air-dry basil (and other herbs) in a spot with good airflow, out of direct sunlight. To dry basil, I like to cut the stems and tie them into small bundles before hanging them upside down. You can also hang a paper bag, open side down, over your basil bundles to protect them from dust. Air-drying basil can take 1 to 4 weeks, depending on the temperature and humidity.

If you live somewhere that’s still very humid, air-drying may not be the best option. In high humidity, basil could mold before it fully dries. Use a dehydrator on the herb setting, usually between 95°F to 110°F for 4 to 12 hours. It’s not the best option, but you can also dry basil in an oven set to between 170° and 200°F.

Making Basil Salt

Basil salt is a fun and simple way to preserve basil that doubles as a great holiday gift. All you need is about 2 cups of fresh basil leaves and one cup of kosher salt. Use a blender or food processor to pulse together your salt and basil until they’re well-combined, and the salt looks green and damp.

Then spread your basil salt out onto a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet and place it in the oven at about 200°F or the lowest your oven will go. Let the salt bake for about 20 minutes or until it’s dry and brittle.

Once it’s dry and cool, break it up and place it into airtight containers.

Other Recipes for Using Fresh Basil

Here are a few other great recipes to help use up your basil harvest:

• Basil Infused Honey from The Kitchn
• Pork and Holy Basil Stir Fry (Pad Kra Pao) from The Woks of Life
• Chef Eric Adjepong’s Salmon and Arugula Frittata with Pesto
• Grilled Cremini Mushrooms Stuffed With Basil and Parmesan Mayo Recipe from Serious Eats
• Lemon Basil Syrup from Garden Betty

Ultimately, the best way to preserve basil is the one that works best for you. If you love having ready-to-go ingredients in the freezer, try basil puree. If you want to create your own unique spice blends, try making basil salt or drying your own basil for a classic, easy to grab option that will stay good with no refrigeration.

What’s your favorite way to use or preserve basil?