Reap the Benefits of a Properly Organized Garden

Reap the Benefits of a Properly Organized Garden

Do you have a green thumb, but struggle to maintain garden-related records? Whether you plan to grow a few of your family’s favorite veggies or you’re opening a full-scale retail greenhouse, staying on top of the plants and seeds can be critical to your future plans. It’s too easy to mistake an emerging perennial for a weed, or forget which seeds are your pumpkins and which are squash. Here’s how to get organized and avoid errors.

Begin with a Great Garden Binder

Regardless of how much space you have, what gear is in your potting shed, or how well you lay out your garden plots, it’ll be far better with the right paperwork and organizational tools. Make sure you have an organizational binder for your garden so that you can track which seeds are which, successful planting dates, and appropriate harvest times. Made with water repellent materials and available in a variety of colors, some garden binders include key journal index cards so you can keep track of pertinent information, such as seeding time, watering, fertilizing, and harvest results. Your seed packets are saved right next to the index cards. This way, you have helpful visuals along with written plant details – all right at your fingertips.

Establish Gardening Goals: Home, Community, or Business?

You most likely have an overall goal for your garden. Perhaps you have an altruistic aim, like donating to a local food pantry, or starting a community garden. Maybe you have personal lifestyle goals, like raising enough produce to avoid the grocery store, or starting your own agricultural business, or a beautiful garden that improves your home’s marketability.

An overall goal is a good start, but you also need to plot the steps that will get you there. Self-Taught Coders notes that when we fail to break a big goal into smaller steps, the big goal tends to get put off. Break it down into handleable bites so you don’t feel overwhelmed by the overall picture. This will help you to do a better job of meeting your goals.

For instance, if you’re going to sell your home and want to ramp up the value, you’ll want to take before-and-after pictures of your landscape, and hang onto your receipts to show the appraiser. Those simple steps are easy to miss without a good plan!

Going Boldly into a Gardening Business

Probably the most daunting gardening-related project is starting a business, but with the right tools and information, it’s far simpler than it sounds. Begin by officially establishing your business with your state. When you’re looking to get started, research how to start a company. They will walk you through the process in a quick couple of hours. You’ll need to decide things like what structure is best for your business and what name to go by, and ideally you’ll open a bank account especially for your business since commingling company and personal funds is a bad idea.

To help you along, grab your handy binder to create an outline of your plants and when they will be ready. This will help with a realistic timeline. It can help you make a budget by noting expenses on your index cards. Such information is vital in creating a business plan.

Make sure you keep the receipts for what you purchase for your business, too, since you can typically write off the investment on your taxes. Include basic supplies to get your garden started (like your binder, seeds, tools, and fertilizer) and things like business-related travel expenses, meals when meeting with clients or vendors, and so forth.

Family- and Community-Friendly Organizational Ideas

If you’re setting your sights on a goal that’s more personal, like a family- or community-garden, you might want to include a few extra items in your garden binder. Journal-style notes are a nice touch for the family to reflect on later (“Junior installed the supports for these beans!”), or you might want to include some favorite recipes. Think about what’s relevant to your project, and make it part of your organizational tools.

Whether you’re gardening for business or pleasure, organization is key. Start with a proper binder, establish steps towards your overall goal, and plan accordingly. Soon you’ll be reaping the delicious benefits of your hard work, and with the right provisions in place, you’ll assure success in all your gardening endeavors.

By Janice Russell

To support children and families in underserved communities improving their quality of life, visit Child Development Nutrition Program today!