Garden planner

[Amanda1]

One of my new year resolutions is to keep a track of my garden throughout the year. I've been trawling the internet for some suitable software but I have had no luck. It either doesn't do what I want (layout of garden, what is planted, care and eventually add photos etc) or it costs a bomb. I want to install it on my desktop rather than having to use it online. Does anybody use this type of software and if so does anyone have any recommendations? I only have one day to go before this is the first new year resolution I break!

[Mrs Dobby]

I've had a look for some free software of this type earlier in the year Amanda, but had no luck! I hope someone is able to post something suitable for you, cos I'd like to use it too!

Comne on you grapes, anyone got any links??

[Amanda1]

Thanks Mrs D. Maybe someone has developed their own we could borrow. Any programme designers out there?

[Nicos]

Would love a copy too!
I use good old fashioned graph paper!!!

[nick the grief]

There is software out there but it's not free I'm afraid

This is supposed to be good but I've never used it so couldn't d say

http://www.thevga.co.uk/software/sw.html

[NOG]

I got sent one I will dig it out and post a link to it

[yoanbob]

arhh got a head ache just reading this, BOB HELP! sounds too good to be true!

[Mrs Dobby]

Cool, thanks NOG!

[Benacre]

Just go to Exel and make up your own spreadsheets. very easy and printable too

[NOG]

PM me and in the next few days I will do a one off....New Year email with the planner I got of Nick and one I found on the net and one I have been working on its all about 2 mb.

[budmap]

have you looked on download.com just type gardening in the search box they normally have downloads for most things

[Dobby]

Think I'll just stick to a calindr or ues the one that came With grow your oun that Mr Dobby hasent seen yet YEA I sor it first

[Mrs Dobby]

Planners arrived safetly in my email this morning, many thanks NOG!

[supersprout]

Just go to Exel and make up your own spreadsheets. very easy and printable too

I use a combination of spreadsheet and low-tech.

The Excel spreadsheet shows:

• Family (for crop rotation) e.g. Cucurbits
• Seed/plant e.g. Winter Squash Buttercup
• Source e.g. Moles' seeds, saved seed
• Note e.g. sow under glass mid February, transplant early May
• Month by month cells, each with a symbol in e.g. S=Sow, P-Plant, T=Transplant, H=Harvest, S/H=Sow and Harvest, St=Available from store. Sorting these columns means I can a) print out a month by month guide of what to sow or plant when, and b) make sure I have a variety of veg crops available throughout the year.
• First Planting date and First Harvest date - this helps to calculate sowing to harvest times by seeing what happened in previous years

A little playing around means you can identify crop failures, move to the next year's spreadsheet if it's getting too late or the plot is too full!

To help with crop rotation, I whack in a large label (2" x 1/2@ batten offcut) market in permanent pen with the 'family' of the current or last crop, remove and replace when planting the new crop. That way I can be sure of not planting the same family twice in one bed.

I have tried all sorts of software, but it was too cumbersome. A home-made solution will show the information that YOU want for planning your plot IMO

[JennieAtkinson]

Wow thanks Supersprout. After my success with the plan I suppose I'd better move on to keeping a planner! Your advice on what to include is very good, thanks! I would never have thought of doing it like that.
Right ...... need a rainy day and no one else on the computer .........