How To Remember what you Planted


Last year, I was really happy with the our selection of flowers. It was our “first rodeo” as gardeners and it turned out that Matt and I were pretty darn successful (and really enjoyed the process). Who knew?! It could’ve been the super amazing greenhouse we bought most of our plants from (thanks to a generous housewarming gift from Casey’s mom!! #bestideaever), it could have been the fact that we are both teachers and had a lot of extra time throughout the summer to give all of our plants some serious attention or maybe it was just a classic case of beginner’s luck. I guess this summer will tell…
Either way, I was happy (and actually surprisingly proud) with our flower selection and placement last year, but when I went to purchase the same flowers again this year… I realized I had a small problem. The problem: not remembering what type of flowers I loved so much from last year. I wanted to re-create last year’s look but had no clue where to start. What were the names of those flowers in our planter box? How many of each did we buy to fill the pot? How much soil did we need again? Am I an idiot or do normal people ask themselves these same questions every.single.year?!
While I aimlessly walked the aisles of every garden section around town, today’s project (and solution to this annoying problem) instantly climbed up the to-do list. I officially decided right then and there that I needed to be proactive about documenting exactly what I planted this year so I didn’t face this frustration again next spring. When I finally decided on what flowers to buy (hel-lo clueless shopper), I planted those suckers and made this for future reference.

How to Remember What you Plant Each Year

A little something I like to call, “The mindless gardener’s guide to remembering what the heck to do each year”, a gardening essential if you ask me. It’s my cheat sheet of what I bought, how much of each I bought, and will also be a quick reference point if I forget the basics about caring for each flower. Like… which one needed to be watered every other day instead of every day? Or which one needed direct sunlight instead of shade? I mean seriously, how do rookie gardeners keep this straight? #rocketscience
Before we get into the how to guide for making your own cheat sheet, allow me to show you some of my favorites from this year’s shopping spree.

Pretty right? Exactly why I don’t want to forget what kinds of flowers I bought this year…next year. Or maybe I will want to ditch some of the ones I chose this year – – the cheat sheet will help with that too.

Alright, now let’s chat about this gardening must-have that will probably take you about 4 minutes to create. To begin, you’ll have to collect & clean all of the plant tags.
You don’t need much for this, but you will need:
  • Plant tags (duh)
  • Hole punch
  • Marker (optional)
  • String/twine/metal ring

To add a little extra information onto my gardening cheat sheet, I added a few notes onto the back of each plant. Totally optional, highly encouraged. I noted where I planted each, how many I planted there, where I bought the baskets, and even how much soil we bought.

As far as I’m concerned, the more information the better! Be as detailed as possible, you will thank yourself next year and save some serious shopping time.

Once you’ve noted everything on the back of each, hole punch each tag and string them through the twine, string or metal ring.

Now pat yourself on the back, because that will possibly be the best 5 minutes you’ve spent all spring! Your gardening tags are organized, easily accessible, and full of fun facts for next year’s planting season.

If I decide to add flowers as we go, I will definitely add the tags right onto this bunch. And if for some reason, a specific plant kicks the bucket… I’ll note that on the back and hopefully remember to skip over that kind next year. Now to the hardest part of this whole project — making sure you remember where the heck you put this cheat sheet when the time comes.

Bridget


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.