my garden journal template, free

Planning the spring vegetable garden is what keeps gardeners going on the cold winter nights.  Now I’ve tried a bucketload of different garden journals and planners and layout tools, mostly online versions. Some were good, most not so much.

One of the good ones, the Mother Earth News Garden Planner, is free to try for 30 days, but then $25 a year if you want to remember what you planted where.  Too much for a hobby that’s geared around saving money.

There are lots of others, including phone-based and pad-based apps.

But I use this Excel spreadsheet:

It does everything I need, and allows one-click access to any previous year’s crop information.  And it’s easily modified at a basic level, unlike most of the apps and planners.

Download a free blank version here:

Garden Journal

For garden layout I use an older, free version of OmniGraffle.  I don’t think it’s around any more.  But if you want to spend a hundred bucks (WHAT?) it’s a great garden layout tool.