You hear it over and over "keep good records!" But why? Why is it so important and what exactly do all those records include? I know it can leave you wondering where to start and even feeling a bit overwhelmed. Don't worry your sweet heart anymore. Today we are going to go through the most important records to keep for your garden. You can use any notebook, a 3 ring binder, or my Ultimate Garden Planner and Journal (use code GARDEN20 for 20% off). Although I think you will love my planner with it's ease of use and beautiful design, the important thing is that you keep your records. Our goals is to get you the best garden possible! That being said, this post is a bit long but packed with information. Stick around and absorb it all in then grab the free gift I've left for you at the end.

I always find it helpful and enjoyable to look back at the gardening season and see what we have accomplished, the projects we've tackled, new varieties we have found, and of course the projects that didn't get accomplished. There are always some of the latter, we never stop coming up with new ideas! Looking back puts one in the perfect place for planning the next season's garden. 

Ok, give me the truth friends, are the same gardening goals/ projects reappearing on your to do list this year during your garden planning? We have all been there. Perhaps it's because gardeners get so many wonderful ideas. They are wonderful but what can we do differently this year to get these ideas off of our to do lists and into our gardens. I have 5 SMART steps that are going to help you (and me) make that happen!

This is a big project friends. Really big and we started about 1 month before I gave birth. But the thing is, we couldn't start it any sooner. It was just too cold and the ground was not very workable. That being said, I knew that if we didn't get it done before the baby came it was highly unlikely that it would happen at all. We started as soon as we could.

People, friends, you have been missing out! This washing table will change your life! 

Yeah, really. No more muddy messes in your kitchen sink.  That is life changing in my book. What about you? Agree? Yeah I thought so. Plus you can catch the water under your washing table and reuse it to water your garden or flower pots. Just give the earth a big ol' hug!

It's been while but I'm still here, still gardening, still doing projects, still loving it.

So why have I been away?

Chances are if you have grown carrots that you have come to know the damage of the carrot rust fly maggot. These lovely maggots are the larvae of the carrot rust fly. They tunnel through carrots, their favorite host plant, leaving a trail of poo behind them. Aren't they thoughtful, not only do they eat your carrot but what they leave behind, they fill with poo. YUCK!

One thing you will hear over and over again in the gardening community is cover crops, cover crops, cover crops. What is all they hype? Are they really that great? It sounds complicated. 

My dear friend, let me tell you a little secret, Yes! They are worth all the hype and NO they aren't that complicated! Great news! 

You guys are in for a treat today! I'm interviewing Karl Treen creator of the Food Forest card game and founder of Permaculture Providence. I happened upon Karl on instagram (@foodforestcardgame) and I have been enjoying his informative and often humorous posts ever since. 

How many of you stick with a crop rotation schedule? Think it is too complicated? Not worth it? It's not and it is sooo worth it! Crop rotation greatly decreases your chances depleting your soil of vital nutrients and limits disease and pests problems. Very worth it!

Today I'm going to show you a simple 4 group crop rotation plan that is very doable for even the small scale home gardener. I've even included and handy dandy printable so you can keep the information on hand for easy reference! So let's get started!