I keep a diary on MS Excel, supplemented by a print out on which I try to jot weekly updates on what's happening with all the plants - eg this week: rudbeckia - 1st lot fading, courgettes - second large crop harvested. I'll combine these I think into a timeline which prompts me to ask the question, and maps out the gardening year for me: when to plant seeds, when I'll be deadheading, when I'll be digging / liming / feeding the veg beds etc.
I haven't found the care to be as complicated as I thought it would - I've just learnt over time what needs what and they easily fit into groups eg I know I need to water peas, beans, rudbeckia, sweet peas and dahlias at least once a week, but can leave carrots and salvias if I haven't got time. Nearly all (my) flowers and seed / fruit crops need "deadheading". All plants benefit from soil improvement, fertlising and mulching.
The web is an absolute boon for info, but there's also a lot of guesswork / misinformation out there. I'd use the RHS website to put together your first plant fact file(!) but revisit it next year using another solid reference book/site for confirmation.
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I keep a diary on MS Excel, supplemented by a print out on which I try to jot weekly updates on what's happening with all the plants - eg this week: rudbeckia - 1st lot fading, courgettes - second large crop harvested. I'll combine these I think into a timeline which prompts me to ask the question, and maps out the gardening year for me: when to plant seeds, when I'll be deadheading, when I'll be digging / liming / feeding the veg beds etc.
I haven't found the care to be as complicated as I thought it would - I've just learnt over time what needs what and they easily fit into groups eg I know I need to water peas, beans, rudbeckia, sweet peas and dahlias at least once a week, but can leave carrots and salvias if I haven't got time. Nearly all (my) flowers and seed / fruit crops need "deadheading". All plants benefit from soil improvement, fertlising and mulching.
The web is an absolute boon for info, but there's also a lot of guesswork / misinformation out there. I'd use the RHS website to put together your first plant fact file(!) but revisit it next year using another solid reference book/site for confirmation.
Good luck!
Lots of books. lots of reading in Winter. Lots of mistakes in summer.