Gardening software or similar, what do you use?

I'll be honest, I should of been a doctor with my handwriting the way it is, I could write the perfect prescription !! Keeping a notebook ifor me is not a good idea as not even I will be able to decipher it next year, so it will need to be pc based or typed on the pc.

I'm looking for a gardeners log/notebook type software to write down detailed info on a daily basis and I am looking for recomendations or examples. Recommendations for software freeware or paid for or examples if you have perhaps created your own spreadsheet or whatever at home for your own use.

What I am trying to avoid is missing something important out from the detail I record and rue that next year.

All suggestions welcome !!

Regards and many thanks.

Steve...

 

I have a folder on the computer and try to jot down any ideas I have when out in the garden there, using Word. Doesn't matter if I keep creating new documents, eventually I tidy them up. Since January, I've been keeping a "Jobs to do" list on a Word document but I'm sure I've forgotten things to add.

I also experimented with Excel and created a plan of my herbaceous borders last summer so I have a rough idea where things are in winter but a) that's a bit nerdy, b) difficult to add things to and c) already out of date!

Just do what you feel comfortable with. I did the folder option as it was easiest for me, having the laptop on most of the day.

 

I use the Vegetable Growers Almanac (I think its called) a bit. Bizarrly I can't find any reference to their web site in their help file :( but its made by GNC Ltd, if that helps. (Edit: Found it: http://www.thevga.co.uk/) Rather quirky, and doesn't quite do it for me. I have set up my beds, but I only seem to have been able to decide what crops go in which beds, not how much space they will take up, nor which crops will have finished before their successors arrive. You have to scroll using little arrows at the top - no scroll bars available, nor the other normal windows metaphores. It does have lots of info about varieties, growing, and so on (and recipes), and lets you record when you manured / prepared / planted / fertilised ... each bed.

I took the Trial Period of something else which allowed me to drag-and-drop veg crops onto my beds. That was pretty snazzy, automatically spaced the
plants / rows etc., but I couldn't work out how to get follow-on crops and never took up the subscription. And I can't even remember the name now.

Edit: Found it: http://www.growveg.com/Default.aspx

I use a spreadsheet for:

Name / Sown/ germinated / pricked out / planted out / first harvest / last harvest

which I use for planninng - sown-to-germinated reminds me how long things take to germinate, pricked out tells me if the seed is going to be in the sowing pan for a long time (in which case I cover with Vermiculite, not compost) and whether I need to check them every day, or not.

Pricked out-to-Planted out is the time they need greenhouse space

Planted out-to-Last harvest is the time they need the soil

I record varieties / qty of seed etc. (many packets last me a year or two, some varieties I need more than one packet / season), which reminds me what I need - e.g. when the half price seed sale starts during the Summer, rather than waiting to peruse the seed catalogues in the Winter - which is what the seed companies want you to do of course!

I also scan my gardenc entre receipts and convert them to a spreadsheet so that I know all the plants / etc. that I buy so I can refer back for cost / qty. etc All a bit sad really ... :gnthb:

 

Goodness you are all so organised. No wonder my garden is so chaotic.:lollol:

 

To my mind the best garden software available (by far) is
http://www.ideasgenie.co.uk/
They also have a very helpful garden forum if you have problems
http://www.flowergenie.co.uk/ideas/forum/index.php
The developer is from Northern Ireland so ENTIRELY capable and trustworthy
ps ... Kristen would LOVE it

 

"Kristen would LOVE it"

Right!Ho! I'll toddle off and have a look then, ta ... "I may be gone some time ..."

 

Thanks Kristen, this is the info I was looking for and would probably have taken a couple of seasons or more to work out for myself, therefore I would not have had complete records, if anyone else has any info along these lines I would love to see it.

Sam, I had a look at the software link you posted and you cannot directly evalutae the product without ordering and paying upfront, so have googled around a little and found this software..

http://www.primasoft.com/deluxeprg/goodx.htm

You can download and try for a month a free evaluation and it seems to be very similar to ideasgenie so will give this a try for a few weeks and see how things go.

Many thanks all.

Steve...

 

Steve
You can get an evaluation version for only £2.99
There is also a free download on FlowerGenie which basically does the same job
http://www.ideasgenie.co.uk/products/software-downloads/software-downloads.html

 

Added some links to my oiriginal post, and remembered a site with garden design ability, facility to store all the plants you have (and Email you monthly "ToDo tips" based on that), plant finder, and so on.

Again, I ran out of road with it (that was a while ago and it looks like its grown a lot since), but I must admit that I thought it had a lot of promise.

http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/

 

I built an Excel spreadsheet that allowed me to enter names and dates of sowing and planting and harvesting plus 'notes'. I also added some macros that let me sort the sheet by name and/or dates. I used it for a couple of years but then abandoned it in favour of a paper based annual record , the monthly sheets of it are designed in Excel.
I've looked at some of the horticultural databases available on the web, but for MY needs they are vastly overblown and I'd spend probably more time engaged on data entry than gardening. If I was a 'pro' gardener though I'd give some thought to constructing my own tailor-made database in either MS Access or Filemaker Pro.

 

Shootgardening is good as Kristen says and is always expanding,it's run by the lovely Nichola who drops in on our forum occassionally.

 

hi everyone...

Nice to came across the great place with very useful shared information...

thanks to all the members for posting info, ideas and helpful links....


take care