Introduction to the Garden Planner

I've always thought a Garden Planner/Organiser/Diary would be very useful. I've kept my eye out for one on the regular. Growing food and gardening is a huge part of my daily life and I felt having something like this would help me collate everything together in the one spot, being both practical and helpful. I looked, I looked some more, tried a few but to be honest I never found one that I felt was beneficial, let alone ticked all of my boxes. Now hold that thought. 

When Zoe and I met in Kindergarten, it was love at first sight. I clearly remember the day we were sitting in a circle at school and someone asked Zoe "who are you going to play with today?" We had never met nor talked. She looked straight at me, pointed and said "her." I felt so honoured. From that day forward, we were best friends. Hers was the most defining friendship of my life. We may or may not have been part of a singing girl group together but let's not talk about that. All of my best childhood memories involve Zoe. While life took us in somewhat different directions after high school (we did work nightfill at Big W together during our university days), we always remained in contact and it was one of those friendships where no matter how much time had passed we could easily pick up where we left off when we were able to catch up. 

Zoe is an amazing artist and went on to become an incredible graphic designer, while I studied psychology and then forayed into gardening. We'd always talked about designing something and, last year, after spending more time together due to similar interests, we decided the time was right. That is how the Garden Planner came into existence. Months and months of planning, brainstorming, writing and creating have led us to this point and we are so excited to give you a look at what we have come up with. 

The Planner

We are going to give you a solid look at the planner and insight into exactly what it contains. To begin, we will take you through some of the main features of the Garden Planner and give you an overview of what you will receive:

• The planner is A5 size, 124 pages of 120gsm wood-free paper (we recommend using a ball point pen or pencil when writing on it)
• It comes in two colours - Tan and Mushroom
• The cover is PU leather with a ring binder inside 
• The planner contains exclusive illustrations by Carrie Rogers which feature throughout, including 4 beautiful transparent pages
• The planner has 4 tabbed sections (350gsm recycled Kraft stock) - Getting Started, Spring/Summer, Autumn/Winter and To Do/Diary
• The planner comes with a User Guide in the front with everything you need to know about how to use each section of the planner (of course you can use it however you like, this is just a guide)
• The planner includes a fold out Companion Planting chart with a list of good companions for each vegetable

• You will find little tips and tricks in blue watercolour bubbles scattered throughout the planner 
• Included is a waterproof PVC zip pocket at the back of the planner for you to store anything you might gather in the garden when you are using it such as seeds 

• The pages of the planner will be available for purchase separately. When the year is complete, you can purchase new pages and file the old ones. This will give you a record of your garden for as many years as you like! It also means you can purchase the pages if you would like them without the cover and put them in your own ring binder
• The planner comes in a recycled Kraft Urban Veggie Patch box 

Getting Started

This section of the planner is mainly for those who are starting out on their gardening journey. It has a brief overview (in very basic terms) of important things to consider when starting a garden, soil prep as well as a list of tips and tricks for pest control. It also has a section where you can write/draw your garden dreams or add photos of gardens that inspire you. 

Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter

We start each section with a brief overview of the seasons, suggested jobs and a general what to plant list (make sure you research your actual area as this can differ depending on your location). Then the fun begins - planning your garden! You will find a Vision Board and Season Goals section to dream up your garden and write any goals you may have for the season ahead, as well as a Seed Checklist to list all of the varieties you want to grow for the season, ticking them off as you acquire them. 

The planner then moves into a Garden Design section. We have given you so much room to draw and design your garden for the season! You will find 4 full pages of grid paper and 4 full pages of plain paper to draw and write on as you please. Following this you will find a Seasonal Tasks page where you can write down all the jobs you need to complete for and during the season ahead. This brings us to the Planting Tracker. You can use this to track everything you are starting from seed (or seedling if you prefer) and follow its progress for the span of its life. 

You will then find a Seasonal Notes section, Harvest Tracker and a place to put your favourite Garden Photos from the season.  

To Do/Diary

The Planner also contains a To Do/Diary section with a 12 month diary (1month to a page) and a To Do list. You can use this as your personal diary or as a gardening diary or both! 

We hope that gives you a good overview of what you will receive in the Garden Planner! We have endeavoured to make this planner a gardening companion that will help you stay organised throughout the year and spur you on in your gardening journey and we sincerely hope that you love it! Please comment any questions and we will get back to you with answers!