Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough
search but have come up with nothing so far....
Thanks..in advance.
kelvyn.

On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough
search but have come up with nothing so far....
Thanks..in advance.
kelvyn.

Have a look at

http://www.gardenwithinsight.com/help100/00000214.htm

and see if it resembles what you want. The company is now making all their
software free.

I found this with a Google search using keywords

"garden template record"

There were several other hits that I did not peruse. I know nothing of these
programs.
---
My ability .. in .. the courtroom .. surpasses my
ability .. in medicine ..
Tom Hennessy )
Message-ID:

On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn
wrote:

Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough
search but have come up with nothing so far....
Thanks..in advance.
kelvyn.

Not freeware, I couldn't find any nice freeware for this
purpose either.

But for $20, you can get MyGardenJournal which is a very
nice little program that has a journal, weather log, seed
and plant inventory, and various other features. I like
this program, it's a sweet little program.

http://www.mygardenjournal.com

You can download it and try it for 30 days to see if you
like before registering it (paying for it). The trial
version has full functionality.

I am also using a different type of program called
'SeedPlanner'. It's more of a scheduling program, plus a
database of growing information for various plants. I think
this is EXTREMELY useful and I'm very happy with it. It
costs $30, and the trial version has very limited
functionality - but enough to let you know if you want to
pay for it or not.

http://www.seedplanner.com

For people who can remember when to sow each successive
planting of five varieties of lettuce, for instance, so as
to have a continuous harvest of the different types,
SeedPlanner probably wouldn't be very useful. But I forget
these things. SeedPlanner is extremely useful for me.

It also has a very useful database of information on growing
many plants: seed-pretreatment, sowing conditions, various
other information.

Pat

On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough
search but have come up with nothing so far....

Get a regular ol' paper notebook and a pencil, and keep them handy.
Date a page when you begin to write -- what you planted, what variety,
where you bought the seeds, that day's weather -- whatever. Keep it
up, noting when seeds germinated, which ones eventually failed, garden
prep, transplanting experieces, on to first harvest and satisfaction.

Paper easily accomodates both a raw factual record, and notes about an
interesting caterpillar or beetle you found and could or could not
identify, as well as comments of visitors and passers-by. The pencil,
BTW, requires no electrical connections, and the paper can be stuffed
in a pocket or bag. It is arranged so there's no guilt about blank
days or weeks. You can even turn back and make rude remarks in red
about some "never fail" plant that did, indeed, fail. Or another that
was a spectacular success. Ain't no computer application that can
match a written record.

In article, says...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough

Thankyou for your advice on how to conduct my life.....but i think
i am on top of things ok without that sort of help.
kelvyn.

Kelvyn wrote:
In article, says...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:


Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough


Thankyou for your advice on how to conduct my life.....but i think
i am on top of things ok without that sort of help.
kelvyn.

fey, take some, leave some..that's the web. Frankly, the poster was
right on the mark, considering your original post.....

regards,

a fellow dirt lover/

In article, says...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn
wrote:

Thanks for you help Pat, i will look at the sites you suggest. I agree My Garden Journal
is really an excellent programme, but i am in new zealand and the exchange rate doubles
the cost of these things and it is difficult....
kelvyn.

mike wrote:

Frankly, the poster was
right on the mark, considering your original post.....

And if you're into seed saving, recommendations are STRONGLY against
depending on computer records for the all-important accession history
records. They tend to go away unexpectedly, and even backups may likely be
on media that nobody can read in a timeframe short by even human standards.

I do use various computer files, but occasionally print them on dead trees
and place in a folder made of more dead trees.

People tell me it's over the top to put my garlic varieties in a
spreadsheet. They're probably right, but if you've seen my handwriting...

Cheers!

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G

On Mon, 7 Apr 2003 17:19:56 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

In article, says...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough

Thankyou for your advice on how to conduct my life.....but i think
i am on top of things ok without that sort of help.

Well, it's a little hard to reply when my post wasn't quoted -- only
vilified, but I *wasn't* trying to advise anyone on how to conduct
his/her life I was merely making a suggestion that paper of some sort
would probably be a lot easier way to keep a garden journal than a
computer application.

I mentioned various things that one (anyone, this one) might want to
make note of. I certainly *didn't* mean that you should follow my own
habits. To me, a garden journal is a place to keep track of what I
done and when I done it. Gardening is inextricably tied to weather, so
I often note those conditions.

It would be a rare (and I expect, very expensive) computer application
that would allow for all the things *I* want to remember about *my*
garden. I'm sorry you found my suggestion so offensive.

On Mon, 07 Apr 2003 11:02:40 -0400, Gary Woods
wrote:

mike wrote:

Frankly, the poster was
right on the mark, considering your original post.....

And if you're into seed saving, recommendations are STRONGLY against
depending on computer records for the all-important accession history
records. They tend to go away unexpectedly, and even backups may likely be
on media that nobody can read in a timeframe short by even human standards.

I do use various computer files, but occasionally print them on dead trees
and place in a folder made of more dead trees.

I do this as well.

There are other considerations though - if you are *really*
serious about it.

For instance, our house could burn down and with it all of
the records that are on paper. But I'd still have a lot of
my records, because I put them on CDs and they are stored in
a friend's house. These get updated monthly.

I'm not *that* serious about gardening records, but I am
very serious about our business tax records so the CD might
as well contain gardening records, recipes, photographs, and
so on. There's plenty of room on one CD for everything I
want to save.

People tell me it's over the top to put my garlic varieties in a
spreadsheet. They're probably right, but if you've seen my handwriting...


Software is a tool and can be a gardening tool. It's just
as much a tool as a hoe, or a rake, or a tiller. Some
people like one tool, some like another.

Pat

On Mon, 07 Apr 2003 15:02:09 GMT,
(Frogleg) wrote:

On Mon, 7 Apr 2003 17:19:56 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

In article, says...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough

Thankyou for your advice on how to conduct my life.....but i think
i am on top of things ok without that sort of help.

Well, it's a little hard to reply when my post wasn't quoted -- only
vilified, but I *wasn't* trying to advise anyone on how to conduct
his/her life I was merely making a suggestion that paper of some sort
would probably be a lot easier way to keep a garden journal than a
computer application.

He specifically asked about gardening *software*.

Don't you think it's a bit rude when someone asks about
gardening software (specifically), to answer that he should
use a pencil and paper (as if he'd never heard of a pencil
and paper in his life)?

I think it's a bit rude.

You also said: 'Ain't no computer application that can
match a written record.' This is not true. If it were
true, banks, governments, and big corporations would all be
using pencils and papers for all their records.

I really think the [pencil and paper is the best!] attitude
is funny when expressed *via Usenet*. If you actually
followed your own advice, you'd be corresponding with people
via snail mail and a pencil....



It would be a rare (and I expect, very expensive) computer application
that would allow for all the things *I* want to remember about *my*
garden.

No, it wouldn't. NotePad would do it. I would consider
that an inefficient and irritating way to do it, but NotePad
or any other (free) text editor would do it. It would be
less inefficient (for me personally) than a pencil and
paper, because I can type about 90 words a minute and I
certainly cannot write that fast (at all: much less
legibly).

I wouldn't dream of using one of them for this purpose
myself - I prefer the ease, efficiency, speed and greater
functionality of a purpose-built program - but NotePad CAN
do anything you can do with a pencil. You could use
Microsoft Paint for graphics: also free with a Windows
computer. Or you could use a really terrific free graphics
program called PhotoPlus 6.

Again, this wouldn't be MY choice. But a graphics program
plus a simple text editor (many, many of each are free) can
do whatever you can do with a pencil.

Purpose-built software though, or a spreadsheet or a
database program, has much much greater functionality and
ease of use.

Pat

Kelvyn wrote:

In article, says...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough

Thankyou for your advice on how to conduct my life.....but i think
i am on top of things ok without that sort of help.
kelvyn.


You *asked* for the advice, so shut up and accept it gratiously, like it
was offered.

Regards,
Bob

Pat Meadows wrote:

On Mon, 07 Apr 2003 15:02:09 GMT,
(Frogleg) wrote:

On Mon, 7 Apr 2003 17:19:56 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

In article, says...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough

Thankyou for your advice on how to conduct my life.....but i think
i am on top of things ok without that sort of help.

Well, it's a little hard to reply when my post wasn't quoted -- only
vilified, but I *wasn't* trying to advise anyone on how to conduct
his/her life I was merely making a suggestion that paper of some sort
would probably be a lot easier way to keep a garden journal than a
computer application.

He specifically asked about gardening *software*.

Don't you think it's a bit rude when someone asks about
gardening software (specifically), to answer that he should
use a pencil and paper (as if he'd never heard of a pencil
and paper in his life)?

I think it's a bit rude.

You also said: 'Ain't no computer application that can
match a written record.' This is not true. If it were
true, banks, governments, and big corporations would all be
using pencils and papers for all their records.

I really think the [pencil and paper is the best!] attitude
is funny when expressed *via Usenet*. If you actually
followed your own advice, you'd be corresponding with people
via snail mail and a pencil....



It would be a rare (and I expect, very expensive) computer application
that would allow for all the things *I* want to remember about *my*
garden.

No, it wouldn't. NotePad would do it. I would consider
that an inefficient and irritating way to do it, but NotePad
or any other (free) text editor would do it. It would be
less inefficient (for me personally) than a pencil and
paper, because I can type about 90 words a minute and I
certainly cannot write that fast (at all: much less
legibly).

I wouldn't dream of using one of them for this purpose
myself - I prefer the ease, efficiency, speed and greater
functionality of a purpose-built program - but NotePad CAN
do anything you can do with a pencil. You could use
Microsoft Paint for graphics: also free with a Windows
computer. Or you could use a really terrific free graphics
program called PhotoPlus 6.

Again, this wouldn't be MY choice. But a graphics program
plus a simple text editor (many, many of each are free) can
do whatever you can do with a pencil.

Purpose-built software though, or a spreadsheet or a
database program, has much much greater functionality and
ease of use.

Pat


Besides I can always find my computer. I wouldn't give odds on
finding the paper or notebook at any given time.


--
Susan N.

There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who do not.

On Mon, 07 Apr 2003 11:44:25 -0500, zxcvbob
wrote:

Kelvyn wrote:

In article, says...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough

Thankyou for your advice on how to conduct my life.....but i think
i am on top of things ok without that sort of help.
kelvyn.


You *asked* for the advice, so shut up and accept it gratiously, like it
was offered.


No, he actually didn't, Bob. He asked for advice on
(specifically) software.

Pat

Pat Meadows wrote:

On Mon, 07 Apr 2003 11:44:25 -0500, zxcvbob
wrote:

Kelvyn wrote:

In article, says...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:58:23 +1200, Kelvyn wrote:

Can anyone suggest a freeware garden journal/diary ? Have done a thorough

Thankyou for your advice on how to conduct my life.....but i think
i am on top of things ok without that sort of help.
kelvyn.


You *asked* for the advice, so shut up and accept it gratiously, like it
was offered.


No, he actually didn't, Bob. He asked for advice on
(specifically) software.

Pat


He said "freeware" and you went on and on about databases and
spreadsheets. There's not anything wrong with that, but you are being a
hypocrite to then bash Frogleg for suggesting a paper journal (which
qualifies as "hardware" in my book. Nowhere did he say "software"; that
was implied.)

I still think Kelvyn was being an ass -- he should have just ignored her
response if it wasn't what he wanted. And you're encouraging him.

Best regards,
Bob

--
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