A seed packet tells you the expected germination window. Your garden tells you what actually happened. The gap between those two data points, recorded across three growing seasons, is what separates a gardener who improves every year from one who repeats the same mistakes.
From Seed to Soil
Date Seed Planted starts the record. Sowing Depth, Qty of Seeds Planted, and Best Germination Temp capture the conditions — matching what the packet specifies against what you actually did. Days to Germinate (info from pack) creates the expectation; Date of Germination records the reality.
When germination lags or fails, notes capture why: soil temperature was off, the seed stock was old, the bed had poor drainage. That note is what changes the approach next season.
This seeds are... classifies seed provenance — 100% organic, heirloom, hybrid, second-generation saved seeds. For gardeners managing seed purity across multiple beds, this classification prevents cross-contamination from saved seeds of the wrong type.
Growing Conditions
Sunlight type — full sun, half shade, shade — guides bed assignment. Sowing Distance between Plants and Sowing Distance between Rows are the spacing specs that determine whether a bed is overcrowded in August or efficiently planted. Grow Bed # links each plant record to a physical location in the garden layout.
Date Transplanted closes the gap between indoor starting and outdoor planting — a transition that's often the highest-risk point in early-season growing.
Harvest and Seed Saving
Date 1st Harvest and harvest notes document yield timing and quality. Saving Seeds? flags which plants will contribute to next year's seed stock — a critical distinction for heirloom growers maintaining variety purity.
*Re-Plant Every ___ Days handles succession planting: crops like lettuce, radishes, and cilantro that produce best when planted in staggered batches rather than all at once.
Family, Attracted to, and Temp Tolerance fields add the botanical layer. A bed of plants that all attract bees functions differently from one that doesn't; a cold-tolerant variety planted in a frost-prone area survives where a heat-tolerant one fails. Fragrance and Resistant to complete the plant's ecological profile.