But unlike all the other journaling I endeavor to achieve, garden journaling has purposes that go beyond romantically pretty pages and nostalgia, in a way that is entirely practical.   The weather, the onset of fruit and flowers, pest and disease, as well as notes about when and where things are planted, what worked, what didn’t and why, are simply more than any mere human can keep in one average sized brain….and the more I garden, the more I wish I had written down things when I started.  Record keeping is unquestionably my biggest failing as a gardener and I think it is preventing me from getting better.

But as I enjoyed the memory of my little boy, I began to think Facebook has my answer – did you know you can post stuff on Facebook that no-one can see but you?  All you have to do is select ‘only-me’ from the button just to the left of the post button.

Why, you might ask, would you want to do this?  Because I have become convinced that despite all my complaints about Facebook (the weird and often inappropriate social norms and lack of manners, the sometimes awkward exhibitionism, and the ever repeating images and memes that weren’t even interesting the first 50 times I saw them, blah, blah, blah)  – there is some real usefulness…. and that is the memories feature.  I can post whatever I want to just myself (no need to torture my friends with my garden notes) and it will keep it safe and organized for me – and it will remind me years from now – and most importantly is easy and right where I need it –  which is right where I already am.  Who isn’t constantly on Fb?  Plus it is easy and it can be even more handy if you use #hashtags and images and the search tool to find stuff later.

Have I discovered the most genius easy way to keep your garden notes?  I’m giving it a try and will let you know (next year) — but if you have any tips from your own garden journaling efforts, let me know – I certainly can use them.