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February 5th 2016

The Floret Calendar

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Floret

Floret_Calendar-01Over the course of the past few weeks, I’ve shared a few behind-the-scenes stories about the creative process involved with some of the products now available in the Floret Shop.  Today I want to share a little bit about how the our Floret calendar came together, plus offer a fun little giveaway.

I get asked all the time how I find time to do it all.  And the truth is: I don’t.  There’s no way I could do it “all” by myself.  But, believe me, I’ve tried…and failed. (You can read more about that in my Design*Sponge post).  The truth is, I have a great little group of ladies (and Chris) on my team working to support me, especially with launch of Floret Seeds and the expansion of the Floret Shop.   It’s been a labor of love for ALL of us here at Floret.

I am a farmer and I’m a floral designer.  I am not a graphic designer.  So that meant getting my idea for a Floret Calendar off the ground required the assistance from someone with that skill set.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to team up with super talented graphic designer Nicole Yang to create the Floret calendar, post cards and special growing instruction cards included with each and every packet of seeds. As the Art Director for Southern Weddings magazine, Nicole has an incredible eye for design and an inspiring ‘can-do’ attitude that made her a joyful partner on the project.

Nicole was able to take our photos, monthly task lists, and other random ideas for the calendar and turn it into a big, beautiful calendar featuring some of our most popular photos of the farm.  Each month features a big, bold image of seasonal flowers (some of my very favorites ever captured here on the farm) along with little reminders of key garden-related tasks to do each month.

Floret_Shop_Products392_wall calendar01I use my iPhone to keep up to speed and connected, but there is nothing quite like putting a pen to paper to plot out my latest dream for Floret or map out my schedule and to-do list for the coming weeks and months. For as long as I can remember I’ve relied on a wall calendar to keep track of all of the details as I plot and plan out the year to come. I have a soft spot for beautiful journals and big calendars and I always keep my calendars from year to year. I have them dating back 15 years. I love being able to leaf back through them to see my notes with little details like when the larkspur bloomed, when the first fall frost arrived, when when the first sweet pea seeds were sown, or when the aphids usually show up in the hoophouse.

Each to-do list was developed based on over a decade of working in my own cutting garden.  The tips include suggestions of when to order different types of seeds, the best month to order bulbs, when to cut back the chrysanthemums so that they branch, the ideal time to pinch dahlias and lots of other details that can easily be overlooked.  Even after doing this for so long, I find having those little lists of tasks so handy to have nearby.  I designed the pages to include each moth’s major garden tasks listed right there on the page.

Floret_Calendar-02I wanted to create a calendar that was beautiful, functional and helpful to gardeners and I hope you love it as much as I do. We have just one case of  Floret Calendars still available in the Floret Shop, and I want them to find happy homes before we dig much deeper into our Blizzard planning series. So I’m going to giveaway a calendar to FIVE lucky blog winners and over in the shop you’ll find them marked down from $22 to $15. So if you want one of these gems, don’t delay.

UPDATE:  GIVEAWAY OFFER HAS ENDED.

Congratulations to the following five winners:

Grace: (Graceannie), Jenny R., Pam (Pammiebrew)  Lucinda P. and Kelly W.

My team will be in touch to capture your mailing address –or feel free to send it directly to info [at] www.floretflowers.com

A big thanks to everyone that has already shared information on their preferred planners and calendars in the comments. Even though we are no longer accepting entries for the calendar giveaway, please do continue the conversation by adding your comment below and share your calendar and planning resources and/or system.

REMINDER:   Be sure to get signed up for the Floret newsletter if you aren’t already on our list.  We’re putting the finishing touches on our February edition that you won’t want to miss.  In it you’ll find exciting updates, a killer special offer only available for subscribers, plus helpful resources for showing local flower love this Valentine’s Day. To stay in the loop sign up here.

259 Comments

  1. Carolyn Thompson - Willow & Mabel Garden Co. on

    I have the beautiful Floret Calendar in my kitchen for an over all view of what is going on in my life & my kids. I have started a calendar on my Apple devices when everything needs to be planted and when. and I love that all my calendars are linked so that I can review it either on my phone, IPad or laptop depending on where I am. I have been given as gifts two flower journals but as I have yet being able to develop the 36 hour day I have yet to use them. The other thing that I love to use is a clip board! My friend uses one and I used to laugh at her – she gave me one for my birthday and I love it! I write my to do list on it and keep any pertinent information attached to it & there is nothing more satisfying than crossing off that list. Maybe I should put “write in flower journal” on that list so it may get done. Thanks Floret team for all of your help. I truly could not go on this flower journey without you.

    Reply
  2. Michelle Koch on

    I use a month at a glance calendar book and a wall calendar in tandem with lots of sketches and doodles on scraps of paper to plan my flower gardens for two farmer’s markets. Which is what I’m doing today – our first snow day of the year (I work in a school) I think some type of a planner with pockets for saving little sketches and seed packets would be wonderful, and some pages of seed timing – starting to into the garden.
    My daffodils were halfway up and now they’re 8″ under the white stuff – off to shovel and dream of blooms. Thank you for the chance to win a calendar – yours is lovely.

    Reply
  3. Lynn on

    Oh Erin, a garden journal as you described would be my go to, as I’m constantly thinking of things I need to write down while I’m a work about this spring season of planting, and keep losing the sticky notes. Gorgeous photographs are my inspiration for revising/adding to my farm in the making :) Thank you making such a beautiful calendar and for the contest!!

    Reply
  4. Leslie @ Marigold Floral Studio on

    I love using a daily calendar. I also keep mine for years and reference them as I need which is handy. Looking back to see when things flowered from year to year or looking over previous events. Thank you and the calendar looks beautiful.

    Reply
  5. Mindy Lord on

    I use a folder calendar.. a bit smaller than a standard size piece of paper. I like it because 1. I have big handwriting and 2. it allows me enough space to clearly state my goals and to-do list. Your calendar is beautiful!

    Reply
  6. Stephanie on

    I use a large at-a-glance calendar. I too wish for a garden planning journal I could take with me!!

    Reply
  7. Brandy @ The Prudent Homemaker on

    I use a tiny pocket calender with monthly pages to keep in my purse.

    For daily to-do lists, I write my items on a sheet of paper from a pad. Almost all of my pads have quotes about gardening; those that don’t have pictures of flowers on them.

    Reply
  8. Shannon on

    I keep track with binders and three wall calendars :) I have one dedicated to my farm animals, one for our vegetable crops, and another for my cutting garden flowers. I also have a small notebook that I carry in my pocket to jot down ideas and things-to-do that I don’t want to forget.
    I very much wish that I had enough room on each calendar to write down all that I want. There never seems to be enough room in the little squares. Your calendar looks beautiful! Very well planned out with stunning photographs and the monthly task lists is brilliant!
    Thanks for the giveaway! I would love it :)

    Reply
  9. Tammy on

    I use a combination of resources, but my staples are the calendar on my phone, sending emails to myself, and making priority lists. On my calendar, I actually have a daily reminder reading, “Morning Rockstar Lady!” It pings me at 7:45am, every morning, seven days a week. It’s my little daily reminder to start the day off with a positive thought about myself. As a florist, my job is very mobile. I don’t like carrying a lot on me- even my mom purse is too much, but I can’t seem to let it go. I don’t like taking notes on the go or carrying around a notebook all day, so I send myself emails regularly. Someone might say something to me I don’t want to forget, I might see a business I want to follow up with. So I send myself an email. I guess it’s another form of a list. Thanks for wanting to learn more about your followers!

    Reply
  10. Michele on

    As it stands now, my calendaring consists of stacks of random papers consisting of hasty notes, badly drawn (and not to scale) garden planning maps and lists of wanted plants and new and old buying resources. I am normally a girl who likes a good plan and does things systematically. I just can’t seem to get it together with my gardening documentation. I would love to find something that could contain all my notes, and maybe have a way to organize my ideas and resources that makes it easy to flip back through and find the information I am looking for, without going through a mish mash of paperwork. Thanks for your beautiful blog and your kind and generous heart. You truly are inspiring and lovely.

    Reply
  11. Heidi on

    I have a big calendar on the front of my fridge that I use to keep track of everything. I do use my google calendar on my phone, but I find I revert back to the paper calendar a lot more. This year I’m not sure how I’m going to keep track of everything as we embark on flower farming. I want to keep good track of everything. I did wander the pretty journal aisle the other day, but I think it’ll be a cool ringed book for the field.

    Reply
  12. Debbie on

    What a sweet thing for you to offer these! I won a packet of zinnia seeds last year and you would have thought I won the lottery, this littlest things thrill me. They did great and I thought of you every time I cut them. I would adore one of your calendars! Thanks again for all your do and share with the flower lovers of the world:)

    Reply
  13. Natalie on

    I use Calendar app on the iPhone but I do not love it. I find the reminders very useful, but don’t like that I can’t have an overall view of the month with all the appointments / special occasions. I am a minimalist and don’t like extra things, but would not hesitate to display and use a beautiful calendar like yours.

    Reply
  14. Dave on

    Calendars – always on a paper calendar… but never any so pretty as this…

    Reply
  15. Dave on

    Calendars – always on a paper calendar… but never any so pretty as this…

    Reply
  16. Ti on

    I LOVE my huge bee-utiful calendar that I already purchased from you!
    I look for one w/ pics, calendar with dates of frost, (first and last days would be great!) and then a back and forward count of weeks from them so that we don’t have to guess when wks prior to, or after are. (Has to have guideline dates for hardiness zones.) Then we can easily know when to sow seeds…, when plants may come to fruition ….
    Then I need a graph for plotting out gardens and noting what planted when…
    Places to note when harvest begins… and any other pertinent info.
    I have been wanting to design one for some time! haven’t found one yet.

    Thanks for the chance for those who haven’t bought one yet! I spent a great deal and received a great collection ! and cannot wait for all the gorgeous flowers about to fill my gardens!!!! esp the sweet peas… oh and the dahlias! and the drippy amaranthus varieties and anemone… well you get the picture!

    Reply
  17. Eve on

    This calendar is BEAUTIFUL and the graphic work is so nice! I always have a wall calendar for notes and reminders and family schedules, but transitioned to electronic calendars (phone, outlook) for the detailed work and project calendars. I too really need a thick planner but can’t seem to get my hands on one that is meets all my needs…

    Reply
  18. Mona on

    I use basically everything, and not always working unfortunately. I tell myself, my husband, and kids to remind me of something (anything). I use calendars, post-its, phone notes too :)
    I use my wall calendars too but sometimes I forget to check them…

    Reply
  19. Diane Miller on

    I PHONE NOTES, CORK BOARDS AND JOURNALS are my go to for inspiration, reminders and memos in general. Thank you for your invaluable information.

    Reply
  20. Kari on

    Last year was my first time growing flowers. And I had such a wonderful, intoxicating experience, that I’ve already begun planning this years garden , and am very excited to expand it all over the yard :)
    I have a pink gardening journal that I used last year, filled with all the super fine detailing of a first time flower gardener, but this year I’ve purchased a bigger planner to help me get my head around all the additional things I’ll need to do this year.
    I’d love one of your gorgeous calendars to help keep me on track!!

    Best,
    Kari

    Reply
  21. Tracey on

    Dear Chris ,I need to Hire you for a week . You are a Treasure to Floret And your Family! How high off ground, do you suspend the support wire netting off the ground?Everything looks so neatly done . Congrats . I look at the floret photos very intensely .

    Reply
  22. Julie @ Garden Delights on

    Your calendar is gorgeous, and it’s exactly what I need. I’m a complete failure at digital calendars–I need to write everything on a calendar that can hang by my desk so I can look at the month in one big overview. I try to use my phone for reminders, but I can’t tell you how often I forget to look at it! There’s a perfect place right on my wall for your calendar! Thank you for all of your helpful advice–I’m off to sow the sweet pea seeds I ordered from you! Yay!

    Reply
  23. marsha on

    I keep track with paper and pen. Still love the feel of writing with a nice fountain pen and a pretty calendar. Just moved from Boston to Seattle so nearly starting over in the flower planting and garden designing department. At least no snow to slow the process down. Love it here. Please more classes!

    Reply
  24. Em on

    I make dozens and dozens of lists… on notebooks, scraps of construction paper, the backs of receipts & my three year old’s artwork… they are everywhere!

    Reply
  25. Grace on

    I make hand-written lists. I try to use my laptop’s calendar as a backup, but if I don’t write it down with a pen and paper I will not remember it!

    I use wall calendars solely for the pictures. I have a one full of Mucha paintings – it’s from 2013 but I still turn the page every month to see which muse comes next, amazed that I’ve already forgotten from the year before and always so pleased with his choice of colors.

    Cheers!

    Reply
  26. Elinor llera on

    I am trying to use my phones calendar but I learned the hard way you can’t always depend on technology. Having a day timer style for my purse with gardening tips would be awesome.

    Reply
  27. Glynis on

    I print out a long list of all the dates vertically like this: M 5/T 6/W 7/TH 8/F 9/ . 10/ .11 etc with a long line above Monday. I then draw lines down the middle to denote categories, as well as dedicate one block BEFORE the date to write all the tasks that need to be completed that week. I can hang the pages on the wall and see the entire year. I also have tasks with deadlines, so I block colour them from the start to finish date. That gives me an idea of how long I have to complete a project, and also how many on-going projects I have going on at once. Sometimes I’ll go back and modify it so that I give myself new start and end deadlines instead of many at once.

    Reply
  28. Nicole on

    I am still trying to find the method that works best for me. Last year, I did a combination of notebook and Google calendar. I even tried the Microsoft One Drive app. This year, I have implemented a wall calendar in addition to Google calendar and a plain old notebook, and I will, hopefully–eventually–find the right system for me.

    Reply
  29. Emma on

    I just use one small A5ish sized moleskine diary with a week to a page on one side and a blank lined page on the other side where i have my to do list. Bigger projects get their own notebook, small enough to fit in my bag otherwise i forget what i sm meant to be doing!! Family life is put onto googke calender so husband and i can sync and check dates.

    Reply
  30. Jill blackburn on

    I usually use a planner to keep track of my garden. But as the season progresses I don’t write as much info. I am betting that if I had a wall calendar that I might actually be more organized. I think I will try that this year.

    Reply
  31. Gill on

    My camera is my most useful tool for planning my garden. I find that it is a good visual record of things I need to do. I have a couple of flower beds in the garden that are overgrown. At this time of year when everything has died done I can’t remember exactly what needs to be done. But it is no problem because I have the photographs to remind me. I also have a photograph of a new bed I want to cut out in the lawn.I used Photoshop to ‘plant’ the bed so that I get an idea of what it will look like. The next stage will be to mark it out on the lawn with canes and string before I make a final decision.

    Reply
  32. Kelly W. on

    I use a wall calendar to note when I need to plant certain seeds. That calendar also contains everything else I need to do in my life, so I also use a plain old spiral notebook to plan garden beds and to write wish lists. I also have a blank-page journal where I write about garden fails and triumphs, and record dates of plantings, germination, bloom times, etc. It’s not a cohesive system at all! Thank you for all of your fun giveaways and inspiration!

    Reply
  33. Carrie on

    I am a brand new flower farmer and it can be difficult to try to keep all of the information straight. I have a notebook, and keep notes on my iPhone, save articles to Pinterest folders, etc. But it would be nice to have it all in one place in an organized format!

    Reply
  34. Charissa Steyn on

    I am not a gardener by any means but your site and passion for flowers has got me excited to plant what I can in our little flower beds!

    Reply
  35. Paris on

    I have the awesome daily Purposeful Plannet by Corrie Clark! I love it so much- I would love to have a planner specifically for all things farm! When to plant, harvest butcher etc. ! Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  36. Karen on

    I have a notebook that keeps planting calendars (planned and actual) and planting maps. I keep a list of seeds to re-order going on one page and a list of things to remember to do (or not do) the next year.

    Reply
  37. MareBear on

    I use my calendar on my phone and my desk calendar at work . . . I have a new phone and it’ll send me a text at any given date/time for a reminder. I love the look of your calendar, it makes me happy!

    Reply
  38. Paula on

    I use my DayDesigner for keeping my family and to-do’s on track – it’s classic and high quality. For work I use Outlook to keep me on schedule and for setting reminders of my deadlines. I wish that there was an electronic version of my Day Designer that I could put up on my fridge so the whole family could have visibility into our calendar as well – one hat would auto populate. Someday I’m sure! :)

    Reply
  39. Jennifer Flowers Logan--Whimsy Flower Farm on

    I use a combo of large desk calendar with different colored pens, but also a sheet of cardstock per month, divided into “early”, “mid”, and “late” for my seed starting/planting goals. I keep that tacked up in front of me where I can reach for it quickly. I like to see everything at once so I can keep the big picture in mind. I also keep a notebook for dated notes that I record every few days as I walk around outside. A tiny pad stays in the greenhouse. I suppose what I need already exists–I should become more reliant on a smart phone or tablet (?) But I am a hopeless pen and paper type. I am also making a spreadsheet similar to one I saw on the ASCFG site.

    Reply
  40. Yelena Shumakova on

    Thank you for showing your process! It’s been so wonderful to get to read about the behind the scenes processes!

    I use a process of sticky notes and a weekly planner to keep track of all of my work things. The sticky notes get moved from week to week. I also use a Google calendar to keep track of my personal things. But I love keeping a beautiful wall calender with birthdays and events by my desk! (I know overkill!)

    Reply
  41. Roxanne McCoy on

    I have used a daily planner for a couple of decades now, but I must confess that I have been longing for one of your big, beautiful calendars to try this year.

    Reply
  42. Meg Cochrane on

    I have a big black journal that I have had for about 30 years in which I have recorded everything from annual blooming dates, designs for planting beds, trellis ideas, garden art to scarecrows, poems, gardening books, and the dates that i get my seeds in every year. It has dirt and scratches on the outside, muddy fingerprints on many pages from bringing it out to the garden . I actually sold flowers from three garden plots in Seattle to local florists in the late 80’s-early 90’s before anybody thought to add mint or oregano or nigella to their bouquets. I so enjoy perusing your blog and website and it inspires me to plant more seeds and maybe come up with a new flower growing related project. I made my own journal at the time because there was no such thing to purchase and I always thought it would be a great idea that gardeners would snap up.. I would love to see you make one!

    Reply
    • Floret on

      Wow Meg–sounds fantastic! I’d love to see how you designed yours if you’d be willing to share!

  43. Vanessa Vernham on

    Wow! So many replies! I live in Tasmania Aus, have been following Floret for a while, I love it! Wish I could visit! I use a big calender for all of our family stuff. As I am not into 21st tech, it has taken me a while to get a phone that has a calender on it. I have used it a little, would love a pretty 12 month calender to put on the fridge, Laura Ashley have one I think. Anyway, thankyou so much for sharing all that you and your team do, its wonderful, your flowers inspire me.

    Reply
  44. Jody on

    Oh, I am terrible at writing things down..I keep everything in my phone calendar. And sometimes, on a good week, I write our weeks’ schedule on our homemade chalk wall in our kitchen. I so enjoy your blog & your lifestyle. Thank you.

    Reply
  45. Barbara on

    I use one of those day planners that salespeople give you. Not pretty but I can make notes on the actual date and they are all in one place. My planning is done on spreadsheets and on a bed layout plan that we tack to the wall. Wouldn’t it be nice if they were all in one place?

    Reply
  46. Mal on

    I have a notebook that I use to keep track of our backyard garden projects. I use it make to-do lists, sketch the garden plans on grid paper and keep track of different varieties of plants to try. I haven’t found a garden journal planner yet that fits my needs but would love one with ample room to sketch, take notes, and one that lists monthly reminders for garden management. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us all and for offering the giveaway!

    Reply
  47. Jane on

    I use an engagement calendar by Curly Girl Designs. I love the happy inspiration, and the colorful illustrations. I also use the beautiful notebooks from Growing For Market, that have botanical illustrations on the covers. They are just the right size for carrying in my bag, or taking notes in the greenhouse. I am passionate about journaling and note taking, and I love that there are people like you who are so willing to share yours in your blog. Thank you!!!!!!!

    Reply
  48. Stephanie on

    Your calendar is so stunning, I literally swoon for those photos whenever I see them! I use my A Beautiful Mess yearly planner as my working calendar, and love that I can carry it with me and that it has fun stickers. When I buy a planner, I primarily look for something small enough that I can carry it anywhere with me, in any bag I carry. I also like to have a wall calendar for my husband, so he can be aware when unusual events are happening.

    Reply
  49. Solara on

    So many amazing comments! Planning is difficult for me. I’m a mom to a 13 month old, and a small business owner. We have an edible landscaping and permaculture business on Vancouver island. I’m also a farm market manager at our lovely farm market in North Saanich BC. Our gardens consist of little islands of perennials mixed with annuals, expanding every year. I have a vision in my mind, maybe a dream you would say, of flowers and food growing side by side and rambling skywards, an organized chaos. I write things on wall calendars, in journals, on scraps of paper, and go through my photos of previous years growth. Each year I’m surprised by things coming up in the garden that I forgot I planted! It seems to work out though, and I learn so much as each season passes. Someone told me about a 10 year garden calendar, and that seems like something that would be useful to track how much earlier the spring seems every year, and when we graft fruit trees, or pick quince. I would be honoured to get a calendar from you, your blog, website, and now your seeds are inspiring me so much, and I feel that a new bright colour thread is being woven into my chaotic garden expression. xo

    Reply
  50. Kristen L on

    Although these days it probably makes most sense, digital just doesn’t do it for me! I love having a hard copy calendar and journal, and while I wish I wrote in each of them more, I also love being able to flip back through them at the end of the year, or far in the future, to see what was going on at the time. I find that I will never look back at a digital calendar… Your calendar is lovely! And I love that you included garden tips. Beautiful as well as practical.

    Reply
  51. Joanne Fetting on

    I have a real mix . I have a beautiful garden journal with customizable sections, pockets, and large graph paper pages. I pin ideas and articles on pinterest, I photograph my garden, and I make notes about individual plants (when planted, bloom time, pinching and pruning dates )on the pages of The Well-Tended Perennial Garden. Sadly, I start out gung-ho and struggle to keep it up as the gardening season moves on so I have great notes for April, May and June and not much for the rest of the garden season. I some how need away to combine all of these and keep up my motivation to document my gardens.

    Reply
  52. Cathy on

    I used to rely on my wall calendar, then got a spiral bound calendar I could carry with me but I kept forgetting it! I tried using my iPhone but I hate looking at it all the time. I’m thinking a giant wall calendar with all 12 months visible at one time might be the next thing I try! Your photographs are beautiful and inspiring! I still keep a flip calendar on the fridge to let the rest of the family know what’s going on.

    Reply
  53. Britton on

    For most tasks I have a spiral bound notebook, or a packet of monthly calendars printed from a website. But for my plant studies, I carry a grey Moleskin notebook organized by species. It would be awesome if it was laid out like a garden journal with a space for sketches and dates and soil information, etc as well as a spot for general notes.

    Reply
  54. Jenny Miller on

    I’m a very visual person so I love having a wall calendar that gives me a full sense of the month ahead of me — and that inspires me with gardening pictures. I use those pictures much as I do a cup of coffee in the morning to perk me up and get me excited about doing something creative that day. In January, I go through each month on my wall calendar and jot down general tasks I need to accomplish in a given week or day, whether it’s chilling seeds, scheduling tasks for my volunteers or installing my early spring display. Then I carry around a small waterproof notebook in my tool belt w/a more detailed list of the day’s tasks – and a pen to write impromptu ideas or reminders. I also use Post-Its on my tool locker and computer to remind myself of things that I definitely can’t forget! ?

    Reply
  55. Lourdes on

    I’m always inspired by your work and your posts. I live in North Texas with a secondary home in Atlanta, Georgia as my job required me to move my office. Texas is home and where my heart is, my garden. It’s been quite challenging to keep the garden the manner I want being away as often as I have been now these past two years. On weekends when I am home it’s a fierce time to pay attention to the garden. Over the last month I’ve been prepping it for Spring with over 2000 bulbs. I would have loved to have done more. Watching your work is so inspiring especially when I’m away.It keeps me close to the lovely flowers I yearn for. I expanded my garden with a new bed of daffodils and ranunculus this year. Thank you for always sharing you thoughts and visual inspiration. Maybe some day I could see your beautiful garden in person. Until then I’d love one of your calendars to keep in Atlanta when I’m away from my garden. Thanks for sharing your talent!!

    Reply
  56. kimberly on

    Thanks for this wonderful opportunity. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I win because the pictures are so beautiful and I am excited to learn from your gardening expertise.

    As for planning, I utilize an organizer that I carry with me at all times. I am a little old fashion and haven’t started utilizing phone to keep track of things. I know I should but I just love being able to write it all down and seeing it on the page.

    Reply
  57. Judy on

    I have always used a wall calendar. I usually go through my gardening books and lists in January and fill in all the important planting dates

    Reply
  58. Holly on

    I use a wall calendar every year along with lists! I bought your calendar the day you announced it was for sale…love it! Bought another for a gift. My lists are written on the backs of junk mail envelopes…re-use!
    I also have a journal book I sometimes use as well…it is a very “old school” system but it works for me…I love the contemplation of pen to paper…very meditative and thought provoking.

    Reply
  59. Ginnie on

    I have a dream notebook…a wall calendar for first flower notes and family happenings (and new plantings), and a very disorganized brain. A totally flower calendar would be wonderful and it would replace the ducks and geese calendar of my hubby’s that’s by MY desk. LOL

    Reply
  60. Katy on

    My husband uses spreadsheets on Google Drive to keep track of all the veggie beds for our CSA. Last year I had two beds for flowers & this year I’ll have the same, though I’m hoping to use them more wisely this year, which I think means I need to get in on the spreadsheet action!

    Reply
  61. Chelsey on

    I end up with lists all over my house to try to keep my mind clear. I have been obsessing over your calendar, it looks so beautiful. Congratulations on all of your success, it is so well deserved.

    Reply
  62. Kristen on

    I am still holding strong with a wall calendar, just can’t make the switch to electronic calendar!

    Reply
  63. Emily on

    What a beautiful idea for garden planning! I currently use lots of Excel spreadsheets. I wish I had an app where I could store all of my plans and have everything linked together…planting instructions, garden map, fertilization needs, etc.

    I just found your blog a couple of weeks ago and I love all of the information and beautiful pictures you’ve posted! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  64. drea @ morning glory acres on

    Your calendars are beyond beautiful!

    I always feel like my mind is in a jumble when it comes to the planners and things!! I am trying to perfect a system this year, but it’s not even clear how I will do it yet! I like planners I can carry with me, but I also like big calendars with space to write stuff and can see it at a glance! I’ve been thinking I might do several calendars. One for seeding schedule, one for bulbs, maybe a little one for hours, and one for other stuff, like when to put up shade cloth, when to uncover caterpillar tunnels and things like that. I want to form a habit for myself and our whole team this year to ALWAYS look at the calendars/planners the very first thing in the morning!

    Reply
  65. Angela on

    I use a combination of notebooks and a wall calendar. Works okay but I would love something that keeps track for several years running, say 5 years, and that has sections for important stuff like seed varieties etc

    Reply
  66. Clara on

    Like several of your other commenters, I use several methods, including excel spreadsheets and 2 calendars (both with beautiful pictures and inspiring words to help me subliminally every time I look at the calendars) One calendar is for the wall, one is small and I carry it with me — it is still a “wall” calendar, but it is small enough to tuck into my notebook. Only problem- hard to write everything in it! Looking forward to some brilliant designer to invent one that is tactile(ie not a computer screen) but that can be carried and written in ! Thanks for your Blog Blizzard- so helpful

    Reply
  67. Diane on

    A big thank you for a giveaway. It’s been helpful and fun to read such an array of comments. I’ve been trying to incorporate an awareness of moon cycles on planting and growing. So I’m using a combination of my computer calendar and an app with moon cycles and types. It isn’t integrated or easy to use so having a beautiful calendar where I got make some notes and read some tips would help a lot.

    Reply
    • Diane on

      Whoops. Meant moon cycles and tips, not types.

  68. Samantha on

    I’m an analog person – I use the big paper at-a-glance book for all my “life” planning but for gardening, I use a wall calendar so this is awesome. I am trying to take better notes, and to have it all in one place! Lee Valley Tools has a very nice multi-year garden journal that I have but haven’t used consistently…. I might need to get a new one & start fresh!

    Reply
  69. Verana on

    I have a pretty box designated just for gardening. I keep all my notes, gardening flyers,used seed packets, etc in it just to keep in one place. I carry with me in my purse a small journal with pockets. I write the names of flowers I want to buy, flowers already in my garden, websites etc. It helps me remember the important things. TJ Max always has a great selection of journals and notebooks and not too expensive. I also like to use yellow legal pads for list making. I usually keep these in my gardening box.

    Reply
  70. Monica on

    I am a small market gardener who loves the information you so willingly share. Every season I map out what I plant and where to plant everything. I make a lot of daily todo lists and am looking for ways to be more organized a keeping track of what and when things need to be done. As a gardener in northern Minnesota my season looks different than yours but I think there is still enough in common that your calendar would be a helpful tool. Thank you so much for your transparency and willingness to share.

    Reply
  71. Abigail Belliveau on

    Well, normally I lay awake at night thinking of my “to do’s” and I elbow my husband and whisper, “remind me to write in the blog tomorrow.” if that doesn’t work I write it down usually on a big ol’ piece of lined paper labeled “list of things to do.” I don’t know about you all, but I make my lists really fun to read. I love finding a good list that either I, or someone else has written, they usually say a lot about a person.

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  72. Ann-Sofie on

    I dont use anything… or a note on a paper that I forget about.. Not a very good system. A gardenplanner with helpful tips would be nice ;-)

    Reply
  73. Eszter on

    I usually use a wall calender to organize the family life, but this year I haven’t got one. It would be great to win one of your beautiful calendars with the garden tasks listed.

    Reply
  74. barb Brant on

    Wall calendar in office and excel spread sheets. Large Chart in Planting shed.

    Reply
  75. Anna on

    Paper planner- Montly view ONLY! My job includes planning lots of events so seeing the big picture is important to me. I get teased mercilessly at work.

    Reply
  76. Shannon on

    This year I bought a Passion Planner for the first time. So far, I’m liking it. On our farm, we use calendars and Excel spreadsheets that list our planned planting dates as well as actual planting dates for each crop and variety and succession planting.

    Reply
    • Killoran on

      Yes! I love mine. I thought planning and setting goals was super cheesy (“I know what I want.. I can just keep it in my head!”), but it has really helped me out.

      Bonus: woman-owned, buy-one-give-one, American company (the planners are made in China, though).

  77. Gina on

    This is my first year starting to grow flowers (for restaurants and a local market, someday hopefully for my own shop and design studio!) so I haven’t quite figured out my planning methods… which is to say, I don’t have one – AHHHH! I’ve been keeping a notebook with a page segmented into months, with dates that mark important things to do (sow snapdragons, pinch sweet peas) but I know there are holes in my own calendar. I know things will come and go with out occurring to me until after the fact. A calendar with reminders written by someone who knows what the hell they’re doing would be a big relief! I had a calendar in my shopping cart full of Floret seeds, but let it go before I placed my order, reasoning that I was already in too deep financially, urgh! Thanks Erin & team for all that you do for us trying-to-be farmers!

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  78. Paul Flack on

    I am really bad at keeping records, So I need a calendar to get me and keep me inspired.
    Your friend Paul

    Reply
  79. Tracey on

    Oh ,how I love reading everyone’s little stories .I am a total beginner and am quickly learning ,there is more to growing flowers, than just throwing down the seed. I am a very disorganised gardener, so maybe I will just start ,by making Hand written notes in an exercise book. As I am living in Australia ,I cannot purchase seed / plants from Floret ,however I took your advice and have ordered your favourite Sweet pea varieties from Owls acre seed in the UK. Must go write that down !! Thank you All for your inspiration and keep Smiling.

    Reply
  80. Helen Hartman on

    Ooh la la is the calendar beautiful or what!
    I have a spreadsheet of the seeds I order each year, and what I have left at the end of a season to help plan the next order. I use graph paper to lay out what I have planted indoors. I draw diagram of the garden beds and I record what I plant in each area. Plus, photos. I’d like to figure out a way to integrate these into a notebook. I prefer paper to looking at a screen. Can’t wait to start the seeds I ordered from Floret!

    Reply
  81. Tracy on

    I currently use a simple index card organizer and my iPhone calendar. I just purchased a 2016 Planner and ‘plan’ to give it a try. :) I love all the amazing progress taking place for Floret! Wishing you a blessed year ahead.

    Reply
  82. Robin Taber on

    A million thanks, Erin for your willingness to share, to encourage — so inspiring to see your blog bringing this flower farmer community together! I love these comments — I am a scribbler — bits of paper everywhere plus a master wall calendar for our family to write activities and weather notes. I have 14 of these saved so far. I’ve started keeping a binder of notes with tabs for weather, dates, flower growth info — and am still looking for the best method overall. Probably a combination of wall calendar and pocket notebook.

    Reply
  83. Kate on

    Hello there, I’m a college student about to graduate, wondering why I didn’t just drop out to become a farmer. As a student, with little to none in the way of surplus finances for lovely planners, I take my notebook for school, turn it upside down and backwards, and grid out my own calendar, in pencil. I’ll admit, there is a joy in making something on your own, personalizing and giving more space to some parts of life and less space to others. I fill empty days with it with skater-brained ideas and lovely script words. But I would be enormously thankful for a beautifully articulated calendar filled with gardening wisdom. Also, what I wish existed when it comes to planning is simply the ability to remember things. What I wouldn’t give to be able to learn something and remember it forever.
    Thank you for what you’re doing; bringing more beauty to the world and sharing it with anyone who will look.

    Reply
  84. Sarah on

    There seems to be no one single method for keeping track of it all. Your process of jotting down notes in your calendar is one that I find charming and useful! I myself use a calendar and just a regular college ruled notebook. A rugged garden journal planner would be a great thing to have!

    Reply
  85. Jenny on

    I use a calendar that I get form out r bank for free every year! It is posted in the cabinet where I store my seeds and I update it whenever I plant or harvest. I keep thinking about making a digital calendar but I love having a written record, it feels so much more personal!

    Reply
  86. Danielle on

    I make plans anywhere and on everything I can. Lists in planners, on calendars, on my phone, in notebooks…seriously everywhere. I don’t know what I actually wish for when it comes to planning. I am inspired by art and pretty pictures, but I don’t know that I could ever confine myself to just one thing.

    Reply
  87. Lisa on

    This year I’ve started using a Day Designer, which is really beautiful and I’m having fun also writing notes about what happens on certain days to semi-journal, as well. I also jot down items in my iPhone calendar when I don’t have my bulkier planner with me, but try to transfer everything. I wish it was all integrated, but alas, I am not sure the specific technology and blend of old and new that I would love for me is quite out there yet!

    Reply
  88. Elisabeth Ontario on

    Wow the comments for this!
    I use a good old fashioned paper style planner. One I can write in, and use all my different highlighters to colour. Oh, and it has to be a monthly view, and 2 year length. Always planning for the future, but trying to write down interesting things too, to look back on, whether it’s gardening, or all the little firsts for the kids.
    I would love to someday go digital with a cell phone and have some kid of gardening app for planning!

    Reply
  89. Candy on

    I have to admit that I use my calendar/planner for menu planning anfpd my garden planner is an old composition book with a rubber band to mark the current plans. It has each of the last fifteen years plans for each bed, the dates for seed starting, transplanting, variety names, hail storms, and yields.

    Reply
  90. heather crawford on

    i use my iPhone & the calendar on my computer, but i’ve been longing for a paper planner lately. one with lots of space to organize & plan out meals, home & work tasks, etc in a layout that makes it easy to see days, weeks, and months with inspiring, calming photography. i know what i want in my head…but making the time for creating it has proven a little more challenging with a newborn ;o)

    Reply
  91. Michelle Shackelford on

    I love big wall calenders and notebooks galore. I’m going to start bullet Journaling as soon as my new leuchtturm1917 arrives!

    Reply
  92. Shannon on

    I still like tiny little notebooks and fine point pens with black ink. And I’ve begun using a phone calendar that send me alerts–that’s helpful. Anything I’d *like* to see exist? Um, an implant in my brain and the ability to project lists on walls or in thin air with my laser-like eyes from said brain. I mean, right?

    Reply
  93. Laurie on

    I have a little pink leather calendar that I use to jot down important things like “start Sweet Peas” or “Prune Roses.” It fits in my purse and looks nice enough to take with me to my various other appointments. I use it in conjunction with a not-so-professional looking garden journal. There I scribble down lots of notes on seeds, soil, what processes worked and what didn’t. It’s nice to have room to write my impressions and make notes to myself for the following year. Here’s one entry from last year: “Floret Sweet Peas continue to sprout like crazy!!!” And the garden journal planner you describe in your post sounds perfect to me, as does your calendar!

    Reply
  94. Kim on

    I use wall calendars, phone calendar reminders, and a large white board so that all family members can be advised where everyone is and what is going on (only works if everyone posts). I love what you are doing. Can you add at least 24 hours to every day?

    Reply
  95. Katie on

    Oh I would so love one of your calendars!! I, too, am a calendar and journal type of girl. There’s something so beautiful about writing it down. It feels like a contract with yourself that way and it’s always within your line of site which helps for manifesting! I’m loving your posts and hope to be considered for this give-a-way! Thank you!

    Reply
  96. Sunny on

    I have a journal that I use, but I LOVE to make lists and cross things off!

    Reply
  97. Vida Howard on

    I am hopelessly attached to my iPhone…when I’m not outside. But I still adore a beautiful calendar on my wall to mark the passing of days, weeks and seasons.
    Floret on Facebook has added beauty to my experience and I appreciate that so.

    Reply
  98. Marsha on

    I use an excel spreadsheet for detailed notes and history. Calendar for seeding scheduling. So nice to be a teeny part of the local flower movement!

    Reply
  99. Sybil H.Skinne on

    Just this week I sat at the computer for hours and hours assuring I had my brides all listed with our day to day chores schedules – printed, placed a paper clip on it and then I thought about that big calendar with big blocks to write in with beautiful pictures of flowers that use to hang in the shop and how I wanted one…nothing bets pin to paper.

    Reply
  100. Christine O'Brien on

    Hi,

    I use a journal to keep track of all things “Flower Farm”. From expenses, to sowing/planting dates to follow-up notes, what worked and what didn’t. Sometimes I use the iPad for extra notes, but not as much as a Journal. Sowing dates/prep work outside/shopping list for supplies is on a separate calendar and of course, the Floret calendar would be ideal to have for that purpose.

    Reply
  101. Heidi on

    My kids use to call me post-it… hand written notes everywhere. I’ve always loved journaling and collect pretty books to write in. A good garden journal would be lovely. ??

    Reply
  102. Emily on

    Years and years ago, I went on the hunt for a “Gardener’s Journal”. Seriously, I though it should be so easy. So many gardeners out there, they must all have one, right? Well after about 3 years of searching, I finally found one at (the now out of business) Smith & Hawken. It’s perfect. A hard 3 ring binder shell, divided into sections. It came with a section for planning (there’s even graph paper and little outlined plots, a “to do” section with lined paper, “my favorites” that has those plastic sleeves so you can put all of those pictures that you cut out of a catalog and sooooo much more. I always write down what varieties I’ve planted and where, what I want to add and just about everything “garden: in it. I would love for Floret to make these!!!! Mine goes back to 2005 and is getting a bit warn, so a new one would be lovely. But back to the calendar subject. I would use the Floret Calendar like an “Inspiration Board” . Looking at all that beauty each month would inspire me to take my garden again to the next level. It will never be “done”, just growing and evolving.

    Reply
  103. Ashley on

    Since leaving my day job to be a full time homesteader I havent found the right way to organize and plan. I use a wall calendar, a mini calender in my purse and my various scrapes of paper. It is pretty sad considering I am usually quite organized, but I just havent found the right fit for the homesteading life. I would love one of your calendars to help organize and inspire!

    Reply
  104. Carissa Russell on

    I use so many post its and scratch pads. I rarely buy them, but somehow I have so many!
    When gardening, I go a lot on memory and photos (which are so handy because they’re dated) to do tasks.

    Reply
  105. Sharrie on

    I put appointments on my phone and use a separate, loose-leaf calendar to write down garden information.

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  106. Mary Donnelly on

    I use a small notebook that I carry in my purse.

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  107. Emily on

    I currently use my iPhone calendar to keep track of everything. I love holding on to old planners too. I have one from when my husband and I first started dating and I would use it as a journal of sorts too. It’s fun to look back at when we had our first couple of dates and where. I love that I wrote that all down.

    Reply
  108. Evangeline Mahler on

    I do most of my planning on paper, but then I snap photos of the papers with my phone and save them to Google drive. Physical papers always seem to get lost, but nothing beats the feel of pencil to page!

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  109. Shelley Yoshiwara on

    Santa delivered mine and I’m loving it along with my belt and shears ?

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  110. Grace E. on

    I love using a big monthly calendar (despite the jokes my partner cracks at how low-tech my organizational systems are by todays standards). In fact I haven’t had one strike me as just right yet this year so I’ve had to rely on home-printed templates. Yours, however, is beautiful and would be perfect! As far as the little day to day stuff goes, I tend to keep a little notebook with me with my daily to-do list. And I too would love a small, sturdy planner style garden journal that can weather being carried outside all day and contains large monthly spreads to help me plan the big picture. Thank you for the give away and the recent, super informative posts!

    Reply
  111. Melu Vargas-Savone on

    I bought a notebook from Coriander Girl, a beautiful flower shop here in Toronto. I bought it to be more organized, to write down what inspires me, keep track of my endless to do lists (I run a home daycare program)… to journal, etc. I bought it from that shop because I had this need to have a little piece of that. It was so inspiring and beautiful I just knew that notebook would be filled with special things… It helps me keep organized on good days, but it is already looking like it spends it’s days on a butcher shop instead of a desk, and it’s only February.

    I should be more organized… I want your calender mostly because I am so inspired by images. And the Floret calendar it’s filled with them…. send me some love and a piece of your beautiful field!

    Reply
  112. Lorelie (Australia) on

    I would love one of your beautiful calendars!

    I’m only in the planning/dreaming stage for growing cut flowers, so at this stage my planning consists of excel/Google doc spread sheets on my iPad with different varieties listed and information about each.
    Peonies are my favourite flower so I’ve looked up what varieties are available in Australia, fragrance, colour, form etc to make a preference list.

    I am a calendar and notebook person in terms of organising other information. I love having a hard copy of things & putting pen to paper ?

    Reply
    • Lorelie (Australia) on

      Your gorgeous photos of flowers will help keep me inspired and focused on my dream! ????

  113. Carolyn on

    I’ve started a binder with lined paper and graph paper so I can jot down notes and keep track of seed starts and bloom times, and sketch new ideas for layouts to make the most of my space. A garden planner with space for this would be a dream to have. Until I find the right design a large photo filled calendar to hang in my new garden studio would be wonderful to have. Love the tips and stories that you post! Keep them coming.

    Reply
  114. Victoria K on

    Full disclosure: I’m a bit scattered! At heart I’m old school- keeping a large wall calendar in my home office allows my hubby and I to stay on top of bills and appointments. I still find satisfaction from handwriting my tasks and then crossing them out when completed. Otherwise I rely on ical and intermittently use a notebook calendar that ends up being too bulky to carry around. Aside from more time on my hands to get organized and sorted out, I would love a sleek day planner that provides adequate space for writing notes, while still looking beautiful and colorful (floral, for sure!), perhaps even with a few inspiring, relevant quotes for female entrepreneurs and artists tucked throughout. Because who couldn’t use a bit of encouragement on the daily?

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  115. Annie on

    I have been following Floret on Facebook for so long…drooling over posts and cheering watching them grow (pun intended)…I would love to put their beautiful calendar on my wall to have a ray of floral sunshine to brighten my day :) I use a combination of iPhone app and paper monthly planner with color-coded highlighters for planning trips, payday/bills, and keeping track of birthdays.

    Reply
  116. Cali Walters on

    I’m old fashioned and usually think of technology as a necessary evil (odd for a 25 year old, I know) so I am all about the big ol’ wall calendars and the portable planners filled with scribbled notes and color coordinated with highlighters. I would love to drool over those beautiful flower images everyday! :)

    Reply
  117. Nancy Balzer on

    We have always used a wall calendar for keeping record of all our important events and appointments. With three now grown children, work schedules replaced sport practises and games. Although I use an iPad and cell as well, I still find that the art of writing things down on pen and paper helps my mind to remember. I always purchase a beautiful calendar of flowers or landscape so on those gloomy winter days there is some thing beautiful to look at. I who love so much to have one of your calendars.

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  118. Merissa on

    I don’t know why I do it but every year I use the touristy flowers of Hawaii calendars that you can buy at the drugstore or even big box stores here in the islands. They cost under a buck, the photos are sometimes decent..but nothing to stare at the whole year (I end up only taking it out when I need to check my schedule because it’s no work of art..unlike Floret’s calendar), I jot down all my appointments by hand in each square. A gardening journal sounds like it’s in line with your product offerings and I can already imagine all the gorgeous photography in its pages. The Floret calendar is beautiful and your photographer Nicole did a wonderful job!

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  119. chris on

    I start out with a plain calendar printed on 8 1/2 x 11 paper and fill in everything including plans, weather and what I actually did or what is growing/blooming. That rough copy turns into more detailed information in my yearly garden journal.

    Reply
  120. Amy on

    One tool I don’t see mentioned yet is Workflowy! I love it. It’s a great website and app. Basically just simple nested to do lists that are also shareable. Super easy to use. I couldn’t have planned my wedding without it and now it basically organizes my life. And I also use Google Calendar for reminders (setting it to e-mail me but not having the calendar visible keeps it uncluttered). And, a good ‘ol pen and paper for my daily plan of attack.

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  121. Rachel Meriwether on

    I use one of the large farmers almanac planners and love them! I am also a calendar saver:) I always question that behavior so I appreciate hearing someone else does it too. Truthfully I’m not sure what else I need other than my planner and a large wall calendar!

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  122. Lucinda Packard on

    I would LOVE your calendar! Your gorgeous photos and planting tips would be a great addition to my garden record keeping notes. After trying many journals, garden notebooks, photos with dates written on the back, and not very pretty calendars, I have settled on good old composition books! They are cheap, have different colored covers and they all stack neatly on my book shelf. Not ideal but works for now. Sounds like you struck a chord with us gardeners who would love a system that is pretty, organized and fun to refer to. Thanks for a great product, hope I win?

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  123. Jillian on

    I bought your calendar & LOVE it! If I win, my Mum will LOVE her’s, too!

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  124. Lara Parry on

    ? We’re already at February into this new year and it’s taken me a long time to choose a calendar that I love which means I’m forgetting dates, birthdays and events because I don’t have a month by month calendar to jot down important notes! Two nights ago I set about with some coloured card and a felt tip to create my own calendar. Each month is a new colour, all squared up into days with s very simple black floral motif at the top (inspired by some on etsy) but I’m only at the month of April so far and when I saw your beautiful calendar I was a bit ashamed at how juvenile mine would look on our kitchen wall. So I would love to win this calendar please to keep this 2016 relaxed and in tune for my mind and body ??? xo

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  125. Jen on

    I constantly make to-do lists for things that I need to complete, but I usually make multiple versions and lose half of them. For seed-starting, I write everything on an extra calendar, but it only has start dates and maybe if I remember, when they sprout. Thanks for the opportunity for this awesome giveaway!

    Reply
  126. Sally on

    I use it all! Computer desktop calendar for the day to day, pen and paper journal for dreaming, alerts on my phone for zipping over to school to watch the puppet show, and a wall calendar for decoration and reminding myself at a glance what the hell day it is anyway…

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  127. Jane on

    So this winter I decided to clean up a big pile of notebooks, papers and gardening information sheets I have been collecting for a very long while. The oldest bit of information, written in a marble notebook, dates back to 1990 and gave me all sorts of information from my younger days. I am still using those handy marble notebooks. This year I have given every page a week number. At the top of the page is all the information for that week that I have gleaned from the flower farming community, (as well as my 25 year old notes.) At the bottom of the page is what’s happening now. And on the facing page, the backside of the previous week, I write my plans. The marble notebook, along with about a half dozen spreadsheets for different reasons, try to keep me organized. Not really sure if this will be my ongoing method of keeping track, but for now it’s what I’ve got. The calendar is gorgeous. So nice of you to ‘raffle’ them off.

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  128. Denise L. on

    I’m with you, Erin. A flower filled journal. A little larger than the Moleskine pocket size. Durable for in-the-field, and lovely to the touch as well as good to look at, and write in. That’s how my 50-something brain works best. Not any screen. Although I use different screens every day, it is, (like you said) the tactile that gives me added pleasure to the joy and work of growing flowers. And I like the visual assurance what I’ve got in my hand won’t black out for any reason!

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  129. Susan on

    I use a wall calendar for my family and my iPhone calendar for me and my career. Your flowers are beautiful and your ability to share is admirable. You unknowingly bring joy to many people. For that, I thank you. ?

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  130. Alyssa on

    I always have a little notebook with me, and I’m strangely fond of excel sheets, as long as they stay well organized! Secretly, I wish I could buy a massive, wall-sized chalkboard and write out everything at once in one place, but it would probably loose it’s charm pretty quickly. Love the blog and the encouragement, please keep it up!

    Reply
  131. Ashley on

    Outlook! I use Outlook calendar for EVERYTHING! Only missing part is that I can’t add beautiful photos of flowers!

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  132. Kathy Horn on

    I start my year with a beautiful ringed notebook, some pretty pocketed dividers, some acetate page protectors(for pictures and photos), lined and punched notebook paper, graph paper, a see-thru ruler, a mechanical pencil with eraser (very important), and a great gel pen (colors are fun). Like getting excited about the first day of school, these supplies are pretty and fun and help launch me into the task at hand.
    One or more notebook pages are labelled for each place I order from plus the year. I divide the page into columns – however many I need. It sorta resembles the “order blank” of the source but allows me to enter whatever addtl info I want (ie. page #, ht, bloom size, spacing, color, tips, etc). I use these order sheets for placing phone orders so they can tell me if an item is available or not. I keep track of the date I ordered, method of pmt, ship dates, substitutions, etc here also. Once completed they go into my beeeeautiful binder!
    Pictures (cut from the catalogs or printed on my printer) help me visualize my color and textural balances – esp with dahlias – so I will not end up with a field full of pink and no reds or yellows. These pictures incl ht, bloom classification, bloom size etc so I can also plan out rows appropriately – esp the height/support issues. These pages go into the vinyl sheet protectors cause they may have to go with me to the field at planting time!
    Graph paper layouts of my numbered rows also go into the binder. Pockets hold misc additional data. Some of the data and pictures are reused from yr to yr. But this binder holds my entire year in one concise package. Most anything I need to know can be found here.

    Additionally I once created a spreadsheet on my computer – with all the columns I wanted (similar to my notebook columns). Seed is alphabetically listed. At a glance I know variety, whom I ordered it from , count and price, ht and spacing, colors, date and # sown, date and # transplanted to the field, and brief culture notes. It took me ( a baby boomer with not much computer savvy) a LONG time to initially do this spread sheet. But now it is very easily changed and updated yr to yr. It helps me keep tabs on my seed inventory, compare seed prices, even make notations about good and bad seed experiences. This also goes in my binder!

    It may appear as tho I am super organized – I am NOT. But these simple systems help me manage the huge #s of details that would otherwise frustrate me to no end! It is WHAT winter is for! My biggest downfall is scheduling succession crops. I do not recommend the “que sara” method. Maybe I should use a big beeeauuutiful calendar for that!

    Reply
  133. Allison on

    Hi. I use a wall calendar; actually it’s a big desktop calendar that we hang on the wall. What do I wish existed? I am reminded of the hardback orange-colored surveyor’s notebook/field journals I used back in my days as an archaeologist. Those were the best. That would be a great field journal for outdoor observations and plans. Thanks for the calendar giveaway!

    Reply
  134. marybeth on

    post-it notes and a farmer’s almanac calendar….plus a desk blotter calendar….and, i’m trying to remember to enter “done” tasks on my ipad calendar…i’m a rookie when it comes to tech stuff, but want to incorporate that into my new skills set! lovin my daily check-ins with the blog! hugs to all of you at floret!

    Reply
  135. Celia on

    When I was young I requested that I always travel anywhere with this huge bag of scrape paper so I could draw and write things down where ever I was. I’ve since traded the bag of paper to keeping my notes organized in a small calendar that I can carry around with me in my purse or pocket. It must have places for notes as well as the whole month on one page (I have to be able to see what the weeks and month ahead are going to throw at me). I started color coding in grad school which is helpful only if you have the time to change colors every few seconds. It was a very colorful month sometimes! Just like my mother I’ve always written things down on small pieces of paper that I’m likely to lose, and I can’t help but purchase other small journals just to write thoughts on, so the more structured outlets I can find the better. I was cleaning my parents basement for a recent move and I came across some of my mothers journals and I filled my afternoon with reading her accounts of raising 4 children, her hobbies and dreams. What a great story they told.

    I try to use my electronic organizers to plan but there is nothing that beats a pen and paper, and these days with planning a wedding, finishing grad school, starting a new farm and a new paper company I have a lot to keep up with. I love and always search for planners and calendars that have space for drawing because it’s not always as easy to write out what I’m thinking (for instance garden designs!) I love having calendars in every room for inspiration and to remind me to keep putting one foot in front of the other every day.

    Reply
  136. Prince Snow Farm on

    Planning for the garden is such a big step, and often one that I could be better at! You have convinced me to ask for help, as I do try to do it all alone. I use little Field Notes journals when I am taking notes on certain flowers or veggies, when I want to jot a note so I won’t forget, etc…. They fit in my pocket, slip in my muck boots, purse, etc…but I also crave a book sized glossy journal / planner/ notebook with gorgeous photos, pockets, writing space etc. I tend to create my own each year to be sure I have a place for my garden dreams. Almost like a scrapbook. I am in the process of designing a child’s nature journal. I am so glad to have found you! You have motivated me to dream big for this coming season!

    Reply
  137. lena on

    using my trusted moleskin journal, love handwriting my notes and schedules, can not get used to Iphone schedule….

    Reply
  138. Brittany G. on

    I love using Google Calendar, which my husband and I joined together, to help us plan our lives and our future. Besides putting in my ever changing work schedule (I’m a nurse), we also put in family events, special anniversaries and festivals/concerts. Since we recently bought a new home and some Dahlia tubers from Floret, we also put in our move date and planting dates! It’s all so exciting and I can’t wait for summer and to watch all my new plants grow.

    Reply
  139. Morgan V on

    I am a college student and I use a large planner. I find that writing things out helps me to remember what I have going on. I have three other roommates and a wall calendar might help us keep track of what each other has going on and when!

    Reply
  140. Melinda Gee on

    I’m currently using a planner filled with vintage print ads of the National Parks. I’m a creature of habit so I’ll stick with an old school planner – wouldn’t want it any other way :)

    Reply
  141. Caroline Crisp on

    I use a regular calendar with tiny post its, and I wish that as I had ideas they would instantly be jotted down on an iPhone app… ?

    I would love to take one of your floral workshops. I dream of arranging dahlias as I push papers around at my desk job! Do you offer a scholarship or did I imagine that?

    I ordered a few dahlia bulbs so I can have a bit of Floret magic in my yard!

    Thank you!

    Reply
  142. Marnie Devlin on

    I still use a paper planner. Writing things down makes them easier to remember. I also grew up with a mother and grandmother who meticulously kept a physical calendar with birthdays, appts, to keep track of other events that occurred, like sick days. In a world of iPhones and apps, I like to use paper and think I learned it from grandma.

    Reply
  143. Sarah Barkhouse on

    The last 2 seasons I’ve turned to using my google calendar. I get pops-up on my iphone and it’s pretty great. However, my mainstay for planning is Excel. I’m a spreadsheet girl! I start each season with a Master Plan sheet that stretches from column A to Z practically! It holds all the info about that crop for the year- start date, planting date, spacing, successions, days to harvest, seed vendor, cost, qunty… But, what I’ve always dreamed of making was a binder with a sheet on each crop that had all of it’s growing and post-harvest requirements and space to write notes throughout the season. I could carry it around with me all summer long. It wouldn’t be that hard- just a project I’ve never gotten around to!
    Thanks for all the great posts and fun give-aways!

    Reply
  144. Maria on

    Still old school and like calendars like this. I really like having a lovely picture to look at. I am using a flat calendar on my counter right now. Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply
  145. Annette Buivydas on

    I’m in Australia & just adore your Flower Farm. I would love a Calendar for my big sister living in Seattle. She is flower mad, always fresh flowers in her house! She is an Oncology nurse so having beautiful flowers on her wall to organise her life with her daughters & work will brighten her every day!

    Reply
  146. Ollie on

    I have to have a daily planner to keep everything scheduled. I’ve been using one for years. The National Gallery of Art has a beautiful one that I’m using for 2016.

    Reply
  147. Laura on

    Love, love, love your calendar! I purchased one for my mother for Christmas (postcards for me!) and I covet it every time I see it.

    Well, I need a lot of help in the memory department. I use a wall calendar in the kitchen for house tasks, a small planner to carry in my purse/work bag to detail events and my gym schedule, my iPhone for pop-up reminders/to-dos, and a large desk planner at work. I think these all help me but maybe having so many is actually counter-productive? I would love it if I had a “magic planner pen” – I could use it to write in my small planner and it would magically transfer to all of my other calendars. I realize they have smartphones and such that “sync” in this way, but I love doodling and writing things down still! :)

    Reply
  148. Mona on

    I have a hard time letting go of the old paper journal, to become all digitalized. So basically I use Google Calendar on my phone, with an add-on of a couple of scribbled post-its attached at the back of my phone. Not optimal but good enough. I wish for a life long planner. Split in half across each page by a “life line” making space for dreams/goals/aspirations below the line, and real time documentation and planning above the line. Maybe a page for every half a year or something. Would be fun to plan ahead and then see how it all turns out compared to what really happened.

    Reply
  149. Maddy on

    I use iCal and the notes app on my phone. I try to use cute planners all the time but I never make it more than a few days…

    Reply
  150. Ellie on

    I love the look of this calendar. I mainly use my iPhone for date noting. I’ve had diaries in the past and never seem to use them for the whole year. Though wall calendars get used so I can glance at all the important things (mostly kid activities!).
    I’d love this calendar because I’m hoping to get myself a natural dye garden growing this year (and a vege garden would be good too!), so the tips and beautiful photos would help and inspire me all year long.

    Reply
  151. Jennifer on

    Loving your business post on Design Sponge – so helpful! So I own a picture frame shop/ art gallery. I have a ton of mat-board scraps (the paper borders that go around your picture) and so everyday I choose a colored scrap and make my to-do list. It is helpful on a daily basis to have a big sturdy piece of board in a pretty color to stare me in the face! For longer term planning I just have a regular calendar near my desk. I need physical pen to paper, rather than digital!

    Reply
  152. Ciel Evans on

    I write stuff down on my phone in iCal and in a journal and a calendar on the wall.

    Reply
  153. Katie Farm 58 on

    Currently I printed a calendar offline and have everything penciled in. This allows me to change dates if things are growing faster or slower than planned. Also an easy look back. Wish I was better at journaling with the calendar though. Love it!

    Reply
  154. Lauren Polidoro on

    This calendar!!!

    Right now it’s a total struggle! I always end up designing my own day calendars to write on (mind dump and daily list) and use my pretty scheduler to put hard deadlines in and appointments.. I definitely prefer pen to paper, so I can’t be swayed by apps! I think I may try Emily Ley’s scheduler soon, as I’ve heard such good things about it!

    This calendar, though… seriously! Have admired your work for years, and would love to have a little piece of it up in my kitchen by the window overlooking our own garden!

    xo
    Lauren

    Reply
  155. Stefanie H on

    I like to journal on paper there is something about being able to find all your growing notes this way. I lose track of things on the computer. I love a good old calendar also! Just call me old school :]

    Reply
  156. Karli on

    In the past I have always been a predominantly paper planner person. The act of writing somehow seems to own an event or appointment in my brain as well. Since I’ve been married, my husband and I have switched to Google calendar simply because we cannot each physically have the real calendar at all times.

    I would love to see a paper system that works for the use of two people or more…maybe that’s why some families function with a kitchen white board system. In any case it would help to have something more mobile.

    Thank you so much for sharing all your raw thoughts!

    Reply
  157. Stephanie on

    I have a mishmash of methods! Calendar, pocket notebook, and 3 ring binder with sections, order lists, catalogs, & plans. I take tons of pictures. Which helps with dates. It always starts out good in the spring because I’ve waited all winter to document things and then summer comes and I just want to spend time in the garden. Your calendar looks beautiful and helpful. Good luck everyone!

    Reply
  158. Pauline on

    I use a spreadsheet to keep track of the dahlias and Instagram as a garden journal

    Reply
  159. Jennifer O'Brien on

    Loving your business posts on Design Sponge! Thank you! So I own a picture framing shop/art gallery, and as weird as this is, I organize my day on pieces of matboard (borders that go around pictures) scraps. I like pen to paper, being a visual girl. I also like the pretty colors of my mat scraps! For the long term, I have a calendar pinned near the desk.

    Reply
  160. Allison on

    I love that you decapitate flowers to make stunning designs. Always so gorgeous to look at I wish I could go to your farm and hang out

    Reply
  161. Clara on

    I am extremely organized in my disorganization. White boards, online calendars and half used planners are my way of keeping track. And it works! (For me anyway)
    I’d love to have a gigantic calendar that can be setup outside in the field.

    Reply
  162. Bobbi Davis on

    Please excuse my typos as I was on lunch and only had a few minutes to write. ?

    Reply
  163. Michelle Roizman on

    I use a wall calendar and Google calendar ot keep my life in order

    Reply
  164. laura on

    i use my taproot magazine wall calendar — illustrated with dreamy work by phoebe wahl. i would love a mini version to throw in my day bag or pocket. but i usually end up using the ole’ iphone to keep track of daily goings on.

    Reply
  165. Martha Stetak on

    Love everything about flowers and what you do. I use a big wall calendar, a pretty notebook in my purse and written lists on fun paper on my work table.

    Reply
  166. Jessica on

    I so want this calendar!
    What do I use for planning… organization is NOT my strength! I use my iPhone calendar, a daily planner notebook, and for the garden a pretty free printable calendar from Pinterest. I really need to get one to hang on the wall as well. This way with so many planners no mater where I am I won’t forget things… at least that’s my hope X-D

    Reply
  167. Jennifer on

    Love your Instagram feed! Your pictures always lift me up. I currently use a planner with my absolutely favorite tool…a pencil. However, day planners are not as inspiring as wall calendars. Best wishes to you this growing season. Thanks for the chance to win.

    Reply
  168. Bobbi Davis on

    I am all about planning ahead and organization as you are. Another thing about you that inspires me. Currently I am using a planner I found on sale at Target. I normally use a wall calendar that I get ever year as a Christmas gift. However I didn’t happen to get one this past year, therefore my planner. I have enjoyed that so far, but having one of your calendars would make this year even more magical. And being that I have so much going on I would love looking at your beautiful pictres while planning out what’s to come. I am so so happy I found your page some time ago, as your posts and words bring me so much happiness and inspiration. ❤

    Reply
  169. Jenn on

    Thanks for this and for the lovely calendars. I use a wall calendar and journal to keep some semblance of order. I wish there was a neat way to somehow fold and keep a wall calendar as a keepsake to look back on in subsequent years.

    Reply
  170. Meredith on

    I use a moleskine calendar to keep me organized on a daily basis, and a wall calendar to keep the family schedules straight at home. But I’d love a calendar that has the waterproof/resistant pages of a backpacking/canoeing notebook as well as grid paper so I can keep track of when to plant, when things bloom or come into fruit, but also keep my diagrams handy and take notes of things to remember for later that day or the next year. I inevitably leave things out in the field and they inevitably get wet from rain, dew, irrigation, etc. and the waterproof pages would at least stop the panic when weather turns damp.

    Reply
  171. Jenny on

    Currently my iphone calendar, but I’ve been keeping up with daily activities on a wall calendar since I was in junior high.

    Reply
  172. Brittney Baltimore on

    I use my phone for everything! I use google calendar, iPhone notes section, and gmail in the field. I would also love a garden journal planner, one with thick pages that will hold up against water and dirt in the field!

    Reply
  173. Alison on

    I use a full size desktop calendar and it’s basically what my life revolves around! I don’t like relying too much on technology due to the horror stories of losing client info, appt times, important ideas, etc!

    Reply
  174. Kim on

    I am still pretty fresh to this but I used a scrap book and calender sporadically last few years between my growing, cutting weddings and full time job, as well as reaching out to you and a few others!
    I want someday to have a calender with all the gentle reminders I need to be successful in more ways than designing.
    I hope this is open to Canada!

    Reply
  175. Ainsley on

    A monthly planner and an ol fashion notebook! I love taking pen to paper to get organized.

    Reply
  176. Carmella on

    I am so, so happy I found you in Instagram today! I was in search of some happy color on this cold day and I found so much!! Thank for the chance to win one of these beautiful calendars!

    Reply
  177. Ann on

    I’m currently using a calander I received from the Priests of the Sacred Heart. I’m certain he knows my dreams and desires even better than I do myself!Also have a note book that’s becoming well broken in!

    Reply
  178. Kim Hawkins on

    Would love this calendar to brighten my day!

    Reply
  179. Susan Sharp on

    Like most others, I mostly use a calendar for jotting things down. I often record things on my phone and (mostly) transfer that information to a calendar. I would love an app where you could categorize information: succession planting dates, seeding dates, fertilizing and watering schedules and harvest information, but also be able to see each entry on a calendar. I love the idea of keeping a digital record from year to year.
    I am really enjoying your posts and your calendar is gorgeous! Thank you!

    Reply
  180. Naomi on

    I use a wall calendar and to-do lists – which I often misplace! I have also started using the memo in my phone. Love the calendar and the blog. Inspirational!

    Reply
  181. Jennifer on

    Um … being organised is something I struggle with. I have been growing cutflowers for over 10 years and have kept very little data! When I really want to remember something I take a photo, even if it’s a photo of a piece of paper. I also love google sheets … that’s where my planting schedule, seed orders, and wish lists are. Once I get busy I tend to quit making notes online so I try to jot stuff down and make to-do lists in my weekly planner.

    Reply
  182. Joanne Halter on

    I use notebooks. Everything is written down with not always precise info, but I persevere.
    I refer to those notes on a regular basis when seeding and planting. Plan on getting more detailed as to the notes regarding first blooms and insect issues. A calendar would be lovely to record this on. Thank you for the opportunity to win one.

    Reply
  183. Shalon on

    I only use a calendar. I have found that this is the thing that works for me. (It also helps when they are big and beautiful, that way I enjoy looking at it everyday.) I think that the garden planning journal/calendar with beautiful pictures and nice thick paper maybe a great idea for you to do next year. Maybe?
    Thank you for the opportunity to win this calendar. I actually bought one when they first came out. I was not home when the mail man delivered it, but my puppy was. So when I came home I found it opened up scratched up and teeth marks through it. I do have it hanging up but as you can imagine it has seen better days

    Reply
  184. Anna on

    I plan using practically everything! However, mainly I use a personalized little journal I made with tons of sticky notes in it plus my google calendar. I really would love a large wall calendar like yours, though, to help me visually! Also I would love to have a garden planner like you mentioned but especially with laminated pages or at least laminated covers so I could bring it outside and not worry if it got some hose sprinkling :)

    Reply
  185. Lindsey on

    I currently use a planner. I find it has more room for me to write in. And I also use a notebook for specific seed instructions. I’m trying to put it all into a binder so that the pages are removable and I can adjust things as needed. Thank you for your inspiration and sharing so much wisdom!

    Reply
  186. Meghan on

    I will be the first to say that I could be more organized..but I like my garden journal. When you are writing your thoughts down by hand it some how has more meaning and connection to it. Plus all the smeared soil and water spots in the journal have a connection all their own. I am new to your blog and find it captivating, thanks for your generosity.

    Reply
  187. Chas B. on

    I have a big binder with notebook paper inside, that’s dirty, bent & has been rained on from being carried out to my gardens so often. I have had mine since 2008. I use it to keep track of when & where things are planted. I also use it for reminders & notes throughout the year. Love your calendar! It takes planning to a much prettier level!

    Reply
  188. Pam on

    I use a wall calendar with a big black sharpie, outlook and iPhone reminders . There’s so much to keep up with! And on my 5:00am morning dog walk, I go over my day with the dog (he’s a great assistant!).

    Reply
  189. Sarah on

    I use a few different planners! I have yet to figure out how to cohesively keep track of all different aspects of my life on one calendar!!

    Reply
  190. tali hamel on

    hope this offer is for us Canadians too?! I have a hard cover empty book that i keep as a daily garden journal (not every day, but the days i have something to write about). I have 4 years of notes in there now, and it is fun to reflect back on each month over those years to note similarities and differences. I’ll write everything from the weather, to what seeds i started, what i harvested, how much $ i made, to my mood and tidbits from family life. I like the space and free format for this. Its dirty from garden hands, raindrop kissed, messy and beautiful.

    Reply
  191. Jennifer Erin on

    Notebooks, notebooks, notebooks! I get a new one for each year and record the seeds I’ve purchased, what I’ve started indoors, germination rates, etc. The notebook gets a map of where everything was planted, and at the end of the season, I can go back and make note of what worked and what didn’t.

    Reply
  192. Emma on

    The calendar looks gorgeous! I would love to have a beautiful photo of flowers hanging on my wall to write my daily tasks below. :) I currently use a small purse day timer for keeping track of things, mostly because it’s small and I can take it to work. I’ve never really found the perfect planner for myself at home, one that balances beautiful design with functionality (lots of space to write for each day, important notes for the month, reminders, etc.). Maybe this calendar is what I’ve been looking for!

    Reply
  193. Carly on

    Oh my gosh I would LOVE a calendar!!!! I usually use daily planners to get my tasks and planting schedules down. I love the big 8.5×11″ ones. I think a olanner made specifically for garden/flower planning would be really cool! Thanks for sharing all of your information to the world. I know Ive learned a lot from you.

    Reply
  194. Allison Day on

    I am attached to my small spiral bound planner. A garden themed one would be amazing, actually.

    Reply
  195. Autumn on

    For planning I use free online software called Trello for making index card to do lists that I can drag-and-drop and rearrange my calendar view I have monthly, weekly, and daily list to keep me focused. I also use Google spreadsheets (that I can share with my partner) online for tracking some things. But at the end of the day I use my wall calendar for noting when I planted things, how much it rained, and other very important notes!

    I am loving your new posts and the combination of inspiration and confidence they bring me. Thank you!

    Reply
  196. Roxyanne on

    In the last couple of years I’ve used a wall calendar but before that I used a planner and am thinking I may start that up again. You are so inspiring to us and appreciate your blog and page. Thank you!

    Reply
  197. Rebekah Critchlow on

    I currently float between mine and my husbands join calendar on the iPhone and writing on scraps of paper. I’m an analogue person at heart but it was just getting too confusing having a diary (in book form) and then trying to remember to put everything I scribbled in there onto the iPhone for my husband too! Now I guess I’m in no mans land. I had wanted a big beautiful calendar of all my favourite blooms but then you made it! I would love a full on flower farming planner to help me manage my little plot.

    Reply
  198. Amelia on

    Keeping track of everything requires multiple layers for me! I use Lara Casey’s Powersheets for big plans, a hand written daily to-do list to keep my mind in front of me throughout the day, and phone alerts for things I know I need to do at a specific time.

    Reply
  199. Barbara on

    I use a plain white 3 ring binder. Boring but efficient. Would love to have your beautiful calendar to inspire me.

    Reply
  200. Susan Beck on

    I love your Facebook posts, it brightens my day for sure !!!

    Reply
  201. Patti on

    I have been using Organic Gardening Desk Calendar the past 3 yrs., but they didn’t make it this year. I was jotting notes on our free church calendar, but have started using my OG 2015 calendar and writing 2016 next to my notes.

    Reply
  202. Lauren on

    I have a big stack of legal-sized paper on my dining room table that I use for garden planning, and a planner for everything else!

    Reply
  203. Britney on

    Being a total Newbie I haven’t event thought about keeping a journal or a calendar but I can totally see why it’s useful. I have already forgotten the day I planted my sweet peas! I definitely need to start documenting my gardening right away.

    Reply
  204. Erin Urton on

    g o r g e o u s work!
    i like to keep it pretty old school and use a notebook planner, plus i have a gorgeous wall calendar filled with art by Susan Seddon Boulet called The Shaman. i do use my icalendar on my laptop for my work schedule.
    one thing i would l o v e is a large poster size calendar with all 12 months showing the weeks so i can have see the big picture at all times and view things by seasons. maybe laminated so you can use a dry erase marker and have it be perpetual. my partner and i have lots of different things going on schedule wise, so it would be great to have a snapshot view of where we can fit in vacations together.
    oh, and i’d buy a garderners/farmers journal in a heartbeat!
    peace, love and, of course, flowers…
    erin

    Reply
  205. Sherry on

    I have a half sheet of printer paper with all my plans for Spring. I actually drew little dots to represent the holes burned in one 4′ x 25′ bed. I only bought 7 small packets of zinnia seeds. Five varieties will go in one row, so I drew lines across the row at the point I will change varieties and labeled each section, Blue Point, Queen Red Lime, Benary’s Wine, Salmon Rose and Uproar. The other two varieties which are smaller varieties will be in a second row along with some vegetables. I don’t plan to sell anything I plant in the spring. I will use it as a test garden to figure out how this all works and determine processes for after harvest. So hopefully I will be enjoying a lot of beauty and having a lot of bounty to give away to family, friends, and potential customers. I will be planting more starting in July and will start selling this fall. Of course I have a lot more plans going on in my head LOL. I think I may have to order some of your nasturtium seeds and plant them to grow over an arbor just so my grand-kids will have a place to play.

    Reply
  206. Tressa on

    I am “Old school” – I like writing on a wall calendar and flipping it every month. I use that at the house in the kitchen area to keep track of the family stuff. I usually buy a ‘pretty one’ or make one with my kids photos. I didn’t this year – using a freebie from my insurance company – so your lovely images would make my day every time I walked by!

    Reply
  207. Kathy on

    I have this ratty old spiral notebook that is dirty and water stained. It doesn’t work but I don’t know how else to keep track of when I plant seeds, their needs, like cool soil, or takes three months to germinate… A calendar with notation space would be helpful, but I haven’t found one big enough that I could cart around. I LOVE reading your blogs. And sometimes I do it several times. Thank you!!!

    Reply
  208. Julie on

    We use and handmade journal of thoughts, pictures, and plans. My daughter makes beautiful flower arrangements and has hopeful plans for this year. We got a high tunnel last year! Her birthdays is this month so the calendar would be for her. She is very talented.

    Reply
  209. Linda Wong Garl on

    I too….keep my calendars from year to year with gardening notes, post it notes and positive sayings…also use my camera for my garden shots….you inspire me and keep me thinking and very motivated….thank you!

    Reply
  210. Hannah on

    I use a wall calendar but rip out each page and put it on a big wall so I can see the whole year lined up rather than flipping through the pages!

    I wish there was a beautiful way to keep track of how many buckets, types of flowers used, and how many hours I spent on a wedding. I love looking back at those details- and want to nail down a perfect way to keep track of that information. :)

    I would love one of your calendars!

    Reply
  211. Trish on

    I use a wall calander in my kitchen to keep track of plans, but when I get ideas on the road I plug them into my notes app on my iPhone. Love flowers. Your calendar looks beautiful! I work in a flower shop in Ontario, Canada. I dream of having property one day to have my very own flower field.

    Reply
  212. Brother Placidus Lee OSB on

    I use a hodgepodge mix between a wall calendar, notes on my the bulletin board in my room, notes the get left all around my room, and occasionally Google Calendar. Google is great and I love it for work (I teach) but not so great when you don’t have convenient internet access in the monastery.

    I am SO ready for Spring it’s not even funny.

    Reply
  213. Patty on

    I love your website. It inspires me. Right now I use a planner, I like one that is handy to bring with me.

    Reply
  214. Anna on

    I currently use a notebook, piles of seedcatalogs and sticky notes and a pintrestboard.

    Reply
  215. Terri Bowlby-Chiasson on

    Hi Erin,
    This is our second year for growing flowers. I use a garden journal that a friend gave me, a big laminated wall calendar and a two pocket folder for notes. For actual planning of the garden I use a website called GrowVeg.com from the UK … It automatically shows you how many plants you can grow in a specified space using a “drop and drag” feature. Unfortunately it doesn’t include all the flowers that I want to grow… It would be awesome if someone created one for north American growers… and I use a Biodynamic Agriculture App for prompts as to what days are best for seeding, transplanting, adding fertilizer & other supplements and harvesting flowers.
    And by the way, Santa gave me your calendar for Christmas and I love it! I love the photographs-they are so inspiring and motivating. If I won I would share the love with a friend! ???

    Reply
  216. Olivia on

    I use a combination of a wall calendar and a journal to keep up with my two jobs and two babies! This is my first year with a non-windowsill garden so I’m going to have to find a way to record everything that happens! Your calendar just looks like a DREAM.

    Reply
  217. Donna Lee on

    Wall calendars and a pocket planner for my purse. Everything is written on the planner when I make appointments, then gets transferred to a wall calendar at home.

    Reply
  218. Anna on

    You are such an inspiration!

    Reply
  219. Katelyn on

    I try to use a good old fashioned college ruled notebook, but when things get crazy in the peak of planting and harvest season, I try to just snap a few photos every day while I’m in the field. The digital date stamp is there forever, and I can actually SEE the state the field and flowers are in.

    Reply
  220. Audrey Coley on

    I use a google calendar, but love actually being able to write, scribble, draw my ideas. I just started a flower journal to help me stay focused and organized this year.

    Reply
  221. Hannah on

    For my personal life I often try to just remember everything, but love to have a calendar for a varied art piece as the months change, and to keep track of my schedule for my roommates/family/boyfriend (whoever I am living with or will also see it regularly). I’ve been eyeing your calendar for the art aspect! For work, I generally have a calendar template printed out each month and scribbled all over, then more sheets of paper detailing weekly and then daily tasks. It’s a lot of paper, but it works for me!

    Reply
  222. Christina on

    In the past years I have typically used a Lang Monthly Planner as I love their illustrations. However, this year I am trying to grow deeper in my faith and have purchased the Sacred Ordinary Days 2016 Liturgical day planner that is beautifully bound and has me following the church’s liturgical year as I have never done before. However, as I live in Minnesota and the days are dark, cold and filled with snow I would love the addition of a beautiful floral wall calendar to add to my home. I typically keep wall calendars on my fridge and just have not yet bought one for this year. I love putting ink to paper and having calendars as keepsakes for years to come. I love all your beautiful pictures you post and it gives me hope for spring to come to Minnesota eventually! :)

    Reply
  223. Janis on

    I try to stay organized, and this time of year I feel that I can plan out the summer. But my plans are only as good as following through with them. It’s tough when it’s super busy. But a good old list that I can cross things off is still the most rewarding for me.

    Reply
  224. Sondra on

    I like your idea for a garden journal! Right now, I use a regular spiral notebook for my garden journal. My ideal garden journal would include a section for a monthly calendar but also room for lists and notes for each week. And, a place to make my garden maps and. Section in the back for ideas for next year. That is a tall order for a journal but it is a dream journal. Right now, my notebook will have to do! I just wish it was prettier.

    Reply
  225. Linda on

    I use a calendar to keep track of day to day gardening tasks. In addition to the wonderful functions of your current calendar, maybe your next one could be spiral bound and include a blank page (with pocket?) added between each month to use for more note-taking, sketches, Post-it, tear sheets, etc. I would love to receive one of your beautifully photographed calendars to display in my greenhouse!

    Reply
  226. Mary Beth Hayes on

    Your calendar is gorgeous. I use hand written notes in a 3-ring binder and photos to track garden areas from year to year. Big fan of 3-ring binders, you can create as many sections as you need, insert photo pockets, rearrange and update as needed, etc. Not very portable, but good project documentation.

    Reply
  227. Angela on

    I use journals mostly. I draw out what I have and make notes of what I want. It if I’m planning an area, I always sketch it out. I also make notes about seed types I have and how soon to start them, along with how tall they’ll get so I can plan the beds I’m putting them in. I also have a moon calendar ap that helps me know the best days for planting, sowing, etc. I make a lot of notes. A calendar would be nice to remember when I start specific tasks and to notify me when I need to do something. Your calendar is so gorgeous. Thanks for another opportunity to win one.

    Reply
  228. Leyla Dorsey on

    I use a wall calendar and a dry erase board and lots and lots of notebooks!

    Reply
  229. Teresa Campbell on

    I currently use the Create 365 planner. This planner is beautifully put together and allows me to look at the month at a glance or at the month on a week by week basis. there is plenty of room for making notes and lists. It is essential for me to stay organized. I love the idea of a journal with thick pages and beautiful inspiring pictures. Right now I just use any journal I can get my hands on and if it happens to be lovely, then that is an added blessing.

    Reply
  230. Tracy on

    In my shopping travels I always pick up empty journals to write in! They really help keep my thoughts organized! Your calendar is so beautiful & inspiring and I regret not ordering it when I ordered my seeds. I love your blog like I love my cup of tea every morning! I read though your posts which get me feeling like I CAN do this and it keeps me positive as to my flower Dreams!! Thank you again for sharing all your knowledge!

    Reply
  231. Hannah Ross on

    Here’s my problem with planning– I have no streamlined system! I love handwriting plans into a hardcover planner that I can take with me everywhere, but all too often I forget that planner exists– I enter events into my iPhone or Gmail calendar, and end up with three incomplete calendars. YIKES! I don’t want to fully give in to organizing my life via technology because I love so much the act of recording life by hand. But sometimes it’s just not practical. A wall calendar could be just the place for me to go for inspiration, and to create a master list of what’s up this month. I agree that a more ideal on-the-go planner (one that I wouldn’t forget exists) would be more durable, have an attached writing utensil, contain a place for both notes and scheduling, and be about the size of a novel (I know I’m capable of carting those around with me).

    Reply
  232. Deborah on

    I’m with you! A nice thick garden journal planner loaded with your gorgeous floral inspiration photos would be perfect. When they’re out, I’m first in line! In the meantime, I would love to be able to see all the beautiful floral photos every time I look at my wall, especially in the middle of winter here!

    Reply
  233. Ann on

    I too am searching for the perfect garden journal, one that’s flexible enough for my needs but structured enough to keep me on track Plus, you know, beautiful! Right now I’m using a Midori Traveler’s Notebook with multiple inserts for my various creative projects (including gardening)

    Reply
  234. Jenny Rae on

    I use every scratch piece of paper possible I can find- which I never have enough of floating around in my car- when I need to note something. which then goes into a box of doom and hopefully into a notebook. I live by calendars, but a notebook set up for gardens would be incredibly helpful! Maybe even one for each season so it wouldn’t be dictionary size and is portable! Your calendar is stunning!

    Reply
  235. Tiffany Stilwater on

    Just a quick note of thanks for creating a calendar contest!!! Who doesn’t like a chance to win something great?!
    I would like to create a dedicated a wall calendar for the garden only. Listing when and what to fertilize, prune, mulch, till. I’m a Master Gardener in training and read some much info… I need to compile this on something beautiful to look at everyday.
    On a side note, if you ever did give a behind the scenes farm tour several of my classmates and I would be there in a heart beat. :)

    Reply
  236. Megan on

    I use a large day planner, filling it with seed orders and other info. Then I use it to keep track of seed sowing, harvests, weather, etc. I see lots of garden planners but none of them are quite what I’m looking for.

    Reply
  237. Lara Spagnola on

    Hi there,

    I am a complete newcomer to the idea of growing flowers… in fact my purchase last month was the first time I’ve taken on a feat like this! I’ve emailed with Erin a few times, and I really appreciate her being so responsive and sincere when I’m sure you are all so busy. So firstly, I just wanted to say thank you. I’ve always had a soft spot for plants and particularly cacti, my house is filled with them, but winter can prove to be a bit boring in that world, and naturally I’ve turned to flowers to bring energy into my home. In fact, I just FREAKED OUT last night when I realized my amaranth is sprouting!!!! I sent a picture to everyone I know who’s been supportive of me starting this ambitious hobby. Your seeds have already provided me with a fulfilling pastime, so thank you.

    If I could will something into existence to help me through this endeavor… (besides the idea of more TIME to devote to it!) I would really love a guidebook for planting each flower from seedlings. I (somewhat impulsively) purchased way too many for my first time, and I’m finding that I’m having to go online and research each type and what specific needs there are for each, and then cross check that with the floret website to make sure I’ve hit all my bases, and I’m not missing anything! Not that it is your responsibility to educate your buyers on how to grow, but if a magical pamphlet came into existence for poppies from Floret, as well as one to go with the snapdragons I bought, I would much prefer to buy those along with my seeds, instead of researching which books I think I need to buy that will cover the flowers I’m growing, and spending time online reading about each of them from the most random websites. Does that make sense? I do enjoy that part and have learned a great deal from it already (like how I’ll be eating the Amaranth leaves!) and do find it part of the thrill of taking on a new hobby, but being new to this I’m wondering random things like do some of my seedling trays need light before others? So I say to you, create a beautiful little pamphlet on how you care for each, what you’ve realized is unique or challenging about growing each one, even biggest threats to each to look out for in the garden, etc.. and I will buy them all!

    Regardless of that, your seeds have already brought a wonderful energy into my life. I spent all day last Saturday planting those tiny tinnyyy seeds one by one with my mother, a relationship I’ve always struggled with and now I have a special memory with her that I’ll have forever. I would REALLY love your calendar to guide me as I try my best to grow these little guys, but above all I just wanted to say thank you.

    Best wishes,
    Lara

    Reply
  238. Nicki on

    Erin, your calendar is just beautiful!! Love that it has tips and ideas for growing! I am totally old-fashioned when it comes to keeping track of things:everything on paper. I just got Nikki Mcclure’s wonderful seasonal journal to attempt to keep track of my gardening pursuits from year to year. We’ll see how it goes… :).

    Reply
  239. Grace on

    I’ve tried everything out there to help me keep track of my garden, scrapbooks that look gorgeous but are rather impractical, calendars, day planners, scraps of paper etc.. Finally though I think I’ve hit on works for me, it’s a combinations of three things a calendar, two journals and a nice binder with plastic sleeves. I take notes on my calendar of what is happening in the garden. The two journals (one for veggies and one for flowers) is where I take notes on individual plants. At the end of the year I look back through the calendar and journals and then transfer any notes or events that are pertinent into a permanent spot in the binder. It works for me probably because I just don’t have time to sit down each week and take better notes.

    Grace e

    Reply
  240. Jennifer on

    I stick with the basics… My journal and grid paper :) However, i would love to have a much more detailed actual gardening planner that offered tons of space to write in, but full of tips and suggestions as well :)

    Reply
  241. Jody on

    I use notebooks right now .Would love to be more organized.

    Reply
  242. jill j. on

    I’m currently using a free wildlife babies calendar from a local deli to keep track of when to sow what and a free weekly planner from our insurance broker to keep track of what’s already been sown. If only I could marry these two items together and create one larger monthly/weekly/daily spiral-bound calendar/notebook! But maybe that’s asking too much. I may have to create my own. Beautiful photos of flowers or some pretty pen & ink flower/botanical drawings would be nice too. I saw a monthly planner on Amazon that was also an adult coloring book with mostly flower pictures.

    Reply
  243. Rebecca on

    Have your beautiful Calendar hanging in my kitchen. This is a perfect gift!! It is a breath of fresh air when your posts cross ones path! Beautiful!

    Reply
  244. Kyle on

    I work for a small non profit (a summer camp!) and we have a shared google calendar without which I would be lost, but my favorite way to map out my days will always be handwritten lists. There’s nothing more satisfying than physically checking something off! xo

    Reply
  245. sharon on

    I just shop the nurseries in my area to see what’s in season and plant according ?

    Reply
  246. Donna on

    I just bought the calendar last week. Absolutely love it!! If I win, I will simply give the calendar to another flower-lover.

    I use a blog for my garden notes: That way, I don’t have to juggle pads, bits of paper, etc. See: http://www.leonegarden.blogspot.com

    Thank you!!

    Reply
  247. Elizabeth Ann on

    No one has ever taken such beautiful photos of flowers, work and life.

    Reply
  248. Allicia on

    Coming from an engineering background I tried to use project management software last year, what was I thinking? Way too detailed would love to use your simple and beautiful calendar this year!!!!

    Reply
  249. April on

    Just found your blog and I’m in love with it! I want a garden full of flowers but don’t know how to begin. Up until now I’ve kept up with the flower plans and growing process through photos and notes on my phone. To have your calendar with beautiful flower photos, with tips and reminders – that would be beyond awesome! My ultimate wish is to have a 5 year planner that would allow me space, daily each year, to compare each growing season. Thank you for your blog

    Reply
  250. Sas on

    I have yet to find the perfect system to keep me organized! So far a mix of two big wall calendars (one beside the fridge and one in the workshop), daytimer and iphone alarms are what’s working. As farming is my passion, not time-management, I dream of having someone else help to keep me organized and keep on track with my time commitments one day! In the meantime, a beautiful Floret calendar would be a wonderful addition to the organization system here at the farm! In awe of all you guys are doing! Keep it up!

    Reply
  251. Kathy on

    I use a big wall calendar so that I have plenty of room to make notes as needed. I have searched for a good garden journal, but have not yet found one that meets my needs. (Maybe the next Floret product?)

    Reply
  252. Desi on

    I love how you share your process. It’s so important.

    I’m a graphic designer that works mostly on her own and whenever I think about expanding I get overwhelmed and have to remind myself that no one does it alone. Sometimes that feels like a cop out, but I know that’s just my ego talking. Thank you for confirming that for me.

    Reply
    • Taylor L on

      I use a combination of everything! I have a small planner with absolutely everything and my iPhone calendar that serves as a halfway point until I have enough time to sit down and update my planner. Ideally I would have an entire wall that is a calendar but that I could also tote around with me. :)

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