How to Make a Gardening Calendar

COPYRIGHT © 2011 Cherie Kuranko ~ "InkSpot"

All Rights Reserved.

Gardeners are list makers--prune the orchard, plant the peas, transplant the seedlings, till the ground. Raising fruits and vegetables works around mother nature's seasons and whatever weather she brews up, but having a basic outline on a calendar at your disposal is a handy way to keep up.

First, jot down the twelve months of the year. Then decide what gardening tasks occur in each month for the location the garden is grown in. This will vary depending on what part of the country you or the gift receiver lives in. If you aren't sure--check the Internet or a local nursery and ask them for help.

For Northwest Gardeners there is a wonderful book called Maritime NW Garden Guide. The book has a great list of year-round garden tasks listed month by month. Check your local library for this book or another similar book for your area to complete your list of monthly garden tasks.

Once you have completed listing monthly garden tasks under each month it is time to decide what type of photos you will use. You may need to plan well ahead to get the photos, but try to use photos that feature something that would be growing or occuring for each of the twelve months. Apples and sunflowers for fall. Pumpkins for October. Or ripe tomatoes on the vine in September. 

There are many themes you could go with. Sweet potatoes for February--afterall, sweet-heart's day (Valentine's Day) is in February. Or you could just provide an array of garden photos that appear with snow, rain, sun and fall color to have a seasonal garden calendar. If you plan ahead and see the person you are making the calendar for often, then you could take snapshots throughout the year of he/she tending the garden. Add those to the calendar.

Once all twelve photos have been chosen and your garden task list is complete, it's time to make your calendar. You can either use a home computer to design and print the calendar or try a store (either in person or online) to upload your photos to and then type in the tasks for each month. You can even personalize the calendar further by adding family events such as reunions or annual camping trips, birthdays, anniversaries and more.

Copy stores like Kinko's can enlarge copies of your photos and have various types of binding available; as well as laminating services. A laminated calendar is an added bonus for gardeners as their hands are often covered in soil or water. If making the calendar as a "Greenhouse Calendar" it is best to laminate it so it can be hung and used there without worrying about ruining it.

Happy gardening....Check out other great Gift Ideas for Gardeners or Unique DIY Gift Basket Ideas & Themes

COPYRIGHT © 2011 Cherie Kuranko ~ "InkSpot"

All Rights Reserved.