How to Keep a Garden Harvest Log
Write down crop, variety, date, and amount each time you pick, in one unit per crop, then rate the season. What to record, which unit to use, and how to w...
Published by ThriveThyme
harvest log garden records yield end of season
How to Keep a Garden Harvest Log
Each time you pick, write down the crop, the variety, the date, and the amount. Use one unit per crop for the whole season. When a crop finishes, rate it plenty, enough, not enough, or failed. That is all you need to plan next year. The Harvest Log does the totals for you and saves on your device.
What to Record
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Crop and variety | Two tomato varieties in one bed can yield very differently. Keep them on separate rows. |
| Date picked | First and last pick dates show how long the crop produced. |
| Amount | Totals tell you whether to plant more or less next year. |
| Season rating | Plenty, enough, not enough, or failed. The one call you act on. |
| Notes | Pests, disease, weather, the bed it grew in, and flavor. Notes explain the rating. |
University of Georgia Extension asks home gardeners to record each variety, the seed source, the planting date, the harvest date, and an evaluation of the crop. Those notes are what make next year's plan faster.
Use One Unit Per Crop
Mississippi State University Extension's harvest record uses the same unit for a crop all season, and a count for big crops. Mixing units makes the total useless.
- Pounds: most crops. Tomatoes, beans, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, beets, potatoes, onions.
- Count: big single crops. Winter squash, pumpkins, watermelons, cantaloupe, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli heads, sweet corn ears, heads of lettuce.
- Pints: berries, or cherry tomatoes if you pick into a pint box.
- Bunches: herbs and greens you cut by the handful.
How to Weigh a Harvest
- A kitchen scale is enough. Most read in pounds and ounces. 16 ounces is 1 pound.
- Weigh the empty basket once, then subtract it from each weighing, or use the scale's tare button.
- Weigh the same way every time. As picked, before trimming, is the easiest habit.
- If you cannot weigh a pick, log a count or skip the amount. A rating without a number still works.
Log Failures Too
A crop that produced nothing still gets a row. Leave the amount empty and rate it failed. Failures are the rows that change next year's plan the most.
Optional: Grocery Value
NDSU Extension suggests valuing home produce at the current retail price at your local grocery store or farmers market. In the Harvest Log, type your own price per unit and it multiplies by the season total. ThriveThyme never fills in a price for you.
Next Steps
- Start the Harvest Log and add every crop you grew this year.
- Learn the four ratings: How to rate garden yield.
- Before frost, pick tender crops with the Frost Harvest Desk, then cure and store them with the Harvest Storage Desk.
Sources: Mississippi State University Extension, MHV Vegetable Gardening Award harvest record. NDSU Extension H1692, Garden Journal. University of Georgia Extension B577, Home Gardening.