Plan, grow and record your garden all year from one frost date and one workbook
The Garden Year System gives balcony growers, back-garden gardeners and allotment holders the plan, the calendar, the logs and the words for the whole season, in any country, unit or currency.
- A 17-sheet Garden Year Workbook: beds, a plant register that calculates sowing, plant-out and harvest dates from your frost date, rotation conflict checks, logs, seed bank, budget, three calculators and a traffic-light dashboard
- 5 fillable PDF forms (12 pages): site survey and bed map, season plan, pest and label record, garden sitter brief, end-of-season review
- 31 messages, 6 ready-to-send letters, a shared plot agreement and 26 AI prompts with a human review rule
- A 6-page print pack for the kitchen wall and the shed, plus a calendar file and a task board
The Garden Year System · Bodhih Pro Kits · 304 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do you plan a vegetable garden for the whole year?
Find your average last spring frost date, count back from it with the weeks on each seed packet, rotate crop groups so none returns to a bed too soon, log watering, problems and harvests weekly, and review the numbers at season end. The Garden Year System from Bodhih Training gives you a file for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Plan a Vegetable Garden for the Whole Year.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Sowing by someone else's calendar
Generic 'sow in March' advice ignores your frost, your hill and your hemisphere. Seedlings go out too early, sulk on the windowsill, or meet a late frost.
The same crop in the same bed again
Without a record of what grew where, rotation is guesswork. Soil pests and diseases build up and you only notice when a crop fails.
A seed tin full of maybes
Old packets, saved envelopes and swaps with no dates or test results. You lose weeks waiting for seed that was never going to come up.
No idea what the garden gives
No harvest weights, no budget, no verdict on which crops earned their space, so next year repeats this year's mistakes.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine a Saturday in March. Instead of four unlabelled trays and a vague feeling that the leeks are late, you open the workbook and the Plants sheet shows what is due this week, counted back from your own frost date. You sow those, label them, and close the laptop.
Picture August. As you walk the plot with the weekly card, you notice brown patches on the potatoes, photograph them, check the diary and climb the ladder one step at a time. The harvest log already shows what the beans and tomatoes have given, and the dashboard lights show the budget and the water butts at a glance.
And when the last leeks come in, you sit down for an hour with the review form, copy the numbers from the dashboard, write three changes and enter next year's rotation. Whether you start with the site survey this weekend or the Settings sheet tonight, the garden year begins to run on a method instead of on memory.
20 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Garden Year System (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: the garden year map
The whole job in nine steps with the file to open at each, your first hour, the five-minute brand step, your first week and a 30/60/90 day plan.
Garden Year Workbook
17-sheet record book for one garden and one season: beds, plant register with sowing dates from your frost dates, rotation checks, jobs, watering, pest diary with label checks, harvest log, compost, seed bank, budget, three calculators and a traffic-light dashboard.
Garden site survey and bed map
Three-page fillable survey: the site and its rules, sun, wind, water and soil tests, then a gridded bed map and bed list to copy into the Beds sheet.
Season plan and sowing schedule
Three-page fillable plan: what you want from the season, the crop list with rotation groups and beds, the count-back sowing schedule from your frost dates, and succession sowings.
Pest and disease check and label record
Two-page fillable form: observe and identify, climb the four-step action ladder, and if you reach a product, check and record every label rule before and after use.
Garden sitter brief
Two-page fillable brief for whoever looks after the garden while you are away: watering plan by bed, what to pick, contacts, and what never to do.
End-of-season review
Two-page fillable review: the season's numbers from the dashboard, crop-by-crop verdicts, rotation and seed decisions, and three changes for next year.
Garden message and email library
31 ready-to-send messages and emails for allotment offices, committees, landlords, neighbours, garden sitters, seed swaps, volunteers, suppliers and the household.
Garden letters and notices pack
Six ready-to-send letters and notices: allotment application, balcony container permission, a boundary tree or hedge letter, a seed swap poster, a garden sitter thank-you and a free produce notice.
Shared plot and garden agreement
One-page agreement for friends, families or groups sharing a plot or community bed: who does what, money, harvest, tools, products, holidays, disagreements and leaving.
Worked example pack: Helen's garden year
The site survey, season plan, count-back schedule, rotation fix, pest records with a label check, sitter brief and end-of-season review, filled in for one composite allotment-and-balcony garden.
AI prompt pack for gardeners
26 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by step of the garden year, each with what to paste in and what to check before you use the answer, plus the human review rule.
Numbers that matter: garden KPI card
Fourteen numbers the garden year runs on: plain words, exact formula, where each lives in the workbook and what to do if it moves.
Garden decision card
Fifteen 'if this, do this' rows for frost, pests, products, pets, watering bans, rotation, gluts, holidays and rules letters, plus the never list.
Garden mistakes to avoid
Twenty common mistakes that cost a season, each with what to do instead.
Garden rules and sources (correct at November 2026)
Dated orientation on frost dates and hardiness zones, pesticide labels and slug pellets, watering bans, moving plants across borders, allotments, trees and balconies, with the official sources.
Garden wall and shed print pack
6 printable pages for the kitchen wall, shed door and seed tray: a year wheel planner, a count-back sowing poster, the weekly walk card, a before-you-spray ladder, cut-out plant labels and a harvest tally sheet.
Garden year calendar
31 events: a two-week set-up, a monthly review for every month of the year and weekly-walk reminders through the main season. Adjust dates to your own frost or season dates.
Garden year task board
36 tasks for the whole garden year, ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or a spreadsheet.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 20 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 63 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, Word, Google Docs, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Notion
- Best for
- Balconies to allotments, one gardener or a small group, any climate
The Garden That Lived in Helen's Head
Why a garden runs better on one date, one record book and one routine, and the nine-step garden year loop.
Map the Ground You Have
Survey sun, wind, frost pockets, water, soil and the rules, then record every bed and pot group.
Your Climate, Frost Dates and Season
Find your last and first frost dates (or season dates where frost is rare) and let two cells drive the calendar.
The Sowing and Planting Calendar
Count back from your frost date to sowing, plant-out and harvest dates, plan successions and put it on the wall.
Rotation and the Bed Plan
Rotate five crop groups, catch conflicts before you order seed, and work out plants per bed and seed to buy.
Water, Feed and the Weekly Walk
Water deeply and log it, feed by the label, plan around watering rules, brief a sitter and walk weekly.
Pests, Diseases and the Label
Look, identify, then climb a four-step action ladder, with the product label as the law and pets kept safe.
Harvest, Yield and What It Was Worth
Weigh every picking, read yield per area and value at shop prices, handle gluts and decide what to grow again.
Soil, Compost and Seed Saving
Compost by greens and browns, test old seed every January and save seed from the easy crops.
Money, Help and the Review
Keep an honest budget, share the work, use AI with a human review rule, and run the end-of-season review.
Helen's Year in Numbers
Helen's season in numbers and the weekly and monthly rhythm that keeps the system running.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Garden-Year-Map.pdf: the whole job in nine steps with the file for each, your first hour, the five-minute brand step, your first week and a 30/60/90 day plan
- The Garden Year System e-book: 9,900 words, 9 chapters and 2 appendices, with 21 illustrations, story strips, charts and infographics
Workbook
- Garden-Year-Workbook.xlsx: 17 sheets including Settings, Beds, Plants with calculated sowing dates, Rotation, Jobs, Water and Feed, Pests and Diseases, Harvest, Compost, Seed Bank, Budget, Bed Fit, Seed Order, Crop Value, Monthly Summary and a traffic-light Dashboard with three charts
Fillable PDF forms
- Garden-Site-Survey-and-Bed-Map.pdf: Three-page fillable survey: the site and its rules, sun, wind, water and soil tests, then a gridded bed map and bed list to copy into the Beds sheet.
- Season-Plan-and-Sowing-Schedule.pdf: Three-page fillable plan: what you want from the season, the crop list with rotation groups and beds, the count-back sowing schedule from your frost dates, and succession sowings.
- Pest-and-Disease-Check-and-Label-Record.pdf: Two-page fillable form: observe and identify, climb the four-step action ladder, and if you reach a product, check and record every label rule before and after use.
- Garden-Sitter-Brief.pdf: Two-page fillable brief for whoever looks after the garden while you are away: watering plan by bed, what to pick, contacts, and what never to do.
- End-of-Season-Review.pdf: Two-page fillable review: the season's numbers from the dashboard, crop-by-crop verdicts, rotation and seed decisions, and three changes for next year.
Word templates
- Garden-Message-and-Email-Library.docx: 31 ready-to-send messages and emails
- Garden-Letters-and-Notices-Pack.docx: 6 letters and notices with a brand header line
- Shared-Plot-and-Garden-Agreement.docx: a one-page agreement for shared plots and community beds
- Worked-Example-Pack-Helens-Garden-Year.docx: the main forms filled in for one composite allotment-and-balcony garden
- AI-Prompt-Pack-for-Gardeners.docx: 26 tool-agnostic prompts with a human review rule
Cheat sheets
- Numbers-That-Matter-Garden-KPI-Card.pdf: 14 numbers with plain-words definitions, exact formulas and what to do if they move
- Garden-Decision-Card.pdf: 15 'if this, do this' rows and the never list
- Garden-Mistakes-to-Avoid.pdf: 20 mistakes and what to do instead
- Garden-Rules-and-Sources-Correct-at-November-2026.pdf: dated notes on frost data, pesticide labels, watering bans, moving plants across borders, allotments and trees, with official sources
Print pack
- Garden-Wall-and-Shed-Print-Pack.pdf: 6 pages: year wheel planner, count-back sowing poster, weekly walk card, before-you-spray ladder, cut-out plant labels and a harvest tally sheet
Calendar and import
- Garden-Year-Calendar.ics: 31 events for set-up, monthly reviews and weekly-walk reminders
- Garden-Year-Task-Board.csv: 36 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or a spreadsheet
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- You will be able to turn your own frost or season dates into a sowing, planting and harvest calendar
- You will be able to map a balcony, garden or allotment and record every bed's light, soil and water
- You will be able to plan a crop rotation and catch conflicts before you buy seed
- You will be able to work out how many plants fit a bed and how much seed to buy
- You will be able to handle pests and diseases with a step-by-step ladder and record label rules, including harvest intervals
- You will be able to log harvests and see yield and value for the space each crop takes
- You will be able to keep a garden budget and run an end-of-season review that produces next year's plan
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
A taste of Chapter 3
Seed packets give timing relative to the frost. North Carolina State University's extension service puts the general rule simply: for most seeds, sow indoors about six to eight weeks before you plan to plant out, and harden plants off for one to two weeks before they go outside. It also notes that seedlings need enough light to stop them stretching, either a bright south-facing window or grow lights kept close above them. So the calendar is arithmetic. Your sow date is your last frost date plus the weeks on the packet times seven days, with minus weeks meaning before the frost. The plant-out date is the sow date plus the weeks to transplanting. The first harvest is the sow date plus the days to harvest on the packet. That is all the Plants sheet does, for every crop, every time you change a frost date.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing dates | Fixed months for one country | Calculated from your own frost or season dates, any hemisphere |
| Rotation | A diagram to copy | A sheet that flags conflicts for this season and next |
| Records | Blank journal pages | Linked logs for water, pests, harvest, compost, seed and budget with a dashboard |
| Pests and products | Spray recommendations | An action ladder, a label record and a harvest-interval calculator |
| Help and sharing | Nothing | Sitter brief, shared plot agreement, letters and message library |
| Rules | Assumes one country | Dated sheet with official sources and pointers for other countries |
Made for you if…
- Allotment and community plot holders who want a plan and records in one place
- Balcony, patio and windowsill growers with a few containers and real ambitions
- Back-garden vegetable gardeners who lose track of what was sown where and when
- Families, school gardens and community groups sharing beds and jobs
- Gardeners in frost-free or monsoon climates who need a season-based calendar
- Anyone who wants to know what the garden really cost and gave
Probably not for you if…
- Commercial growers and market gardens (this is a home and community kit)
- Anyone looking for pesticide, veterinary or legal advice: the kit points you to the label, your vet and your local rules
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Give your garden one date, one record book and one routine
Open the Start-here map, type your frost date on Settings and watch the calendar appear. Whether you begin with the site survey this weekend or the seed tin tonight, next season starts with a plan you can see.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own household, plot partners or garden group where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
What buyers say
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How do I plan a vegetable garden for the whole year?
Start from your average last spring frost date (or your season start where frost is rare), count back from it using the weeks on each seed packet, rotate crop groups between beds, and keep a weekly log. The Garden Year System gives you a workbook that does the date arithmetic and the checks for you.
Does it work for a balcony or only for an allotment?
Both. Every bed, trough or group of pots gets its own row, and containers with fresh compost each year sit outside the rotation. The site survey covers balcony weight, drainage and permission, and the letters pack includes a permission letter for your landlord or building manager.
Does it work in my country?
The method is universal: you type your own frost or season dates, currency and units, and the workbook follows them. The dated rules sheet covers frost data, pesticide labels, watering bans and plant import rules with named sources for the UK and US and pointers for other countries. Local rules still need checking where you live.
I live somewhere without frost. Can I still use it?
Yes. Enter the start and end of your main growing season (for example after the heaviest monsoon rain) as the two dates on Settings, and the calendar counts from those instead. The book includes a story of a terrace gardener in Pune planning by monsoon.
Can I use this with my family, group or volunteers?
Yes, within your own household, plot, school garden or community group under the personal licence. The shared plot agreement, sitter brief, volunteer messages and print pack are made for that. Company, school-wide or multi-site licences are available via solutions@bodhih.com.
Is this gardening, pesticide or veterinary advice?
No. It is educational and practical. Products must be allowed where you live and used exactly as the label says; pet health questions go to your vet; allotment, tenancy and tree rules come from your own agreement and council. The kit helps you organise and record, and points you to the official source.
What do I need to open the files?
Excel or Google Sheets for the workbook, Word or Google Docs for the templates, any PDF reader that fills forms (Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo) and a calendar app such as Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar. The print pack prints on A4 or US Letter.
How can I measure my starting point?
Gardening a full year is a planning project. If you want to measure the skills behind it, AssessAll offers the Estimation & Forecast Calibration, Project & Delivery Leadership and Study Skills & Learning Strategies assessments. They are separate products, not part of this kit.
How do I turn this into a habit that sticks?
Make the weekly walk an if-then plan: 'If it is Saturday at 9, then I walk the plot with the card.' Jobulary's guide to if-then plans shows how to turn that into a development plan you keep.
Is the harvest value a profit figure?
No. Value at shop prices is what the same food would cost you to buy, so you can compare crops for the space they take. It is not income and the kit makes no promise about yields or savings.
How much does The Garden Year System cost?
₹799 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $24 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
