The GrowLog Journal

Notes from the AI garden.

Field-tested guides, seasonal checklists, and answers to the questions gardeners ask GrowLog AI most.

A 3-in-1 soil meter inserted in a raised garden bed showing pH and moisture readings, with young vegetable seedlings visible in the background.

Field Notes · Featured

My Soil pH Was 8.0 All Season. Here's What I Learned.

I spent spring chasing pH 8.0 across four raised beds in Zone 6b Connecticut — coffee grounds, sulfur, the works. Then Reddit soil scientists told me I was doing it wrong. Here's what actually happened.

July 22, 2026 · 11 min read

Field Notes
Should You Thin Carrots? I Ran the Experiment to Find Out
I thinned one row of carrots and left the other alone. The result contradicted everything I'd been told. Here's what happened in my Zone 6b garden.
July 20, 2026 · 6 min
Field Notes
Why Lettuce Bolts in Summer (And How to Slow It Down)
Lettuce bolts when heat and long days trigger it to go to seed. Here's what's actually happening, how to spot it early, and what to do if you're in Zone 6b CT.
July 1, 2026 · 6 min
Field Notes
Leaf Miners on Kale: What I Found and What I Did
I found white squiggly tunnels on my Red Russian kale in Zone 6b CT. Here's how I diagnosed leaf miners, what I did about it, and whether the kale was still safe to eat.
June 29, 2026 · 5 min
Field Notes
The Gardening Journal: Why It Works, Where It Came From, and a Better Way to Keep One
A complete guide to the gardening journal — what it is, why every serious grower keeps one, the 400-year history behind the practice, the limits of paper notebooks, and how to compound its impact with an AI-powered log.
June 26, 2026 · 7 min
Field Notes
Kale, Lyme, and Leaf Miners: What Ten Days Away Taught Me About Observation
Two weeks of being too sick to garden gave my kale a chance to surprise me — first by surviving a thinning, then by hiding a pest problem in plain sight. Lessons from two close calls in one bed.
June 19, 2026 · 5 min
Field Notes
Bent Carrots? A Live Thinning Experiment in Raised Bed 1
I thinned one half of my carrot bed and left the other half crowded. Here’s why I’m running this experiment — and what I’m watching for as the season unfolds.
June 9, 2026 · 2 min
Product Updates
What's New in GrowLog AI: Knowledge Base, Shared Gardens, Weather Alerts & Smarter Advisor
Four new things just shipped in GrowLog AI: a smarter Master-Gardener-level AI advisor, a full knowledge base, multi-user shared gardens, location-aware weather alerts, and easier support.
June 4, 2026 · 2 min
Field Notes
Germinating Seeds with the Paper Towel Method: What I Got Wrong (and How to Get It Right)
A first-hand walkthrough of germinating seeds using the paper towel method — the mistakes that killed my first batch, the small habits that saved the second, and the simple system that makes germination repeatable.
June 2, 2026 · 5 min
Field Notes
Lessons Learned from My First Vegetable Harvest
Discover practical lessons and tips from my first vegetable harvest, blending excitement with important gardening insights.
May 29, 2026 · 5 min
Garden Notes
Companion Planting: 12 Pairings That Actually Work
Most companion planting advice is folklore. Here are 12 pairings with real, observable benefits — pest control, pollination, and shared root space.
May 29, 2026 · 3 min
Seasonal Guides
Frost Dates by Zone: When to Plant Tomatoes This Spring
A practical, zone-by-zone guide to your last frost date — and how to time tomato transplants so you don't lose them to a late cold snap.
May 28, 2026 · 3 min
Garden Diary
How to Start a Garden Journal (and Why AI Makes It Effortless)
A garden journal is the single highest-leverage habit a gardener can build. Here's how to start one in 10 minutes — and how GrowLog AI keeps it going for you.
May 27, 2026 · 3 min

My Soil pH Was 8.0 All Season. Here's What I Learned.

Should You Thin Carrots? I Ran the Experiment to Find Out

Why Lettuce Bolts in Summer (And How to Slow It Down)

Leaf Miners on Kale: What I Found and What I Did

The Gardening Journal: Why It Works, Where It Came From, and a Better Way to Keep One

Kale, Lyme, and Leaf Miners: What Ten Days Away Taught Me About Observation

Bent Carrots? A Live Thinning Experiment in Raised Bed 1

What's New in GrowLog AI: Knowledge Base, Shared Gardens, Weather Alerts & Smarter Advisor

Germinating Seeds with the Paper Towel Method: What I Got Wrong (and How to Get It Right)

Lessons Learned from My First Vegetable Harvest

Companion Planting: 12 Pairings That Actually Work

Frost Dates by Zone: When to Plant Tomatoes This Spring

How to Start a Garden Journal (and Why AI Makes It Effortless)