Gardening with Office, not so foolish...

Yes, today is April 1st, and this post is a light-hearted attempt to get you gardeners excited about using various Office programs to plan, plot, and perfect your garden. Really!

When spring has sprung and you've finally flung
all your sweaters and boots into storage,
When the buds on the trees make you fall to your knees
to plant carrots and cabbage and borage

It's that time of year to get out the gear
grab your shovel and pruners and spade,
get the digger, the feeder, and hose, and the weeder
& the mower to shorten each blade.

But how do you track what to prune, what to hack,
all those schedules for watering and feeding?
With Excel as your aide, you relax in the shade
(it does everything but the weeding).

Yes, that's right, yes you heard me, I said it out loud
Excel is your own garden gnome:
Make your lists and cross-reference your perennials of preference
use a spreadsheet to help you at home.

Let's say you've just started and haven't yet charted
how to lay out your veggies and herbs,
the ground is there waiting, just anticipating
to be tilled, to be turned, and disturbed.

A bare patch of soil invites so much toil
why not make it easy to do?
give Visio a shot, it can diagram your plot
and it's customizable too.

Those unreadable notes stuck in pockets of coats
listing nurseries and experts you've known
green-thumbed women and men, never lose them again
with OneNote you're never alone.

The moss in your hair and that deck chair out there
make me think that it's time for a party
So think up some friends and use mail merge to send
invitations creative and arty.

If your garden's not quite still with Office you're ready
When the vines start their climbing and twining
Round your heart they will wind and with Office you'll find
April showers all have silver linings.

Soon the sunshine is sunny and you've spent all your money on tomato starts, basil and thyme,
And speaking of time, I've run out of mine, so I'm about through with this rhyme.

And here are some gardening templates to get you started. Happy gardening everyone!
 

— Crabby