Almost everything you see in this picture belongs to us. Keeping track of what was planted, when and where is always an interesting challenge. Where are the power lines? Septic? Didn’t we run an internet line to the greenhouse…? Where did we run it from again? Plus, what happens when you want to sell the property? Finding the paperwork and then explaining all the scribbles on it take time. With this thought in mind we set up our home map on Google My Maps. In addition to our orchard planting we have added septic lines, power lines, internet lines. Anything that we need to remember where it is. My husband has mapped the different zones for the irrigation system.

Nearly everything visible in this photo is our property, and keeping track of what was planted, when it was planted, and where it’s located is always an interesting challenge. We ask ourselves questions like: Where are the power lines? And the septic system? Didn’t we run an internet line to the greenhouse? Where did we run it from again? Plus, what happens if we decide to sell the property? Finding the relevant paperwork and explaining all the scribbles on it can be time-consuming. With these considerations in mind, we created a home map using Google My Maps.

In addition to tracking our orchard planting, we’ve added the locations of the septic lines, power lines, and internet lines. This helps us remember where everything is located. My husband has even mapped out the different zones for the irrigation system.

This is not an in-depth tutorial on how to use Google My Maps, but a taste of what can be done. Google My Maps offers the user of layers and icons. For example, we added a layer per fruit type. ie Apples. Then we changed the icon for different types of apples. Our map is not public, I have taken screen shots to share with you. That does not mean we are the only ones who have access to it. I am sure Google is watching. But this is basically public knowledge so we are not to concerned about it.

We have layers for apples, pear, peaches, plums, hazelnuts, septic lines, power lines, irrigation zones etc. This is just one of the many ways to use Google My Maps.