I'm starting to build up a "small" *snicker* collection of seeds and am not sure of the best way to organize them. Right now I have them sorted according to categories--tomatoes, leafy veggies, flowers, vines, etc.-- and in gallon size ziplock bags. But I still have to dig through the bags to find a particular seed pouch. I would love to be able to have a storage system where I can file the seeds alphabetically under each category. I'd like to know how you store and keep track of your seeds.
How do YOU organize and store your seeds?
I'm not an organization person, but last year I organized my seeds into groups depending on when I was going to sow them: Winter, Before Last Frost, After Last Frost.
I think this year I'm going to pull out the ones I am going to sow for sure and then organize them into these groups. With them, I'm going to type up a schedule for when various things need to be sown or tended to. Otherwise, I just won't get my act together.
Hi ,
I went to canadian tire and bought a couple of those storage bins with 35 drawers in them. I labled the outside of the drawers and store my seeds in them in alphabetical order. One has annuals and the other has perennials. I know what i have at all times and can have it in my hands in seconds.
Hope this helps.
Guess i am a neat freak. LOL
Marilyn
I have a large shoe box, fixed dividers, with the alphabet, all seeds are stored in envelopes or plastic bags, bags are marked, and I file them alphabetically. I also have a computer list, so that I instantly see what I have without going to the actual file. This seems to work for me. Also, I have a computer list of flowers that are annual, perenniel, and then another computer list of when different flowers need to be sown or started. I spent years of having to be highly organized ( for work), so this is a somewhat casual organization.
Ditto! I file mine in a shoe box too, alphabetically by whatever name is most familiar to me, latin or common. But herns and vegis are all under a special file marker and a misc. for things like wildflower seed packets. I use my journal here on DG to keep track of them for planting. What goes were and when.
I'm sorry I don't remember right now who gave me this great idea, but I organized all of my flower seeds into a binder last winter. I used those clear plastic divided sleeves that you can get for baseball cards or for scrapbooking, and it really worked well! I also put the flowers into an Excel spreadsheet, which helped me find the latin names when I forgot them and keep track of quantity, sowing info, etc. I also have some large cookie tins that hold baggies of veggie seeds, sorted into categories.... those may go in binders eventually, but the tins are working pretty well there.
critterologist,
It was Puggiemudpies. And I'd like to see a picture of your binder in the fridge too! LOL!
Check this link out:
Propagation: Winter Sowing Seeds Idea: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/558476/
~* Robin
I store mine in 2 gallon ziplock bags in a tote. Each bag is labeled by the week I plan to plant the seeds indoors, using the number of weeks before I can set the plants out. The weeks range from 24-0. Zero is 'direct planting' outdoors... such as radishes, carrots, etc. Inside the 2 gallon bags are gallon ziplocks, then quarts, then coin sized ones, according to genus, species/cultivar, etc. I have a document for planting dates, as well, so when it is time, I can open the bag and start planting.
As for my trade seeds, I have the same system, but have less seeds, so a 2 gallon bag will hold them all. In addition, I have two boxes of trade seeds already packaged up and ready to go. I try to keep 6 of each, so periodicially, I do an inventory and start printing out more packets.
Of course, for a new gardener, none of this is necessary, but I do recommmend storing seeds according to when you plant them, along with a master list, should you need to find them in the meanwhile. Storing my name can be a problem if you are using common names. Is a shasta daisy under Chrysanthemum, Leucanthemum, daisy, shasta, mum? Is hollyhock under mallow, Alcea... etc, etc. The pocket folder sounds like a great idea, and you could divide your seeds by planting date.
I use the same as the shoe box system w/ regular paper envelopes. I didn't have any shoe boxes on hand so I bought cute photo boxes at Big Lots. I think they are more sturdy than some shoe boxes also.
I use pieces of cut card stock to separate them alphabetecally, each with a letter tab. At the bottom of the box are two small dowels. Each piece of card stock has two holes punched in it, then the holes are slid over the dowels. All that holds them in place and they slide. I just cut the dowels to size with a really strong pair of scissors.
I also file under latin or common name, whatever is more familiar to me. Individual seeds are most likely stored in paper envelopes, some in plastic zipper baggies. Then those are put into the larger envelopes to keep them from flying all over in the box.
I also have another box that I keep my special seeds in that I don't have enough to trade. That way I don't mix things up if I'm in a hurry. I don't want to accidentally promise someone something then find out later that I made a mistake, so I just try to keep things separate. It works for me.
Hope that helps.
Heather
HA! For newbie's it's not necessary! What a joke! If the newbies are obsessive-compulsive like the rest of us, they will need a system pretty quick!
I, too, keep a running spreadsheet as an Inventory Control Sheet, with the seed name, donor (thank you DGers - I love to walk through my garden and call the babies by YOUR names!), year, qauntity, germ and maturity info, and pertinent data.
My flowers and low-count veggies are stored in clear-top, plastic computer disk storage boxes. They have movable dividers with labels on them and are alphabetized. The bigger seed selections (both size-wise and quantity-wise) are stored in separate boxes, alphebitzed. (I use empty cat and dogfood pouch boxes. I slap a little contact paper on them and use a marker on the front denoting family, and alphabize them.) All these are stored on a short 3-shelf tabe in my back room, which I leave unheated. It stays around 50 degrees in there, perfect for the seeds and my potato, etc. bins
Happy garden dreams!
Janice
Wonderful suggestions for someone who has just started harvesting & trading. Dave's has made me nearly obsessive-compulsive about my gardening!! :o)
Sanna
I have a question-as far as sheets- Like seeds,germ etc,,,,,I need info on those-I have microsoft word anyone know how i can make one.so I can get more organized.I also would like a sheet for trades-some times people ask me when i sent if i got a conf I can look on it.But if im doing first class I cant find a thing imake alot of notes and then they get lost in notes lol.
Mainroses, I used to do alot more trading than I am now, and I used DG Trade Tracker, I think it's wonderful, and if I need to reference something, my info from 2002 is still available.
Recently I've just done a little seed trading, and having folks d-mail you is a great place to keep your communications if you forget what's what, you can even print out a d-mail communication and mail it with your trade, that way the other person can immediately identify you as well. Legit