seed organization

someone please tell me how to organize 100's of packets of seeds I ordered......haven't been able to garden in several years...I did germinate and plant a fall flower garden...need to keep records .................most of all, help me with how you organize all your packets, etc.

I have been watching this thread because I am eager to hear different ideas as well.

Bettygail, you might consider cross-posting this question in the propagation forum, if you haven't already.

Interesting; I don't grow a hundred varieties a year., But I do organise my seeds by planting times. 1. seeds that are planted to grow transplants. 2. Direct sow as soon as ground can be worked, 3 sow after frost date. 4. sown for fall transplants. 5. Fall direct sow. If I had to keep track of the performance of a hundred varieties, I would enter them in a data base.

I did an internet search and found this http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.robsplants.com/images/seed/SeedBox.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.robsplants.com/seedstorage.php&h=318&w=320&sz=42&hl=en&start=24&tbnid=Rm9coSGPIZcZ1M:&tbnh=117&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dseed%2Bbox%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DN

I'm not sure if I like his method though.

I should read this thread, because I just keep all of mine in a box. hehe Not terribly organized, I'm afraid. However, I am starting to keep a written journal of what I sow, when I sow it, method used (baggie, winter sowing and/or inside under lights), how many seeds, and % germination. In my davesgarden online journal, I organize all my plants (those grown from seed and those purchased) by annual/tender perennial, perennial, ornamental grass, edible, vines, shrubs, etc. I look them up in the Plant Files, and then click on the link that says "add this plant to your journal" (it says something like that), then I put it in its proper category. If the plant is not listed, I click on "add a plant" and add the info to the database. Online, you can assign statuses--for instance, all of my seeds right now have the status of either "waiting to receive" (the ones I ordered online that haven't shipped yet) or "waiting to sow". I have marked down how far out from the last avg frost date each can be started (for instace, I am starting lettuce, datura, and begonia on Feb 27, which is about 12 wks prior to my zone's last avg frost date). I don't know if I helped or if I just confused you more. Maybe someone else has a better idea...good luck! Tamara

Tamara,

That is helpful to me because until now I really hadn't figured out how the DG journal would be useful to me. The application seems a bit cumbersome and perhaps not worth the effort ; I work in the IT industry testing software. : ) Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm going to give the DG journal a try.

I do still need to put together a seed box and get them all organized. They are currently lobbed all together in a plastic bag! Yikes.

This message was edited Jan 20, 2007 11:03 AM

wrightie, I love the website you provided...........particularly the part about the index cards with hints on germination. I am sooooooooo excited to get started on this project. For example, I had almost total failure with Bells of Ireland until I read on Thompson and Morgan site that they need to be put in baggies in the refrigerator for at least two weeks...I can't remember everything i read and this is great to have the info on a card............thanks all...........I do have my list on microsoft word, so I can easily find what I need at the time....in the meantime, they are lying all over the floor in zip lock bags from each company.

I so wish that I could be organized too! I'm afraid that even reading and researching that mine will still be in paper sacks all thrown in a big plastic tub. :( I have such a hard time getting started and get so overwhelmed that I never do it. I don't think I can ever get enough time to actual use the DGjournal and I've never finished a written one. My problem is that I'm so indecisive so I need a step-by-step plan that tells me what order to put things in.

I keep mine in smalish cardboard boxes from the seed companies. I put the tomato seeds all together with a wide rubber band. I do the same for the lettuce and simular seeds...then the same for the carrots, squash/pumpkins , broccoli/cauliflower, cantaloupes, watermelons, cucumbers, and flowers. Large packets like corn and beans are in another box loose.

Ho Boy - I *wish* I was as organized as that link. Something to aspire to I guess!

My seed packets are kept in boxes - alphabetized and in groups according to whether flower, vegie or herb.

I'm developing a master list on my computer where all my seed is listed alphabetically under categories of flower, herb or vegetable. I collect descriptive, propagation, and cultural information for each entry on that list.

Some of my seed is rare (from NARGS (North American Rock Garden Society or through exchange with some of the specialized DG forums - there are extremely generous and knowledgeable folks here) and I've been wanting to grow it so much for so long, that I've been researching pretty thoroughly germination information from different sources to better understand what I'm doing:
http://tomclothier.hort.net/
http://www.robsplants.com/seed/germination.php
http://www.onrockgarden.com/
The ultimate in germination:
Seed Germination, Theory and Practice, by Norm C. Deno (book)
139 Lenor Drive
State College, PA 16801
USA
Flowers, by Pizzetti & Cocker, 2 volumes, published by Abrams
DG PlantFiles - great to have the information right at your "fingertips", but if not, then go ahead and put in what you find from other sources - comparing different sources will help you best gauge accuracy of what you put in.

Well, right now, germination technique is the organizational key to my computerized system. Life is not letting me put as much time as I would like into it, so while I pick at this, I'm taking some short cuts:

On the above website for Tom Clothier, scroll down to the bottom to where it says "Determining 'weeks before last frost' in your area" and click on that. I cut and paste that chart onto my computer, adjust the dates to my frost date, and just type in the plants on the date I expect to sow them. Type of germination will determine that, and Tom has some handy charts for that you can click on just above the foregoing, called "Developing your own seed start scheduling database" (plus - there's what you already know).

And then, http://www.wintersown.org/ has a chart for each zone already made up of what others in your zone have wintersown. All you have to do is cut and paste to your computer, leave in the ones that match what you're working with that were successful, delete the ones you're not, and add the ones not there that are winter-hardy to your zone and self-sow. DG PlantFiles is noting which ones can be wintersown, but not all species may have all germination details entered yet. So, go over to the right column and click on "Winter Sowing 2006 Database" and click on your zone to find the chart of what has done best in your zone by that technique.

For those who may not yet know their climatic zone, try: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html?

This is a lot of work, but, once done - you have it for years to come - not to mention greater insight into the most profound mysteries of life at its beginning.

gee, thanks for the good news...I already have mine on the computer from different seed companies and they are alphabetized.....now I have been researching each plant on an index card attached to the seed packet, but yours is an even better idea!!!!

I bought a 3 ring binder and baseball card dividers. I just number each little "pocket window" then number my master list accordingly, I keep the master list on a spread sheet and just print out as needed. I keep one copy of the master list in a plastic sleeve in the front of the binder. I have seperate sections for different types of flowers and a seperate binder for veggie seeds. There are 9 pockets per page.

This isn't my binder, but I found a picture of the dividers on google to give you an idea.

mg

I think Bluespiral's system is excellent (and happens to be close to my own. LOL)

I have a pretty big seed collection. those that are from commercial sources, I have
in file boxes and organized alphabetically. And separated into flowers & veggies.
Those that I have collected myself or traded, I have in tin boxes (again by flower or
vegatable). I also have quite a few in the refridgerator). I put them all in a giant
spreadsheet last year and put germination info there.

I really like the ORGS website. And Norm Deno is a wonderful source too. (I went
to high school with his daughter. Small world eh?)

I use notebooks to write down what & when I start seeds each year. Then when they
germinate, I note that by the original entry. If its a seed I don't have germination info
on, I try a few methods (cold / warm e.g) and so when they germinate, I can mark which
worked. This helps for future attempts with that seed type. I keep these paper notebooks
in my greenhouse but transfer the notes to my computer after seed starting season is
over.

tam

I use a table I created in Word. You can also use Excel. I like using tables because you can sort them.

X

X, my spreadsheed/table looks quite a bit like yours! Under "Source" I have where I purchased or the person I traded with, bloom time, foliage type and I also have a column for PF links if available. I didn't think to actually put the picture in the table, d'oh! What a great idea.

Does your table alphabetize itself? I can't seem to figure out how to do that?

mg

I can alphabetize aka sort any column. Just go under Help on what ever program you use and type in sort. It should tell you how to use it.

Sometimes I sort for color or year as well. I always try to plant a few varieties of my oldest seeds every year so I can get fresh ones.

X

This message was edited Jan 22, 2007 9:58 AM

Thanks X!

Oh, I also meant to add, I have an endless supply of silica gel packets, dh brings them home from work in quart sized ziplocks every week or so.

Hmmm....maybe I should try trading those for seeds, lol!

mg

I just got a note about this thread (thanks, MG)... Oddly enough, I've just spent the last little while sorting through my tomato seeds... I needed to make labels and put together some trade packets, so while I was doing that I decided to get a bit more organized than my box with the "tomato seeds" label. I made a list the other night with the help of a friend (because her mom wanted a list of what I had, and I hadn't sat down to do on for a while), so I was feeling more organized already. That sheet needs a bit more work to have all the useful information about the varieties, but it's a start (and I may not get any further than that start, LOL). As of this afternoon, my tomato seeds have joined my hot pepper seeds in a 3 ring binder, tucked into baseball card protective plastic pages.

At one point, I had all of my flower seeds on a nice Excel spreadsheet, including germination information, source, growing habits, etc... That file is now sadly out of date! But I do have most of my flowers in a big 3-ring binder, with the packets tucked into the sleeves of those plastic organizer pages (the kind that are sold for baseball cards, scrapbook supplies, etc). I have a tendency to organize seeds according to height, color, when to sow, and other rather random factors that I realized would get too confusing with a larger stash such as I'd acquired, so I decided to sort them alphabetically by scientific name. Occasionally, I have to look up the latin name for something common in order to locate it quickly, but by and large this has worked for me... and as a bonus, this system has forced me to remember many more of the scientific names!

Less organized seeds go into baggies marked "basil" or "cucumbers" or "root veggies".... then the baggies get sorted into boxes or tins... that works too, and it's easy to find at a glance what my planting options are for various categories.

This has been a very motivating thread - I've appreciated all the different approaches to organization.

In the past, I found Word and Excel to be extremely useful, but did not acquire them when I bought this computer. For those like me, with only Dell's notepad and wordpad features which don't seem to have a feature with which to make tables, I have discovered that you can cut and paste a table like the one on the wintersowing website above into wordpad. I kept the 1st column for the names of plants I'm working with, and then let columns 2 and 3 be for Jan and Feb respectively, and then both March and April in column 4 - my brain seems to take in data better when it's arranged for my eyes to take in easily. The table can be copied over & over for many different projects.

I found a really neat place to keep my seeds! I just wish I could remember where that was....When I find it again, I'll put all my seeds together and then I just might get around to planting some of them!

bluespiral...........................you have come up with something that actually makes sense to me and sounds easier than making all the index cards..............I have word on my computer ...thanks

I've recently seen DG co-op hosts talking about using a google spreadsheet https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=writely&passive=true&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2F<mpl=homepage&nui=1

If you don't have a program on your computer, this could be an answer.

I haven't used it personally, but others loved it.