Topic: Getting organised for spring...

[terrace max]

How do you organise your sowing and harvesting?

Do you have spreadsheets, notebooks or the back of a f*g packet?

I'm trying to have my best organised season yet in 2006 (probably means it'll be a complete shambles!) with proper labels for the plants and everything. Now seems like a good time to work it out. So all ideas very welcome!

[aquilegia]

I use good old fashioned pen and paper.

I write a list of what I'm planting in each of my five beds, what's going in containers and what's going among the flowers.

Then spring comes and I throw the list out of the window due to the fact that half the plants haven't germinated, then others got eaten by slugs when I planted them out.

My plans are always very flexible.

Time's for sowing depends on what it says on the packet and the weather. I now keep a diary of sowing dates (first year this year) so will refer to that next year.

harvesting - well that depends on what the slugs and my cack-handedness leaves me!

Mostly this is done as an exercise to keep me from being bored in the winter months.

[daisymay]

A couple of weekends ago when it rained solid, I did a spreadsheet in excel for next year - listed all the seeds I have on the left (split btwn flowers and veg) and the months along the top. Is based on a spread sheet thany Jennym sent me. Is areally useful as it shows you month by month what you need to do.

[Mrs Ava]

Always start with good intentions, but end up just working my way through my seed box, and everytime I spy a gap, I put a pinch of seeds in!  Gets very crowded in my garden, greenhouse, conservatory and allotment, but I seem to do okay.

[aquilegia]

And the other bit of organisation I've done is to sort out my seed box. Rather than just having a big box with everything in a muddle and spending ages searching through it, I've sorted the seeds into different big envelopes each labeled with what's in it.

Categories include: tomatoes; beans and peas; courgettes and squashes; peppers, chillis and aubergines; herbs; hardy annuals; hardy periennials; aquilegias; etc...

Makes it so much easier not only to find what I'm looking for, but also I know exactly how many different varieties of each veg I have (rather scary!)

[undercarriage plan]

Bit similar to Ej here! Turn up at plot, plant seeds in gaps, go home!! And so far have had good crops, suede rubbish this year though....sorry not much help!! Just make sure I don't plant the same thing in th same place.
Lottie  ;D

[Derekthefox]

I have to be honest, I use a spreadsheet.

Having decided on my planting earlier, I will sort the list by planting dates. This at least organises my sowing regime. Then my ground preparation is at least in anticipation ...

Derekthefox :D

[Icyberjunkie]

Organise sowing, planting and harvesting.  WHats this organise thingy then........ ;D

Definiite back of seed packet or I'm-bored-what-space-do-I-have-to-cram-something-in moment here!

[BAGGY]

My seeds live in a computer disc holder, roughly divided into roots, beans, salad etc.  I systematically go through them and work out which should be planted when. Then I take the seeds down to the Lotty, leave them in the shed and get on with whatever I didn't have time to do the week before.  Hmm.

[plot51A]

And the other bit of organisation I've done is to sort out my seed box. Rather than just having a big box with everything in a muddle and spending ages searching through it, I've sorted the seeds into different big envelopes each labeled with what's in it.

Good idea Acqui. Kept sorting mine out this year - sort of into categories, or into groups of planting time, but only put them into plastic bags not labelled and they all got mixed up again. To while away the winter hours have listed all my seeds on a database and intend to put in sow times, harvest times, comments etc. We can but dream. Have catalogued 97 so far, still some to go, but have stopped so that I can pretend I haven't really got many after all!
My original seed box was a shoe box....then a biscuit tin....currently a small Ikea storage box. Am hoping I won't have to graduate to a large one!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've previously tended to get in a mess and just stick stuff in as I had space for it. But for once I'm ahead of myself this year, so I should be able to start developing some sort of system. Dunno what it's going to be yet as the garden keeps evolving.

[vee]

This last season because it was my first on the allotment and growing veg I kept a diary and filled in a short note of what I'd done each time I came back from the plot. It's nice to read now the weather is bad, and will help in planning next year. I've also done a spreadsheet with the months at the top and 1-31 down the side. I filled in sowing, germinated, planted and harvest dates for each crop that succeeded eg  bbeanS, bbeansG , fbeansP, onionH and typed them in different colours. Blue for sown,green for germinated,brown for planted and red for harvested. I will probably not need to do this every year when I have more experience but it will definitely help me to plan next year and know when things worked. If seeds failed I didn't put them in, only the successes.
Now you all know what a sad person I am!

[AikenDrum]

Since this is my first year, my only plan is to try and learn from all the mistakes I will undoubtedly make.    {:¬ (

[AikenDrum]

Having said that, I've got a couple of Guardian Fogies watching over my shoulder to make sure I don't make a complete compost heap of it !  They were the first people I made an effort to find and talk to. The just LUV chattin'    ;D

[windygale]

Hi TM, i use the MSN OFFICE CALENDAR  and AOL REMIND ME units as i reminder of when to sow, things to do , harvest plants ect, dig plots, get manure, thin out seedlings, order newseeds, wifes birthday cant for get that, :o ;D, lol  find it very helpful, just read the back of seed packet, and any info needed, and then install it to the day in the calendar, and then set a reminder, who needs spreadsheets, most computer or internet software has a calendar now a days,
hope this helps,
windy

[terrace max]

d**n fine idea Windy.

The best I've managed so far is a diary - divided into weeks - where I note down everything I've sown or harvested in the allotment, garden and greenhouse. Managed it religiously last year. A pain in the thingy to do, but really interesting and helpful to look back on as I put this year's entries under last year's...

[Lily]

I have also used a spread sheet.  Listing all the seeds I have left and with one column advising whether I need anymore.  

My lottie friend is coming over Tuesday evening to look through the catalogues so that we can get our order in for next year.  We try and go for Organic Seeds.

It's worth while keeping a diary, just for the date of when things were planted and harvested and any general comments that will help you in future years.  This helped me, as my labelling of plants was a bit hit and miss.

Spring can't come soon enough for me. I hate Winter, very depressing.

Lily

[Derekthefox]

That is where I like the spreadsheet, all the various notes can be tacked on as required.

I have just used jennym's spreadsheet calculator for yields etc, it is useful to determine how many crops to grow, without running into silly quantities ...

Derekthefox :D

[Lily]

I have just used jennym's spreadsheet calculator for yields etc, it is useful to determine how many crops to grow, without running into silly quantities ...

Derekthefox :D

Derek. Is there any chance of having a copy of the above spreadsheet calculator. 

Please, pretty please. ;)  :)  :)

Lily

[marjrie]

I have just used jennym's spreadsheet calculator for yields etc, it is useful to determine how many crops to grow, without running into silly quantities ...

Derekthefox :D

Derek. Is there any chance of having a copy of the above spreadsheet calculator. 

Please, pretty please. ;)  :)  :)

Lily

I was wondering that too Lily, or any charts at all about when to do what, this is our first time trying to grow anything, so I know there will be lots of learning to do.