Topic: seed organising

[Paulines7]

I have made a spread sheet showing the vegetables in alphabetical order, the varieties held, sow date, where to sow and transplant details.  There are spare columns for notes.  I have put my seeds into groups within plastic wallets with a label on front.  The groups are brassicas, root veg, greenhouse (aubergines, tomatoes, chillies, peppers), peas, courgettes and squash, onions and leeks, beans, lettuce and chicory, and herbs.

[petuariapete]

One way would be to use a concertina file which has month tabs (rather than the usual alphabetical ones). Place the seed packets in the first recommended planting month and then sow accordingly. If the planting season is spread over more than one month, check the packets at the end of each month and move  to the next month if necessary.

Within each monthly section the seed packets could be stored by alphabetical or date sowing order.

[agapanthus]

Petuariapete ....But then you are still referring to packets,,,(and I have hundreds:(   ) ....still the diary for me.

[petuariapete]

Agapanthus,

Reading this forum, I have come to the conclusion that restraint and seed buying are mutually exclusive!!

I bought 3 packets for a pound from my local pound shop yesterday. Rumour has it that it is going to close down soon, so hopefully more bargains to be had.

[agapanthus]

I'm just a gal that can't say no....... :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[

[supersprout]

At the end of the year I am going to sort through my seeds, put spares into neat little brown envelopes, and staple them inside Xmas cards. This will get rid of seeds close to sell by date to make room for more.  ::) ;)

[jennym]

I use this wooden box unit, bought from Ikea some years ago.

[Garden Manager]

Simpler method:

Get an old shoe box or ice cream container, make some cardboard dividers, and label these with months of the year or anything else you need to organise your seeds by. You can now organise your seeds by sowing date/month.

If you choose a container with a  airtight lid than you can seal the seeds away to keep them a bit fresher for longer too.

[daisymay]

Thanks everyone for this thread. Shall be printing it out as evidence to manuel (aka the OH) that I do indeed need a filing system for my seeds.
Just set up a home office for him/ his new job and bought a filing cabinet making our old metal filing box (with suspension files hanging in it) reduntant but he won't let me have it................... yet!!

I too have an excel spreadsheet detailing planting times etc.. but all my seeds are in two boxes in the shed (one for flowers, one for veg) and they are a right muddle!

[grawrc]

I just keep mine in order of time of sowing and check through once a month to sow.

[amphibian]

I remove mine from their original packaging, cut out the lable and insert seeds and labels into a small resealable bags, they are then grouped by type into large resealable bags, placed in a shoe box and then kept in the fridge.

After doing this you are left with a far smaller volume of stuff, seed packaging is large for what is actually contained.

[Garden Manager]

After doing this you are left with a far smaller volume of stuff, seed packaging is large for what is actually contained.

Thats very true. Done to sell the product and not as an actual container for the seed.

[Helenclare]

I love all these ideas for storing seeds...I too decant any seeds from the original packet after sowing into small brown envelopes I buy from Staples. I write on it what they are, sowing dates and best before date. I then store all these much smaller packets in plastic wallets in the fridge. Each month has its own wallet and I move seed packets forward to the next month if they can be sown then too. I save any silca gel packets I get hold of and slip these into the wallets to help keep the seeds dry.

I then cut up the original seed packet to keep the info from the front and back of the packet, mount it onto a "recipe card" and keep them all in alphabetical order in a large card index box..so then I can refer to the much needed care info after I have germinated the seeds. I even have stiff plastic wallets that I slip these cards into if I am taking them outside...everything I take outside gets either wet or muddy!!

This sounds very complicated, but it isn't and it whiles away the time waiting for the weather to improve ::)

[grawrc]

Mmmm I think my OH would end up up sprinkling them on his muesli! ::) ;D ;D

[supersprout]

Really good idea to mount the seed packs Helenclare and I love the sound of your seed organising system. Might have to give the fridge a miss though, it's not big enough ;D. Will give this a go - still plenty of time to play whilst the season grinds to a start (snow forecast this weekend >:()

[flowerofshona]

:P 6-7 big containers of seeds and great fun rumaging throught them each week  ;D no system but everything i want to sow gets pulled out into one box at the start of the year and added to when i find something i fancy  ;D  dissorganised chaos works for me  :)