Topic: Are your seeds organised?

[nilly71]

As i'm getting quite a few seeds now i thought i would make a list of the groups in alphabetical order i.e all types of beans under B.

I used excel and it's much quicker when someone askes for a seed swap or wanted.

I have bought an a5 diary and plan to start writing in when seeds are due to be sown, as i'm new to all this i didn't want to wait until it was too late and find out i should of sown some seeds a couple of months before :-[

How do you organise/plan your seeds?

Neil

[thifasmom]

yes this is how i organise my sowing times as well but will take a ticket out of your book and list my varieties according to type and alphabetically and tape it into my seed box covers then I'll know what i have at a glance without having to go through the packets which are in the box alphabetically separated by dividers eg. a - d, e - h, etc. but the other box which have things like toms, beans, squashes, etc anything where i have many varieties of something have their own system of dividers, IE all the beans together, etc...

[Garjan]

Hi nilly

My seeds are stacked in a small filing cabinet, in alphabetical order (B = beans + varieties, beetroot + varieties).
I then put them in the same order in an Excell file.

Then I made 12 columns, one for every month, and marked the action for every month per variety (s = sow, p = plant, h = harvest) as some varieties are earlier than others. I used colors to indicate whether they need sowing "under glass" or outdoors.

To be able to plan even better I also made a column with the number of days between sowing and germination, and one with the number of days from planting to harvest.
And then I made a column in which I can put all other remarks: the need for staking, taste, yield etc.

In this setup I only need to click on the column for that specific month to see what seeds can be sown.
Very easy. And very confronting as Excell will tell you exactly how many varieties you've got! :D

[asbean]

We're pretty organised, we've kept an allotment diary (A5 99p from Viking) since the beginning. We write in that when we sow, plant or first harvest anything.  Useful as there are three of us.

Seeds I keep in a large box, the packets are kept together in categories (tomatoes, peppers, salad stuff, brassicas etc).

I also keep an excel spreadsheet with all the seeds listed alphabetically in categories.

Organised - oh yes  ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)

[ceres]

Interesting.  Most people seem to be storing them alphabetically.

I put them into bundles by month and for indoor or outdoor sowing.  I wrap a couple of elastic bands around each bundle with a slip of paper with the month name and either 'indoor' or 'outdoor'.  Beginning of each month I just pull out the 2 bundles for that month and outdoor bundle goes to the allotment, indoor bundle stays at home. 

[nilly71]

So how do you all sort them for continues sowing i.e carrots

Neil

[caroline7758]

I'm pretty hopeless.I always have good intentions... last year I made a spreadsheet but never really used it.I do have a diary where I write down all the gardening jobs I've done,so I rifle back through last year's to see when I sowed things etc,but the seeds are all in a couple of tins,some held together with elastic bands (the seed packets,not the tins- I'm not that bad yet!) ::)

[Tee Gee]

This is how I keep a check on things;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Seed%20sowing/Seed%20Sowing.htm

Follow the links!

[timnsal]

I have two boxes with dividers, one for successional seeds, one for sow once. Every now and then I try to sort the contents into approximately when they should be sown.

I have a word file for each crop group - not tidy enough to work on just a paper diary, so I print off, and make notes as things go along. Then copy the illegible scrawl (where possible) back onto the computer when it gets too dificult to make out what was happening.

I tend to be fairly good at noting when seeds are sown, and when the first few of the year germinate. Very rarely remember to record when they are ready to harvest, or that they didn't make it  :-[  Haven't entirely got the hang of remembering to sow later batches of successional seeds yet, either. Maybe this will be the year we get more than one batch of peas or lettuce


Sally

[saddad]

Yes, it's my OCD tendency... in boxes by month of first sowing. Veg, alphabetically then Flowers alphabetically. Successional sowings are returned to the next month after use...  :-X

[sarah]

i too have my seeds in a box with monthly dividers.  i then subdivide into weeks.  i just pop the seeds in the relevent section. if they are for succesional sowing like carrots and lettuce i just move the packet on two or three weeks when i return it to the box.  it should work but i usually get ina pickle with successional sowing somewhere along the way.  :D

[1066]

So how do you all sort them for continues sowing i.e carrots

Neil

Neil
Do you use an online or electronic diary? I use MS Outlook, you can set yourself reminders in the calendar (or obviously in a paper version if you prefer  ;D ). That's what I've done - we'll see if it actually works tho!

[adam apple]

Oh my goodness organising your seeds WOW! that is brilliant. i normally buy them leave them in my van forget i bought them and buy them again, I also seemed to put all over the house so my wife can find them.

[caroline7758]

Yes, it's my OCD tendency... in boxes by month of first sowing. Veg, alphabetically then Flowers alphabetically. Successional sowings are returned to the next month after use...  :-X

Dare I say now I understand your username? ;)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Mine aren't organised at all, they're just shoved randomly into a stack of sweet tins.

[asbean]

Successional sowings are returned to the next month after use...  :-X

Alphabetically, of course  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[saddad]

 ;D Thanks Caroline... next time you come to an open day (plant sale) I'll remember that!!  ;)

Naturally Asbean..  8)

[Deb P]

I do a bit of a combination of things by the looks of it......

I have a small metal four drawer filing cabinet that I keep all my seeds in listed alphabetically by type...Aubergines, Beans broad, beans climbing etc.

I then go through all the packets in January and decide what varieties of each type I'm going to grow that year, and make up a printed list based on my own template I save each year. This gives me about a six page list by type and variety, which I use to review how they do at the end of the season. I use last years list to help me decide what to grow and what not to grow this year.

Having decided what varieties I'm going for, I then put them in a small cheapo expanding file in month by month order of sowing. I have my own week by week calender list that I made up to remind me which week to sow what. I use previous years lists to help me work out my ideal time to plant, from that I have learned not to sow onions and tomatoes too early, and sweetcorn I now sow in May....that's what works for me! ;D  Also sad innit!

[caroline7758]

;D Thanks Caroline... next time you come to an open day (plant sale) I'll remember that!!  ;)

I'm only jealous! ;D
Maybe you could sell seed organising boxes at the open day!

[saddad]

They were cheap boxes from IKEA... (don't use a credit card you'll double the price)  ;D