Seed Organizing Ideas

Since we are now in the doldrums of late fall/winter and all we have to play with are our seeds!  What are your best ideas for seed organization?  I'm sure there are some awesome ideas out there and when I find the perfect one I'll be perfectly organized forever!!!!  Or for the next 3 months anyway  

I saw this idea in a Facebook group this week and am in the process of organizing all my seeds.  This is an old CD organizer that I've repurposed.  I'm also taking them out of unwieldy bags and custom making smaller, new bags from my Foodsaver bag stock.  

I use an old school, grey metal, 2 drawer, 3x5 index card holder.

I haven't had any problems from storing them at room temperature.

Can you show a picture?  I'd love to see how you have it arranged.  Do you simply alphabetize or have another way?

I'm doing one for fall and winter seeds, and one for spring and summer.  I got one done today, the other later this week.

I've used plastic shoe boxes but they always end up a mess!

Dividers are made from poster board.  Organized alphabetically. The thing that makes this better than a shoe box is the adjustable stop at the rear of each drawer.





Since I'm a poor note taker, I keep empty seed packages so I'll have some kind of record of what I've tried planting before.  Right rear drawer has about 4 years worth of empty packages.

I like that CD organizer idea and would try it but I like my seed to keep cool in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator and that won't fit.  
Mine are in baggies, sorted in alphabetical order, lined up like upright soldiers and keeping cool til next spring.

Two (2) plastic containers I had.  Most of the seeds inside are in 2" x 2" mini-Ziplock baggies.  Big seeds (beans, corn, soy, have to make it on their own.  I bought the soy seeds as bulk at a health food store!  I also wash and save the labels!   Every seed pot gets one that follows the plant through harvest. I learned my lesson about trying to remember what is what.

I have a set-up similar to yours, Boffer.  Mine is an old floppy disk holder (the big disks back from the '80's, lol)  I'll have to post a pic.

In addition, I've put the seeds in small plastic bags stapled to the front of the package.  That way, I can see how many I have left...

I keep seeds in little zip lock bags from Hobby Lobby and label those and throw in a few rice grains to absorb any moisture. The little bags are stored in a canning jar in the fridge. The original seed packets are in a container alphabetized and dated.

I have what looks like a child's size plastic shoe box.  I put packets in on edge and in groups of types.  When I am experimenting with lots of varieties of something those seed packets will all be together.  After a couple years when I have settled on some favorites I find something or other to do with the odd ones out.  I have less and less patience for lingering old packets if it is something I am not planting regularly.  The box sits on my desk here.  On the sides is a couple planting time guides for my area.

quiltbea wrote:I like that CD organizer idea and would try it but I like my seed to keep cool in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator and that won't fit.  
Mine are in baggies, sorted in alphabetical order, lined up like upright soldiers and keeping cool til next spring.

We heat and cool our house to a very consistent 68-72 degrees so I've found that so far, no issues with the seeds not germinating well.

I do tend to go through them fairly quickly with as much garden space as I have anyway!

I outgrew my seed filing system and had seeds all over the den. I spent all morning working out a new system in a bigger box. (Please ignore the cat hair.) What do the rest of you do to keep track of seeds? Also, what kind of journal system do you use?

I keep my seed packages in a plastic container/box.  I used a simple Excel spreadsheet last winter/spring to keep track of them.  I need to update the sheet.

CN, I merged your thread with an older one on the same subject. You can view some of the photos others posted. The only difference for me is that I know use 3 Oxyclean containers! A-O, P-Z, Flowers/Herbs

I see I STILL haven't posted a pic of my system... And with these Window 10 issues... Sanderson, I'll TRY to remember to email some to you, along w/ greenhouse pix.

If anyone wants a copy of my spreadsheet, just pm me with your email. I've got it set up for what the package says, what Mel says, info I find on the web or in books on ph, watering, soil type, etc; harvest weight log. Very large, very colorful, quite useful.

audrey.jeanne.roberts wrote:Since we are now in the doldrums of late fall/winter and all we have to play with are our seeds!  What are your best ideas for seed organization?  I'm sure there are some awesome ideas out there and when I find the perfect one I'll be perfectly organized forever!!!!  Or for the next 3 months anyway  

LOLROFL! If we're gonna be this predictable, let's petition our respective governments to make November "International Seed Sorting Month."

AtlantaMarie wrote:If anyone wants a copy of my spreadsheet, just pm me with your email.  I've got it set up for what the package says, what Mel says, info I find on the web or in books on ph, watering, soil type, etc; harvest weight log.  Very large, very colorful, quite useful.

Oooo, I want one!

AM, Yes, you can email your pics to me. My PC seems to be working fine for attached photos.

My husband and I are currently unable to send photos from our iPhones to our respective computers. He has a lap top and I have a PC. I have current photos I want to post in No. Cal but can't right now.

Mine are in 2 small filing boxes for 3x5 index cards.  I categorize mine by when I plant them; early indoors on pads and lights, outside direct, later indoors, later on lights, you get it....by dates.  

Moving through a growing season.  And into fall, with some seeds repeating spots!  Radishes, kale, spinach. You get the drift.  

I use the Notes on my iPad for keeping journals.  I use a historical (SFG 2016) and a planning (SFG 2017 Plans) etc.

countrynaturals wrote:

AtlantaMarie wrote:If anyone wants a copy of my spreadsheet, just pm me with your email.  I've got it set up for what the package says, what Mel says, info I find on the web or in books on ph, watering, soil type, etc; harvest weight log.  Very large, very colorful, quite useful.

Oooo, I want one!

LOL! Just pm me your email.

Me, too--assuming I can figure out how to use Excel.

My commercially purchased seeds are in plastic drawers, and the home-collected seeds are just a mess of mostly labeled credit card solicitation envelopes in a cardboard box. One of the plastic drawers is just the legume seeds because the larger packets of big seeds don't fit nicely with the others. The other drawer is divided so that I don't have to go through the seeds I don't use frequently to get to the ones I do. I don't remember where I came across that method - apologies to the innovator for not giving them credit. The plant-once seeds (tomatoes, melons, cukes, eggplants, okra, etc) are under Summer Vegetables in the back of the drawer, the plant-twice-ish (Spring and Fall: beets, bok choy, broccoli, carrots, etc.) seeds are under Brassicas&Roots, and the succession planting seeds (Lettuce, arugula, mustard, etc) are under Greens in the front of the drawer.  I also have a section for Herb seeds, and one for Flowers. I wish the drawers I'm using were taller - the packets catch, especially the ones I have to fold to fit like Baker's Creek ...but the drawers were free, so.... 


My garden planning and journaling is done using Microsoft Word documents. I have:
 - an inventory of my seeds with the company name, year, #/sq, and additional info like "heat-tolerant!" and "needs light to germinate"
 - a planning grid/table like the ones in the back of the ANSFG book, but tailored for my frost dates and the vegetables I grow
 - a garden map that abuses Word's table function (30x27 grid of colorful squares)
 - a smaller B/W 'blank' version of the map that I can print, scribble on, and take to the garden to either tell me what I'm doing, or use to collect data - the big version has too much going on to use for day-to-day doing
 - a chronologically ordered to-do list
 - a journal for the year

As I do things, I copy and paste from the calendar into the journal, and note any additional accomplishments or observations. Soon I'll have to go through and use this year's journal to create an adjusted calendar for the coming year.

Just saw this on the SFG Foundation Facebook page. I just printed out the black and white DIY seed packet. Now I can store the ziplock baggies from the seed exchange with commercial seed packets.

http://tipnut.com/seed-packets/

I saw where I offered my spreadsheet. Donna, Suz, did I actually ever send it to you? PM me if I didn't....

My method is similar to Beetles. I use an old floppy disk holder. Lot's of separators in it. So I've got herbs, peas/beans, fruits, veggies, grains, flowers all separated & alphabetized.

AtlantaMarie wrote:I saw where I offered my spreadsheet.  Donna, Suz, did I actually ever send it to you?  PM me if I didn't....

Yes you did and I love it. Thank you. 

My stuff is categorized by season to plant!  Inside vs outside, etc.