Seed organizing

[MissS]

Seed organization???

I have a choice between a maelstrom and a tornado filing system. I choose the down and in over the up and out.

You need a secretary.

[wykvlvr]

Yall just had to chatter about this didn't ya.... Started a spreadsheet went nope no way will I be able to find anything in this... learned how to make a database. Made a data base, got all the veggies EXCEPT tomatoes in the database. Got all my flowers in their own database... All the veggies and flowers EXCEPT tomatoes sorted and stored so I can find them easily...
Got storage for the tomato seeds, will start adding to the data base tomorrow...
Friend says did you get my white marigold seeds.... oops three new seed orders later her white marigold seeds have been ordered plus some Runner beans, more marigold, more nasturtiums, and of course more lettuce...

[habitat-gardener]

I've thought about making spreadsheets.

[Rockoe10]

Highly recommended. I just started mine a few weeks ago, and it's already paid for the time to put it together, through the time is saved me just in sharing with friends the information on my seed collection and more easily working out what to send them.

[AZGardener]

I also do the binder method. I alphabetized by basic name squash, tomato, bean, pea etc. Then after the most recent swap since my binders are now 3 and counting I have the corresponding spread sheet. This gives me the deeper info like size, shape, color etc. Works for now. Keeps stuff organized and easy to store for the winter on a shelf in my shed.

I like the idea of adding a binder to correspond with the spreadsheet. I may tackle that myself.
Thanks for the idea.

[Amateurinawe]

I've created my spreadsheet, now how do i get my seeds filed into it ? Can't seem to upload them...

[Gardadore]

Don’t think I could live without my spreadsheets. Years ago I created a master Tomato Seeds I Have sheet which I add to every year and just change the year date in the title. Seeds I no longer have are highlighted in Red. Then I know what I need to order. One column has the colors so I can quickly see what I have if someone requests some orange seeds for example. Under type of variety I have color coded Oxhearts and Cherry to find those easily. As new packets arrive I update the sheet by either notating the new date for a variety I already had or adding the variety. On the computer I put in a new file for the year and put the updated copy in it. I keep the older copies under the older year files. I also make a list of what I am growing each year and where they are planted since I have three garden areas. Helps if I lose a marker!
Also keep spreadsheets of who I gave seedlings to.
By duplicating an old spreadsheet I don’t have to start from scratch creating the new one. Just delete what I no longer want and make any additions.
I do the same for Eggplants.
I also have separate sheets for all other vegetables, another for Flower Seeds and one for Plants I Have. Don’t duplicate those just add new dates to the main sheet. Then I highlight the varieties I am growing this year in blue and change ones I’m not back to black. Doesn’t take much time.
Storage is similar to many of you using Ziploc bags, storage boxes, etc. I gave up on albums as had to move packets if I used up a variety to avoid empty spots. Like the envelope system so may take packets already alphabetized but loose form to keep from losing the little packets under the others!
Great ideas here. Once you get used to using a spreadsheet you will find it to be a very efficient system.

[asmx92]

A very good system.
My knowledge from using a computer is not much.
My system is in my head......

[roper2008]

I am not a very organized person, never have been. This is all the ways I have stored seeds.

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[Gardadore]

Unfortunately my head is getting too old to hold any system! Hence in my case thank goodness for the computer! But whatever system works for you is a good system!

[JRinPA]

THIS is the post I was looking for...I'm starting to get a little nuts here with all the seeds, and I often can't find the ones I want. I was gonna call out Tormato since he has to be the biggest seed librarian I know of. Now I hope to read this thread tonight and find that he posted here already....

[JRinPA]

Seed organization???

I have a choice between a maelstrom and a tornado filing system. I choose the down and in over the up and out.

Uh Oh....

[Shule]

Yeah, the thing about organizing is, once you get stuff out to plant, you have to put things back where you got them, and odds are, they didn't all come from the same place. I think Tormato's method is probably about as effective as any.

[JRinPA]

I basically had a shoebox, sorted by season/type. All lettuce, all spinach, all beets....all peppers, tomatoes...ending with squash and melons. A clip around the bags of each different vegetable. I was saving tomato and pepper seed but that was about it.

Then I got a Tormato special delivery a half decade back. And started buying seed in bulk for my brother and I, peas, corn and such by the pound or 5, large bags. And saving lots of beans, hoping they look true to type. It was about then that the seeds hit the fan. At some point it became a cardboard box, two plastic bins, and a thin aluminum stock pot. Now, bags are strewn everywhere. I find something, it's here and gone in 5 minutes.

Yesterday I couldn't find my wildfire lettuce mix that I used three days back. I sowed the lettuce with radish row markers and parsnips for long term. Then it started raining so I grabbed the seed and ran to keep it dry. Gone now! After searching unsuccessfully, I had to take a break and cool my thoughts and try to find a method, hence the bump here. It dawned on me last night that it might be slipped inside the parsnip bag (brown paper bag with many, many thousands of parsnip seed from a single plant last year) but I just as soon forgot that lead until this minute. So many brown bags of seed... I went and used a different lettuce seed yesterday, anyway, so at this point there is no need to find them right now. Until next time...

Then, last night, I was on Johnny's site looking for germination temp data for red beets. Too many weeds at one spot to go from seed, hard to water daily, so I'll pre-sprout. 86F, says Johnny's. Okay, but then I found a spreadsheet they have for fall crop planting (calculator-planting-dates-fall-harvest-crops.xls on their website), adjusted for day to avg frost. It tells me I still have time for brussel sprouts. A vegetable I have sworn off not once, but twice due to bug infestations. But they taste so good...I relent and look for the packet which I have seen a dozen times this spring. After digging here and there like a December squirrel, I finally found the packet and took it out to plant the tray I had prepared.

There were TWO seeds in it.

And now, I just remembered, that tray was going to be Sarah's Choice Cantaloupe. My brother mentioned cantaloupe last weekend, and I just saw that pack. Another sworn off, this due to striped cucumber beetles wilting the vines. But maybe I can protect it this year... So that tray is still sitting empty of seed. By the time I get to it I'll probably think of something else to put in.

[Tormahto]

THIS is the post I was looking for...I'm starting to get a little nuts here with all the seeds, and I often can't find the ones I want. I was gonna call out Tormato since he has to be the biggest seed librarian I know of. Now I hope to read this thread tonight and find that he posted here already....

I'm of no use to you in looking for a system. All of my seed knowledge is kept in my head. I don't know how (nor question how) I retrieve it, I just do it.

[Tormahto]

I am not a very organized person, never have been. This is all the ways I have stored seeds.

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From my point of view, that is highly organized.

[Amateurinawe]

I'm disorganised. I 'm still learning. I can find my underpants and matching socks now (although do I care unless it's formal wear), but this seed thing - I have a big full seed tin (full thanks to tormato and mmm m and all you folks). I find I have to thumb through everything each week to make sure I try and maximise growing opportunities. I don't have acres, I have aches, brain aches, but I wouldn't change a thing. Now , can I slip in a few more plants in that little gap in the corner of the bed.....

This week, I planted some peas, broad beans and sunflowers in my asparagus bed. I think there is some logic there.

[Tormahto]

I'm an unparalleled expert at finding one sock.

[Seven Bends]

I'm disorganised. I 'm still learning. I can find my underpants and matching socks now.....

If you're matching your socks to your underpants, you're way too organized! If you're just matching your socks to each other, that's probably a good idea. I avoid that problem by buying huge packs of the same gold-toed white cotton socks and wearing them with everything. They all match! Caution: this approach is only suitable for people old enough or odd enough to feel immune to social judgment.

This week, I planted some peas, broad beans and sunflowers in my asparagus bed. I think there is some logic there.

I've been considering sneaking a few eggplant plants into the corner of my asparagus bed because I've nearly run out of room in my plot. So, I see your logic.

[JRinPA]

I did pole beans last year in the corners of the asparagus bed. I thought it worked really well.

But I stopped buying gold toe socks long ago. They used to be made right here in town, we knew a lot of people that worked there. There was a small outlet store also. I miss those good orlon socks... think I grew up wearing a lot of 2nds that were just fine. They moved down to one of the Carolinas, early or mid 90s I guess, and long since moved from there for even cheaper labor, from what I heard. Some people went with the company, but came back later.