Another Category for Our Spreadsheets???

I thought it might be helpful to add another category to our spreadsheets. The 'Name of the Seed Company', where you purchased your seeds from might be helpful for future purchases. Some of you might already have thought of this, but it just occurred to me! Any thoughts on this???

Yes, I have a column "From" for either a trade, nursery, gift or whatever.

That's great, KatyMac. I need to add another column to my spreadsheet. When it is from a nursery, do you list the name or give a website reference?

Just the name usually although I have used hyperlinks for some special/unique items.

Good idea with the hyperlinks. Thanks!

I just started my seed database this morning. and I included a field for the source of the seed (nursery, friend, saved from my garden etc.). It's not exactly a spreadsheet. I have database software that I bought for keeping a plant inventory and you can add other databases easily, so I set up one for seeds today. also the date when I acquired the seed.

grampapa: You're two steps ahead of me! I was going to use the Excel template from last year & add a new column with source of seed. Whichever program or database you have to keep track of all your wintersowing information will be extremely helpful.

I use Acess and have a table just for Seed Companies.

Anita: You're so organized!

Our spreadsheets or databases just keep growing & get more thorough each time we input data. Always something new to add.

Thanks Shirley - it keeps me busy once the Holidays are over.

That's why wintersowing is the best cure for the 'winter time blues'! Most gardeners dread the long cold months of Winter, but NOT wintersowers! We love it!!!

What columms is everyone using on their excel spreadsheets?

My spreadsheet serves two functions for me, WS germination info and plant specs for planting out. I'm new to gardening and needed a way to make designing my new beds a little easier. Here are the columns I use:

germination related:
Plant Name
Latin Name
Common Name
Image
Seeds source - Trade, vendor name, etc.
Germination specs - I use Tom Clothier's database
Seeds Depth - surface, thin, cover, etc.
Month to Sow
A P B - annual, perennial, biennial
Date Sown
Date Germinated

Plant specs for planting out:
Plant height
under 1ft.
1-2 ft.
2-3ft.
3-4ft.
over 4ft.
Bloom period
spring
E
M
L
ummer
E
M
L
fall
E
M
L
Light requirements
full sun
sun to part shade
light shade
partial to full shade
full shade
Bloom color
red to orange
blue and purple
white
pink
yellow
grown for foliage
notes

Here is a screenshot of the spreadsheet (I couldn't fit it all in)

Joanne

Here is the other half

Joanne

Joanne, very nice! you've got 2 whole databases covered there from my point of view. I have a plant tracking db where I keep info on all the plants I actually have in the ground. Then, as I said earlier, I have set one up for the wintersowing. I may expand a bit to include indoor sowing and add a category for indoor, wintersown, direct sown, etc. Maybe even other propagation, as I have rose cuttings rooting and other propagation methods.

Plant name
Latin name
Plant type (annual, perennial, shrub, deciduous tree, conifer, etc)
Seed source (Seed company, name of DG member or other friend, self-collected, etc)
Year of seed origin, if known
Amount/# of seed available
Date sown
# of seed sown
germination rate
image

gram ~a girl~

What database program do you use Gram? I've been thinking about creating something for my existing plants to help with pruning, deadheading, etc. An actual database may be a lot easier than using a spreadsheet. I also love your idea of adding other propagation methods. Keeping track of cuttings would be much simpler!

Joanne

Joanne, I have Garden Organizer Deluxe from PrimaSoft. It's very easy to set up a new database. I used their basic one for most of my plants, but added fields and rearranged some things. I have added a separate one for orchids, this one for seeds, one for house plants and one for birds. I could probably do something more customizeable in Microsoft Access, but I'm too lazy and this is faster (I'm a programmer). You can add as many pages as you want and as many images as you want, although they recommend that you keep the images as external links.

I'll see if I can add a screen shot later.

here's a shot of what I have for some begonia seeds I got from Park's (on sale, of course)

this is the first page. there are additional pages for notes on germination and planting. then if the plant takes a permanent (?) place in the garden, I would put it in my plant database. the left side is a list of all the seeds...you can sort any way you want. if it's a large database, you can divide it into letter tabs

gram

Gram - Very nice! I will have to look for it after the holidays and get my plants organized. Thanks!

Joanne

cool grams - looks like an Access type of DB program. The only thing I haven't figured out how to do correctly is attach a photo. Instead I post it on my website and hyperlink to it.

Anita, most db programs are similar. like I said, too lazy to write my own...it's too much like work

I'm just curious how many seed packets you guys are working with. At last count, I had about 500. Trying to track all that info that you guys do would be a colossal investment of time for me, especially since I kind of know them by heart. Keeping them sorted by type in baggies & then stacked upright in little cardboard bins is about as high tech as it gets around here.

summerkid:

This was my comment in the "sticky", first thread in this forum. Please read it over many, many times.....In May '06 I wrote the following, "I WSed 180 containers this year. I'll never have time to plant them all out before the weather turns really hot. I plan to sow LESS next year!! Please keep reminding me in case I forget!!!"

I've STILL have been planting out my WS plants this month - had an incredible warm up in mid-to-late Dec. 500 seeds.......you'll be planting out until 'the end of time'!

summerkid, you must be a kid if you know 500 seed packets by heart LOL if I pick up one pack and put another one down, I forget what I was just looking at. If I didn't have it recorded somehow I'd have no idea what I have.

Shirley, luckily enough I don't HAVE 180 containers. It's my first year and I'm going to have to be selective about what I sow. We should all get together once a day now that winter solstice is here and repeat your mantra...don't sow more than you can plant...don't sow more than you can plant.

I could barely keep up with 180 containers.....gave lots away!

Excellent mantra....'don't sow more than you can plant'. In fact, that very wise advice should not be hidden deep in a thread. It's too important!!! Gram, would you start a new thread with that mantra....pleassse! :~)

but ... but, theoretically, you could plant a bafrillion number of plants if you just kept at it!

This is discouraging... I have about 300 varieties of seeds I want to WS this year. I never gave a thought to how I was going to get it all planted out. I might have to hire the teen next door to help. I really need to rethink my plans!!

Joanne

Joanne, not a bad idea at all. You also need to think about where all the plants are going to go. Wish I could get a teenager. My granddaughers work, darnit. even the 12yo has a regular after school babysitting job. maybe by summer I can get some time from them. my neighbors kids are too young.

Gram, we bought 5 acres last year that needs landscaping desperately. There were a few shrubs and tons of yucca, which I've been trying to get rid of with no luck. Never plant yucca unless you want it forever!! Space to plant isn't an issue as much as actually creating new beds for the seedlings. We've managed to make a few lasagna beds this fall and hope to get more done in the spring.

We discussed making a big nursery bed that can hold the plants until each new bed is ready but that would mean planting each seedling twice. The real plus for that would be allowing the plants to mature and seeing which ones I really like.

Either way, I need to whittle my WS list down a bit to make it a little more manageable. Easier said than done, lol.

Joanne

summerkid: but you could sow all 500 seeds and still give half of them away to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, other compulsive gardeners who have to have every plant they see, yard sales (literally), the mailman, the newspaper delivery boy, or complete strangers on the street (guess they wouldn't be strangers once you said hello & gave them some plants).

netwiz: 300 seeds....you're doing great! That's 200 less than summerkid! Your list is dwindling rapidly!! :~0 Definitely rent the kid(s) next door. Bribery works too! With 5 acres to plant, you might want to recruit a few 'extras'.

gram: 'my neighbors kids are too young' - that's good! Get them before they get a real paying job!! One needs all the hands they can get! It helps to save the 'wear & tear' on your back too.

You are quite the enabler Shirley!! I like the idea of recruiting a few neighbors and paying with plants. Heck, with all that help I could even go ahead and order the 100 or so seeds I still have on my wish list. Hardyplants.com has been calling my name....

Joanne

(groan) oh,no...joanne has given me a new website to look at.......help.....me..............

I have been reading about wintersowing and wanting to try it. You guys sound as bad as our daylily bunch! Plants can be so addictive! If anyone has a few extras to send out, I can repay the postage. I know I want to try coleus, impatients, white marigolds, something that makes a good hanging basket, the newer coneflowers and a few tomatoes. I had a outdoor seed bed last year but the grass almost took it! This sounds much better. Dmail me please.
Thanks,
Merry Christmas everyone!
Teresa in KY

Oops, sorry Gram! I've heard they have good germination and they definitely have a great selection. The rating on Garden Watchdog could be better but I noticed 2 of the 3 negatives are from 2004. They have things I just can't resist! The kicker for me was when I learned that they moisture pack seeds that need to stay fresh. I think I'm just hopeless, lol.

Joanne

"You are quite the enabler Shirley!!"....guilty as charged!

"I could even go ahead and order the 100 or so seeds I still have on my wish list. Hardyplants.com has been calling my name...." Been there done that....I'm getting guiltier by the minute! It was calling my name too. Gram, you won't be able to resist....

you know, I think I actually can. I've already ordered from Park's, seedman.com & T's Flowers. Not to mention almost every single person on DG who posted a pic of a plant that I admired sent me seeds for it. Not that there aren't more plants that I want, but I won't have places for them this spring, probably not even by fall. So I'd rather wait and get the seed fresh when I'm ready.

how's that for sensible? I'm learning my limitations the hard way in my old age LOL

gram

I never heard of "T's Flowers", but don't tell me because then I'll have to look! You definitely are being sensible. The old saying is so true, "with age comes wisdom"!

i ordered from thompson & morgan, territorial, pinetree, totally tomatoes, valuseeds, seedman, vermont bean, johnny's, seymour's ... and many others, i'm sure!

but shoot, let's see ... typing ... double-u, double-u, double-u hardy ...

summerkid, just curious. how many things are you planning on wintersowing? you sound like you have TONS of energy. I know you have oodles of seeds.

Grampapa, it's totally the opposite. I'm a procrastinator & kind of a screw-up in some ways. That's why I go overboard with seeds --- they are all about potential & the future, the promise that next summer WILL be good!