Photos of your seed storage system, *please*

Sheesh, I keep outgrowing my seed storing set-ups and I really threw myself over the cliff this Fall with some catalog purchases, followed by the world's biggest swap score. I literally received 100 packets of seeds from Illoquin's cottage garden swap. Please, those of you who are anal-retentive, post your seed boxes here! This chick needs a clean, efficient, and well organized seed box that will hold hundreds of packs .... but, not in a ***pile***. lol

Critter, I'd be willing to bet that you've got a good system, no? Gita?!

good luck setting up...i'm so pathetic that when i move some boxes in my room i'm half expecting seedlings :-)

the other seeds i have are in a child's suitcase that i found at a flea market

a clean, efficient, and well organized seed box- eh? then my picture would be your What Not to Do. I try to sort flowers separate from vegetables, but then herbs go where? then I'm pulling the early ones out and forget/resist refiling them... I'm hopeless.

I use photo albums - the kind with the pockets for 4x6 photos. The seed packets slide in really nicely and I can put them back-to-back so I have 2 per "pocket" or, if I want to be able to see planting instructions on the back, I put 1 per pocket. This way, they stay organized (I have 1 album for perennial seeds, one for annuals, one for veggies, one for herbs) and I can expand as needed. I can also quickly find what I'm looking for.

I sort within the albums differently. The veggies ones I sort by types of veggies, like tomatoes, squash, etc. The perennials one I sort by how early the seeds have to be planted, so the ones at the front are the 12-week early planting (indoors) and as you progress in the album, it gets to those needing less and less early planting. This helps with planting efficiency.

I'm sure it wouldn't work for everyone, but it's fairly cheap and it works for me.

Oh, by the way, large packages of large seeds (like my lima bean seeds) don't fit so well, so I keep a few like that in a clear storage box, but there aren't too many that won't fit.

Claire

I've got good news! Illoquin gave me some examples of how she does things, so I took her idea and ran with it. I just found this container from Linens n Things and scooped it up. It's the last item on the list, and was priced at 17.99 at LnT.
http://www.snapware.com//product_buy.asp?dept%5Fid=2001

Thanks, Claire! I opted against the photo albums - a great idea - because I've got far too many packets, some of which are like your lima beans and are too large.

I'm with CMoxon - I have a 4" 3-ring binder. I bought the baseball card sheet inserts for the smaller packets, and then I bought sheets that have 3 4x6 pockets for the bigger envies.

I found this post (in response to my question to her regarding her method for seed organization) from Illoquin to be very helpful: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=4274915

I have not decided how I want to organize my containers yet. I'm leaning toward Type (perennial, fruit & veg, herbs...), Height, then Color ... I'm just not sure yet.

Wishing you good luck with your seed organization :) You wouldn't want to see my "system" - I'm great at collecting, terrible with organizing them (envelopes, pill containers, etc., etc., etc.) and even worse ever sowing them! LOL

let's borrow a motto from the sewing world- whoever dies with the most unplanted seeds, wins!

Wrightie, if you need more of those containers, I saw them at Lowes yesterday in the Christmas department and they were 25% off. Didn't notice the price.

Sally, I think I'd win, but I'd have to find them all first! LOL

LOL -- Thanks, Hart, but I think that this will more than contain my loot ... for *now*!

You all make me laugh!

I never had a problem with sorting and storing till I joined DG now I'm a hopeless case. After joining 2 round robins last spring I am up to my knees with seeds!

I use glass jars and ziploc baggies -- my main goal is DRY seeds as I keep my house with humidifer on all winter to prevent colds/congestion.

I've got a lot of my seeds sorted into 3 ring binders with clear plastic pocket pages... I know that's not quite what they're called... they're used to store baseball cards, scrapbook supplies, etc (I have them in different configurations with different sized pockets, depending on what I came across at sales and thrift shops -- I'm cheap). I need to do some serious sorting to get my new seeds added in.

I've got the seeds arranged roughly in alphabetical order according to latin name, a decision I don't regret because it's forced me to learn the botanical names that I might not have bothered with otherwise. I do have to look them up again sometimes when I forget what 4 o'clocks or marigolds "really" are!

I also have some divided containers that I'm using for veggie seed packets.... greens and root veggies in one, beans and peas in another, etc.

OMG ... what did I get my self into? Will I be like all of you one day? First bulbs, now winter sowing and I guess next is seed collecting and saving. By the way, how long can you save/keep seeds around?

You're a goner, Michaeljo.

The short answer to the seed question is ... it all depends upon the type of seeds and how you store them (cool, dry, dark place?). Some seeds will keep for many years! Others must be sown while still "fresh" ...

how long? I keep them till there is no possible way they could sprout, like years and years. I treat them like gold dust or something. Even if I think they're dead I might keep the packet so I know I tried them.

About 15 years ago I had a gentleman make me a craft cabinet. It is made of oak and stands about 5 ft. It is about 20 inches wide and has 4 shelves in it. Over the years it has been used for many things. It currently holds my seeds on the top shelf, craft supplies on second shelf and the bottom two shelves hold canned goods and other food stuffs that I buy on sale.

I am in the class of those of you who have unorganized messes. I will attempt to straighten and organize after the holidays. My cleaning lady who does not normally go to the room where the cabinet sets was there last week and took pity of the mess of the food items and straightened those two shelves out very nicely. She didn't even touch the seeds, she knew they were too far gone for her to do anything with.

Thanks for bringing up this topic Wrightie. I now have some good ideas of how to manage better when I get around to sorting through every thing.

Ruby

Just following up with a photo of my "system."

That's such an inspirational photo! I wouldn't dare post mine!

Ditto for me! Now what is ready to bloom to the right of the box?

I took that photo about a month ago, just after I'd finished getting them organized. You'd laugh if you saw things *now*. There are probably fifty packs that have been pulled out and in different piles next to it right now ... waiting for me to document some notes that I want to take.

Those are paperwhites, which have now pooped out and need to be tossed. :)

At least I am in good company with the disarray of my seeds.

Ruby

me too. (hand up)
Last night I was going NUTS looking for a bag of a few kinds of seeds I KNEW I had. Turend up on my sewing table, with a baggie of ornamental grass seed I just snatched less than two weeks ago. So within two weeks. I totally forgot where this bag was.

I am really excited to have employed a Professional Organizer to come to my place and help me get organized. The very first cabinet that we opened yesterday held my stash. I knew that it was a large shelf, but I didn't realize how large until we moved the seeds to a large plastic bin and it was almost full. She was getting ready to begin organizing them and I thought, no way am I paying forty bucks an hour for her to do that for me. So, we ended up just moving the seeds to a bin for now. I will sort, arrange and label later on. I will be using the many tin containers that I have been collecting this year. Now the tins will have two purposes. They look nice and will hold my seed at the same time.

Yesterday was slow going, but I am hoping that since I am paying for this service I will be more motivated to keep things arranged from here on out. The other problem area that was discussed yesterday was the thirty or so houseplants that I have sitting on the floor in two different places. Why had I never thought of buying a baker racks to sit in front of the window to hold these things? Duh Oh well, I ordered two from Overstock yesterday afternoon. They will hopefully open up a lot of space for me.

Do you see a theme? One more thing along these lines is the many, many home decorating and gardening magazines that I have taking up a lot of shelf space. Most of them are being sent away soon. Hmmmm.....Idea just hit me. Some smart person brought lots of books and things to the Plant Swap last June to share. Maybe I will save the gardening ones and do that this year.

So, after I have my seed system set up I will take pictures to show here.

Ruby

Good Golly! Ruby, you ARE serious about getting organized. $40 a hour. Hope you are taking good notes! I like to watch the organizers on TV they have some pretty good advise. Now if I would only get off my duff and get busy. Ha Ha! But I know where everything is in the mess of things.

Chris

I struggl with organizing too. Keep trying to pound in my head- a place for everything etc. I have a couple Martha Stewart magazines that are hanging on cuz she has some great stuff. But I could get lots of ideas by just going to the internet, whenever I really get ready for the ideas.
Old pieces of fabric- waiting for the right use.

Its the illusion that I will be able to make use of all these things one day.....
I did finally toss a bunch of sewing patterns- admitted to self that they were so out of style... same with some decor and craft mags...but garden mags never go out of style..do they?

Yep Chris - I am serious. It is very bothersome to me to have this one space that is basically storage. What I am finding is that I have a lot of my kitchen stuff in there. I do not have much kitchen storage or space. I live in a very small house. When I moved here I didn't realize that both sons would be moving back in at one point or the other. Thought it would be just John, myself and the dogs. Tucker seems to be very comfortable and seems incensed whenever I mention him moving out. ha-ha Yes indeed, that young man has it made here.

I am sort of thinking that maybe the work that needs to be done can be accomplished with her coming maybe once a month to give me booster shot and then during the month I do the work that she points out. Maybe do this a total of three or four times and be done. I hope that is not just wishful thinking. I am very frugal for the most part and hate spending this money, but ten years later I am convinced that I would have never done it on my own.

I plan to spend some time today in the room, continuing where we left off Thursday. I was thinking that the actual organizing and labeling of the seeds is something that I can possibly do while watching TV. Now I just need to remember how to operate my label maker. ha-ha

Have a good weekend everyone.

Ruby

not to butt back in, but
"for the most part and hate spending this money,"
I few years ago I looked at my basement and realized I could throw everything out, and replace it all if ever need be,for a few hundred dollars in my wildest estimate. If I did, I would gain a space the size of two small bedrooms. Or spend multiple thousands of dollars to build a new space. Space is money just like time is. That helped me take a bit of an adversarial approach to the crap. (Who's in charge, it or me?)

I kept most of the crap and we built the space anyway-- I don't think our kids are gonna be really gone any too soon either! and It is a worthy opponent.

Yes, building on is an option too. Whatever I choose is going to cost financially, no getting around it. I fell thankful that is an option, but probably not the one to be chosen here. When I cam in to some money a few years ago the very first thing that I purchased was a storage shed. That will need the help of the professional too. Most of the stuff from spare bedroom can go out there or either to charity.

My opponent here is my mind and whatever the thinking is that urges me to keep things. I have performed clean sweeps in the past but for some reason things move back in rather quickly to replace any empty space. I am hoping to get it under control this time and break whatever that chain is that keep me imprisoned with what boils down to being clutter.

"Please release me, let me go." Author - Some Country Crooner of Days Gone By. hahahahaha

Ruby