Organizing seeds

I am right in the middle of winter sowing, and I am dealing with what seems like hundreds of packets of seeds. They are all on a couch and around a couch. Some are grouped in large plastic bags which are not labeled.

Today I went to Office Max and splurged on a hard file box both alphabetical and by month. I am putting almost all of the seeds into the file by alphabetical order. I still have a good number to go, but at least I will have the mess cleaned up and most of the seeds in one place. It is not a perfect system, but I think it will help me a great deal.

Great idea for a thread!

I don't have as many seeds as you do so organizing them is not such a big undertaking for me, but I found a binder with 'baseball card collection' inserts is a nice way to organize the little seed envelopes. And it keeps them 'in view' for me...(I always like things laid out in front of me)!

I bought the pages at Staples on sale...

Oh, and another aspect to organizing the seeds for Wintersowing is to divide them into binder sections for 'mid-winter sowing', 'late winter sowing', 'early spring sowing', and late spring sowing. (sort of like a bill paying folder)

That is, hardy perennials HP, hardy annuals HA, tender annuals TA, are put in the binder by their WS starting dates for my region.

And then I have another section for those seeds I want to start under lights indoors six or eight weeks before last frost.

I'm looking forward to seeing some other ideas....!?!

I have two Sterilite containers (got them on sale at the local grocery store :> ) one for Annuals and one for Perennials. A 5x8 card fits in perfectly to keep the seeds separate, and I've got those labeled A-Z for both containers. I file alphabetically by latin name, and have a separate spreadsheet to keep track of what I REALLY have, and when and how it should be sown. Now then - this is my first year doing seeds, so I'm sure I'll be tweaking this as I gain more experience!

Hi Gloria,

I organize both alphabetically and by month. The seeds I trade with are filed alphabetically, and the ones for my personal use are filed by month to sow.

My trading seeds are filed alphabetically in old tea boxes (with the lids cut off) and are kept inside a photo storage box. I keep the seeds I will be sowing in junk mail return envelopes that I've sealed and then cut off one end of to make a pouch. Each envelope is labeled with the month to sow, and they are kept stored in an antique seed box my husband bought me for my birthday. It works well because I can just go grab February's envelope, and whatever seeds I pull out, I sow. If I don't sow all the seeds, they go into a "to be filed" tea box in my trading storage box.

I also keep a spreadsheet listing all of the seeds that I will be sowing this season. It is kept sorted by whether the seed has been sown or not and then by plant name. I have it set up so that I can filter/select based on the various column values. -Here's a pic:

This message was edited Feb 13, 2008 5:27 PM

Well, I have a large ziplock bag labeled for every week from Jan 1 until April 29. Then I put in only the seeds that are to be started that week. The bags are kept in the bar fridge.

Sorry about the tiny pic. -Hopefully, this is better.

OH heck -- I have got to be the least organized person here seed-wise.
I really need to do something about it ... before Saturday, I only had a few varieties of seeds and pretty much knew where everything was... but now... 200 varieties!! and they are all in a huge [longaberger] 'hostess' basket, and most are back in the Priority Mail box, which is in the basket.

I'm dreading starting WS because it means i have to go into the basket!!

Wow! You ladies are way ahead of me.
I do like the zip lock bags for every week until April 29th as well as all the others. I wouldn't know where to begin with a spread sheet. I am just so darned excited about all the possibilities of winter sowing (which I have done on a very small scale for three years.) Since I am in another house in another (better) zone, I just can't stop sowing and ordering more seeds! I regard this is a semi-harmless obsession.

oooo - Seandor, I really like the idea of a baggie for each week. Does that include your WSing stuff?

I like the week idea too. -I think I'll add more envelopes to my system.

I'm like tobasco - I have the binder with the baseball card inserts (from Walmart). I started with a 1" binder, but now I'm up to a 3"! I've also added inserts with bigger pockets, for the larger seed packets.

Yep, everything goes in the baggie - the indoor stuff and the outdoor stuff. :-)

I KNEW I was saving those baggies from the Piggie Swap for a reason!! Thank you!!

LOL Robin.... i saved all of mine too.

I bet I"ve tried at least 5 different things. Before I joined Daves I only had 3 or 4 different ones so that was no problem. Then I started getting more and more seeds, and started organizing again.
Thanks to all of you for the ideas.

I'm sure all of you figured this out a long time ago, but I got a crafts plastic container from Walmart with several bins and you can make each bin as baog as you like. I put all my "trading stuff in it. Bags sissors, marker etc., so when I'm getting ready to "do up" seeds I don't have to run around looking for stuff

While we're on the topic of organizing seeds I wanted to add this link for DG custom designed Seed Packets that you can print out and put together.

http://davesgarden.com/files/seedpackets/

It's fun to look through them and find just the right one!

Uggggg -- i feel so lost in this mess of baggies.

I am currently out of containers; so it's time to organize.
[I did 14 today, and 11 last night, for a total of 39 containers, most of them milk jugs]

I see and try to get a handle on all these lil packets, and i just don't know where to start... so i was thinking envelopes and alphabetical -- but then, some are written with common name and others scientific name ... so it would all be hodge-podge if i did it that way.

< ===== here is my kitchen table

I'll get it all sorta out... i'm just tired of looking at this mess.

Wow, Tgg, how organized you are. Well, next to my mess.

I know everyone has asked this question, but it's driving me crazy.
Am I supposed to put things in the freezer to save for next year. I keep hearing just keep them dry, then I hear to put them in the freezer or something. Just tell me one more time!!!!
It helps to know what to do before I try to organize them really good

Lorraine, most everyone I know keeps them in a nice dark box in a cool place. (Not the the freezer, or an attic that may be cool now but gets blistering hot in summer, either). I keep mine in a kitchen cupboard that stays fairly cool summer and winter.

My seeds are kept in plastic zip-lock baggies, then in the bar fridge :-)

But you forget I'm in Texas. There are no cool dry places. lol
It's 105 in August so you can't escape the heat, except stand over the air vents. that why I thought of frezer, but couldn't figure out how they wouldn't get some kind of moisture in them
Guess I'll have to build the;m their own little room with an AC
I used to raise and show collie dogs. When one would have a litter,
we had an airconditioned baby room for them. Every one just shook their heads and we could hear "These people are nuts. An airconditioned dog house lol Nobody said that, and no one was surprised. What, let me babies get to hot,

LOL

Well, so a refrigerator would be a good place as Seandor keeps hers. But I think the seeds have to be wrapped to keep the condensed moisture away from them.

I use a refrigerator sometimes too for seeds. And even the freezer once in a while if I know it's a seed that will keep there, but most of the times I keep mine in just a cool dark place inside a box.

I have a closet that stays dark and It actually has an ac vent. It doesn't stay really very cool, but would it work? Last year, I took the few seeds I had and put nails in there and hung the seeds in baggies. Could I do that again and maybe put something inside the baggies to keep it dark?
I put caladiums in there last year and they seem to be fine.......

Well, Lorraine, You will have to judge for yourself. Sounds as good as anyplace else.

Did the seeds you put in there last year germinate for you this season?

Lorraine: Your dark closet with an ac vent sounds like a very good storage place for your seeds. I would also suggest using dessicant packets that will help to absorb any moisture from humidity. You can find these packets in newly bought handbags, shoes and medicine containers.

They did germinate, but I only had a few diff. ones so didn't have too many to plant.

Now, don't tell me I've got to go to everyone I know not only for milk jugs, but now I have to ask them to go through medicine bottles, and stuff. Won't I be the most loved addict in the world