How do you organise your seeds?

[Thelma Sanders]

I have an old metal suitcase, with rectangular icecream tubs for each type (peas, beans, brassicas etc) at the beginning of each month I take out the seeds that need sowing and put them in the this month icecream tub
After they're sown they go back in the suitcase.

[vixylix]

My seed tin is organised by months - I've (so far) found it much easier to be organised. So at the start of the month I know I need to sow x,y,z - any that I put off or that fail or that need repeat sowings then goes into the next month.

This has worked really well for me for January and February - I'll see how well it works when things get a bit crazier in March and April

[Grumpy Gardener]

I make up a spreadsheet over the xmas period sorted by weeks of the year with columns for crop and variety, where to sow(propagator, greenhouse or outside) and propagation temperature.
Sounds a bit of a chore but is an interesting way of passing a couple of hours.
This enables me just to shove all the see packets in a very big box. I can then refer to the spreadsheet every weekend and sort things out for the next week. If conditions aren't right to follow the list then I just put things back a week.
John

[Scoot]

Mine are all just chucked in an old show box in absolutely no order at all. I just have a look at the start of every month and see which ones can go in in that month.

[maverick451]

Mine are all just chucked in an old show box in absolutely no order at all. I just have a look at the start of every month and see which ones can go in in that month.

Same here! although this year I have made a small effort and put a band around all same seeds, i.e all tomato seeds, all chilli seeds

[Dez]

Thnk you!

Many thanks for all your replies. It's interesting to see the complete extreme of sweet tin chaos to spreadsheets! Lots of food for thought. I like the ideas of having a "this week", "next week" or "this month" container as I tend to find time so easily runs away and I miss sowing days and end up with mini pumpkins come October!

Any more ideas welcome.

[Sarico]

I had a great idea when I saw at work my boss with a business card organizer. I bought this business card pouches and some small zip lock. 90%of the seeds packet are small enough to go inside the pouch and I have them in a folder with label. Easy to find everything now but I still need to find what is a better way to organise them.

[Small pumpkin]

My seed tins are sorted into veg, peas & beans, salad leaves, flowers & herbs. within these tin My seeds are sorted into final location ( beds, tubs, tunnel ). Then sorted into sowing month.

[Guest]

You could use a shoe organiser

[Chippy Minton]

I have 2 of those posh organising tins (Christmas presents) that have 4 sections with cardboard dividers by the month. I use one for veg and one for herbs. The seeds are inserted at the earliest sowing month. I can safely say that I might as well use the sweetie tin approach as it hasn't altered my chaotic approach to a chaotic life

However it's a good system as I do get them out and rearrange them occasionally to a later sowing date, and Mrs Minton is happy because they're contained in something that looks nice.

[Gillykat]

I'm terribly disorganised and, for now, just have all my seeds in an old ice cream container I am planning to go through them over the next few days and list what I have and work out the final places on the plot to put them and see if there's any varieties I'm missing (dear god I hope not - my plot is already looking full to bursting!!!). Then I'll probably cobble together some monthly dividers and see if that system works for me. If not I'll try summik else until I find a way that does

I like this idea for a seed box from one of the many blogs I enjoy reading

An Urban Veg Patch: When seeds fail to germinate

[cristalfiona]

Over the winter mine live in ziplock bags in groups as per how I divided them before I knew about brassicas and things - so e.g. salad, leaves, squash, toms + peppers. This weekend they are getting taken out and looked at and all the ones I'll be sowing this year will be separated by first month of sowing and moved into later months if successionally sown or back into the bags for things like squash that only really need doing once.

The ones I'm not sowing will also go back into their bags. This means I don't tend to accidentally dupe things, although I did find radicchio seeds in both leaves and salad - my system isn't yet foolproof

[Lumpy]

I love the fact that I am not the only chaotic grower on the Vine.

[veggiechicken]

Hang on Lumpy, we're still at the chaotic seed organisation stage. Just wait until we're on chaotic growing. Count me in for both

[Lumpy]

Normal for me IS chaotic everything - I have yet to work out where things are going......Oh no I'm running out of time....it's nearly March..............I'll put the kettle on and have a think about things......hang on I recorded Vera so............