The Funny Farmer: Seed Organization

I have always had a tough time keeping track of my seeds. In the springtime, packets are often lying here and there, leaving me scratching my head and feeling very confused and disorganized. ls this packet from this year or last? I thought I bought cuke seeds, where the heck are they? Oh crap! I found the cuke seeds but now it's September! See the problem, here?

At its extreme, clutter can be diagnosable for its compulsive, addictive and life-interfering consequences. I'm sure you've seen the Dateline specials. On an everyday basis, clutter is a serious challenge for even the average person. I've become a lot better at it out of necessity. With my new system of seed organization, I anticipate that both my garden and my mind will be much more pleasant and productive places to hang out.

Though I'm not tidy person by nature, I really dislike disorganization. When I take the time to organize (or better yet, someone does it for me), I can think more clearly, I lose fewer things, and I don't end up wasting money from lost items. Having purchased a ridiculous amount of seeds this year, I was a little overwhelmed by what needed to be planted when, indoors or outdoors, how long before last frost, days until germination, and so forth. Determined to not waste these precious little embyonic propagaters, I really needed to come up with a system for packet control.

First I found a carboard box that would fit a couple rows of packets. Next I made some "index cards" and created categories including: Veggies, Seed Indoors; Veggies, Direct Seed; Flowers, Seed Indooors; Flowers, Direct Seed; Herbs, Seed Indoors; Herbs, Direct Seed; and Greens.

I divided the packets into the appropriate categories and then divided them further with rubber bands by the number of weeks recommended to plant before the last frost. I wrote those categories on the index cards with the seeds types below. For example, with the 'Flowers, Seed Indoors' index card, I grouped together the flowers that require 10+ weeks before last frost, 8-10 weeks, 6-8 weeks, 4-6 weeks, and 3-4 weeks. See the picture if I'm not expaining myself well.

This next idea I stole from Lina at http://aptgarden.blogspot.com/. As I plant the seeds, I have been placing the packet, empty or with seeds remaining, into a photo album with pockets for 4x6 pictures. I made sure to choose an album that has space beside the packets to write information about when I planted the seeds, how I planted them, when and where I put them outdoors, and any notes on the resulting plants or vegetables.