I have been working hard the past couple of weeks trying to organize my seeds. The seed organizer my sister gave me has been a game changer. Everything has a place and everything is in its place. I wish my house was this organized. But while filling out my greenhouse database worksheet I developed a few years ago, (I will share it soon) I found I needed to make a seed variety database. This would cut my work flow time in half. I needed one place I could find a list of all the seeds I own. I thought if this list also included; planting times, depth, when I purchased them and where. I could save even more time. Time is the one thing that is most precious to me. It is one variable in my life that I can’t make more of, nobody can. This database would also create a inventory so reordering of seeds will be a breeze. I can't even count the times I have reordered seed I already have on my fingers and my toes. I know I am not alone. I hope you enjoy these same benefits too.
How to Use the Seed Variety Tracker
Step 1: Gather all you seeds.
Yes, I mean all your seeds. Find all the little nook and crannies you have been storing them in and bring them to your computer. Bring even the seeds you collected yourself or your neighbor may have given you. They all are going to fit in the database.
Step 2: Download my free seed tracker
Step 3: Organize your seed by variety
I am sure there are a lot of you out there that skip this step. But if you are more like me before I got my new organizer, just relax and find a table or piece of floor that you can take over for awhile. Organize all your seed by variety. Put all the Bean seeds together, all the corn seeds together, and so on. You can even go further and place all your different types of bean seeds together. Maybe you have beans that are tall runner bean plants and beans that are short plants or you may have beans that are for shelling and other that aren’t. You decide how you want to organize them. Have Fun! I love hearing all the little seeds crunching and rolling about.
Step 4: Decide how you want to use the seed tracker
This database can be used three different ways. All of us organize differently. Choice one is to sort all your seeds by type. Say you want all vegetable seed on one sheet and all your flower on another sheet. Choice two is to sort by when you plant them. I have a sheet for Spring Planting, Summer Planting, and Fall planting. Choice three is to sort by job. I like this one the best because when I sit down to make my planting plan I can see which I need to start indoors and which I can direct seed. There is probably a way to sort these categories even further inside each sheet. Like grouping all my spring planting in groups of indoor and outdoor. The possibilities are endless. I will Include all these possibilities in the mini course video.
Step 5: Fill in the database
Here is the step by step instructions.
Everything your going to need to filling in this database will be found on the back of your seed packets. The name and all the seeds details.
Lets get started!
Example 1: Lets begin by sorting our seeds by type. Open the sheet named Vegetables.
In this sheet you will see a list of vegetable varieties listed on the far left. The next row is where you will find the seed name. I have left space for 5 different seeds for each type. So lets start with beans. I am going to look at the seed packet and type the name in the “Name” column. Next I am going to put my seed count into the “Amount” column. You can do this one of two ways; you could put in how many total packets or how many total seeds you have. I like to put in the total seeds because that is how the Spreadsheet from (the Urban Farmer), I share in (Seeds and more then just a Gardener) Post, tells me how many I need for the year.
Next column is the “Date Ordered” column. Here you type in the date you ordered the seed. If you don’t know the exact date you can just but in the year. I just included this feature because I have seeds in my collection that I can’t remember when I ordered them and I told myself I need to keep track of this so if I use them and they don’t germinate well I know why.
The next 8 column include a drop down list that will make entering the data a breeze. Here is how. Each cell when you click on it will have small square with a little arrow in it. When you click on the arrow a list of the most common data for each category will open. All you will need to do is look at your seed packet and find the data and click the data. I told you this was going to be easy peasy. More detailed instruction are included in the video below.
The “Produce” and “Purchase Location” column are where you can record where you got this seed packet. I like this feature because it will make reordering of the seed type a cinch next year. Then I can focus on all the new seeds I want to order. Next is the “Date Planted” column. You can also fill this in two ways; you can put the exact date or just the year you used them. Putting in the year works the best for me because I have another database that I put my exact planting dates in. The last two columns are for your notes.
Example 2: The next way to sort your seeds in this database is by planting time. Here you would need to read each seed packet and sort them by when is the best time to plant them. Here is an example:
Olympia Spinach
Spinach is a supper cold-hardy and can be planted in very early spring or fall, or winter in mild areas.
So this seed could be use in spring and fall. You can chose which to put it or put it on both sheets, your choice. Some varieties will state if they are better for spring or fall. You can also use the Spring and Fall Calculators from the Urban Farmer. It has a great list of plant you could plant in Spring or Fall.
After you have sorted them accordingly you will use the Spring Planting Sheet and Fall Planting Sheet and follow the same instructions above to fill in the sheets.
Example 3: Here you will sort your seeds by the ones you will need to start indoors and the ones you will direct seed in your garden. I use these two sheets because this takes out a extra step in filling in my indoor and outdoor calendars. (I will share all of my databases in this Seed and more Seeds Series)
Remember don't let the world hold you back. Pray, Just Plant!
Grab Your Own Seed Tracker!
Seeds and More Seeds Series
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