How To Organize Your Garden Seeds So You Can Find Them Easily

Practical Basics Of Seed Organizing

• Grouping seeds - will you group by plant type (tomato), use (herbs), or something else?

• Label seeds - especially important with home-saved seeds, but equally important when the original seed packet gets damaged

• Record keeping - do you want to use technology such as Excel, or do you prefer pen & paper record keeping?

• Consistent - whichever route you take, ensure it's something that is easy to remember and follow for the long term

While You Can't Garden In The Winter, You Can Shift Focus to Organize Your Seeds!

Winter is a perfect time to organize your seeds and garden tools. For me, organizing my seeds is something I do so I can plan my garden and easily find all my seeds. Having an organized seed collection, no matter the size, ensures you are not purchasing the same variety of seeds.

To begin, you will need something to store your seeds in - I love this case from Michaels Crafts. Then, you will need to think through how to best organize your seeds.

This post will cover how I organized my seeds, and some other brainstorming ideas I had while organizing.

How I Sort My Seeds

I recommend starting by thinking through what types of seeds you have.

Do you have lots of flowers, herbs, veggies, etc.? My seed collection is very diverse, and sorting by "type" such as flowers, herbs, etc. wasn't going to work for me. It would be very frustrating to think if I put my strawberries in herbs or veggies.

Next, I thought through any other sub-categories I may want - beets, carrots, etc.

That made a light go off in my head, and I decided to sort my seeds into cases by beet, carrots, lettuce, etc. I have a few boxes that are "A" or "B" for items I don't have many seed options for. Doing this helps when I'm looking to plant beets - I simply grab the "beet" case and go to the garden. If this is sounding like a way you'd like to organize your seeds, continue reading.

How To Store Seeds

The case linked above is technically for photos, but fits most seed packets perfectly. By labeling each case, I'm able to easily find seeds when I need them. Dessicants can be placed in the cases or the boxes to help with moisture concerns.

What About Seeds That Could Go In More Than One Case?

As I went through and started sorting my seeds, I found I had a few things that didn't belong in the "ABC" order based on the seed packet alone. I thought to myself, "How will you organize your seeds?"

For instances like this, I chose where I would like to keep it, and noted the letter of the case I was going to put the seed packet into so I wouldn't forget.

The other thing I find handy for this situation is having an Excel spreadsheet. My spreadsheet includes my entire seed library. I entered all the information from the packet and any information I could find on the website where I bought the seed.

In addition to the seed packet information, I include the location of the seed—for example, my Tomatoes are in my Tomato case in box 2. This way, when I need my seeds, I can get right to the exact case and get to planting!

How Should I Organize My Garden Seeds?

I believe a good first step in deciding how to organize your seeds is dependent on whether you want a digital record or pen-and-paper record-keeping. Once you've decided on that, you can start determining how to organize the seeds.

For me, I am an Excel nerd, so I rely heavily on Excel. I will take all the information from the seed packet, and sometimes even the website where I purchased and enter it into Excel.

This allows me to get all my seeds documented, and I can easily filter to "partial shade" for fall crops or "start indoors" for when spring comes around. I organize my seeds by plant type (example: tomatoes). This ensures all my tomatoes are in the "T for Tomato" box.

Ultimately, the best organization system for your seeds is one that you can easily follow & use.

What Information Should I Record For Each Seed?

I recommend recording all available information for a seed. Trust me, as your seed library grows, it will get harder and harder to remember the details. Having all the seed packet information, as well as any information from the site you purchased from, is helpful.

My seed library includes a link to the site I purchased from, as well as a general notes column where I can add any notes I have about the seed. In addition, I trade seeds, so I will include the information on who I traded with as the source of the seed.

If you start your seed library when you first start gardening, it will be easier than starting years into gardening.

How will you organize your seeds?