Between the two of us, John and I made quite a large mess of the dining room table- he with his many ongoing art projects and I with my seeds, charts, notebook, pens, and tea. But it was a rather lovely mess, don't you think?
First, I looked at my planting chart to see what needs to be done in January. I have so many things that I want to plant, but I know I had better not get ahead of myself and just focus on this month. I then made my list of what needs to be started now and pulled out my seeds to choose my varieties. I will be trying some new ones this year:
Would you care to see how I store my seeds? I saw this idea floating around on Instagram back when I was active and I was immediately "influenced".
This is actually a photo storage case, meant to hold 4 x 6 photos. Many craft stores carry them, but I ordered mine from Amazon as that was the best price at the time. Always check sales and coupons to find the best deal.
I labeled each small case with my Dymo labeler.
The seed packets fit nicely inside.
This has worked well for me so far, but truth be told, I could use a second one as I have amassed quite the seed collection. When the seed catalog comes in and my gardening husband is just as enthusiastic as I am, we are bound to get into trouble. I think looking at seed catalogs in the winter, or visiting the nursery on a fair spring day, is just like going to the grocery store hungry.
For my bulkier seeds and seeds that I have saved from my garden, I keep them in an old cookie tin. You saw it in the first picture and thought I was cheating on my diet, didn't you? 😉
I have seen some people store their seeds in binders with baseball card holders or in photo albums, which are also good ideas. How do you store your seeds? Have you been thinking about what to plant for spring? I know that is much later for some of you, but it is still fun to dream.
Kelsey, I have the very same set-up for my seed packets and I'm on my third box!!! I have my bulk seeds stored in 'frosting' buckets from a local deli. Your post reminds me that I need to check my January gardening to-do list and get started on that as well. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike, Patsi! 😉 That's a good idea to use a frosting bucket for bulk seeds, as they have the advantage of being airtight and moisture proof. I will keep that in mind since I won't be eating my way through any more cookie tins, haha!
DeleteKelsey, I've been planning this year's garden since before I harvested last year's sweet potatoes.(lol). When my favorite seed company had a sale before the end of last year I purchased seeds. I also save seeds from year to year. A friend of mine who is a horticulturist told me to seal up all my seeds wrapped well and put in a Food Saver bag making the package air tight and to put them in the freezer to extend their life. That is how I now store my seeds. I have one raised bed and many containers so sometimes a packet of seeds has more than I need, so this is a great way to keep them fresh. Cookie
ReplyDeleteCookie, I don't think it's ever too early to start planning, especially with the way things are these days. It sounds like you have a very good system for storing your seeds and extending their viability. How wonderful to have a horticulturalist friend, too!
DeleteKelsey, I see you have the same pen/pencil holder that I do 😉 (Love mason jars for everything). I'm in the planning stage and counting down to my last frost day. So glad you are blogging again. Cindy (in Alabama).
ReplyDeleteCindy, mason jars are good for so many things, aren't they? It's fun to plan in anticipation of that last frost. Thank you so much for visiting and commenting!
DeleteYou and I are just alike in having so many seeds...and from my favorite company, Baker Creek, too! I love this idea for storing seeds! I have tried arranging my seeds in jars to no avail...they remain a disorderly mess each year when I try sorting through them. I am excited at this idea, and am going to be on the lookout for a photo storage case like this now! Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found this helpful! I'm really pleased with how well the system is working for me. It makes it so easy to find what I'm looking for. As you know, seed collections can easily get out of hand!
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI haven't any seeds to store, but I love your storage case! :)
I thought about the photo or postcard album solution, but it seems it has been thought about already!
Have you thought about an accordeon file? Like his one: https://www.amazon.com/Accordian-Organizer-Expanding-Expandable-Organize/dp/B082QPGLFX
You could use the labels with the names of the vegetables/fruits..