If you ’ve been follow me for a while , you recognize that I ’ve hold all my seed packets in ammo cans since almost the offset . They were surplus fundament given to me by a friend in the Coast Guard , and I found them idealistic for semen memory : airtight , watertight , and just the correct sizing to hold packets , envelope , and little bags of source .
interpret more : How Istore garden seed for longevity
At first , I organized all my seeds by industrial plant family , with each ammo can holding two or three families ( such as brassicas and legumes ) . Each family was then further aggroup in spite of appearance ( using composition board dividers ) by industrial plant type , such as kail , sugar , mustard , and so on in the brassica family unit .
Sometimes I succeeded in restrain my seed packets alphabetize or sorted with the older seminal fluid in front , but more often than not , they were just dropped into their mathematical group — in any order — the more seed I accumulated .
Over time , as my collection grow from dozens of source bundle tohundredsof packets , this system got a slight messy . I could n’t easily find what I already had without conk out into the service department , where the ammo cans lived , flipping through the dividers and checking the back of each packet for their packing appointment . And if I need to order fresh germ , I had to drag out all the cans upstairs to my office staff , where my computer was , so I would n’t accidentally double up on seeds .
I had to find a better way
put down : the spreadsheet .
I have it off using spreadsheets , but even more so , I have intercourse usingAirtable , which has been indispensable in my job . It ’s a free , cloud - based platform that ’s like a crossbreed of a spreadsheet with a database , and it allows me to lay in and organize all kinds of data in visually appealing ways .
I ended up creating a seed inventory spreadsheet ( one for veg and herbs , and one for flower ) that lets me see at a glance what I have , how old it is , how much is left , and where it came from .
In the primary horizon of my spreadsheet , I have the variety , case of plant , colour , stock story , packing date , and seminal fluid source . I type in the variety name , but all the rest of the columns are dropdowns from which I can select the appropriate alternative .
In the “ character ” pillar , there are closely 60 unlike type of vegetable and herbaceous plant I can select ; the “ Color ” field contains 13 colour selection ; and the “ root ” tower carry 36 trafficker .
I made a few dissimilar “ persuasion , ” as Airtable call them , which are basically different ways of aggroup the datum I want to see .
For example , I can clack on “ Types ” to sieve the spreadsheet by works eccentric , or chatter on “ Packet Date ” to sort the seed by twelvemonth . I can also screen out by stock level , which give me an instant persuasion of what I ’m running low on . This is the type of information I always need when I ’m about to order more seeded player for the year .
My flower spreadsheet is similar , only it has 46 different types of heyday to select and an “ cosmetic ” or “ comestible ” condition that helps me aggroup all my cultivars with a single click .
I ’m blown away by howimmenselyhelpful this spreadsheet has been this season as I do my seminal fluid stock-take and purchasing ! The stock-take alone used to be a very manual process that required me to spread all my packet boat out on the flooring and check them one by one . ( I wo n’t deny that it was oddly exciting and even therapeutic to do every wintertime / springtime , but it was also very time - consuming . )
Now , I can just pull up my spreadsheet to consider the detail I necessitate without digging through my computer memory containers . It ’s saved me from do impulse buys at the storage , since I can look up my data point ( by log into my Airtable account on my telephone or using the mobile app ) in less than a minute .
And good of all , it ’s exceedingly easy to keep an updated stocktaking of my 350 - plus seed packet . Every time a Modern package arrives from a vendor , I take a few minutes to enter seed information into the spreadsheet before put it away .
It goes tight once I get begin , since all my dropdown option are already delimit . I use the pointer keys and just type in the first duo letters of each option to dwell each field in Airtable , all without clicking and scroll through the dropdown menus .
So what do the ammo cans look like?
I get up my ammo backside a bit differently now , as I no longer categorise seeds by industrial plant kinsfolk .
presently , I put in my seeds in three tooshie . Two of them are pronounce “ A to L ” and “ M to Z. ”
Inside each can , I separate my vegetable seed by plant type ( garden rocket , broccoli , Daucus carota sativa , lettuce , radishes , tomatoes , and so on ) in alphabetic order . They pretty much couple the plant types lean in my spreadsheet . Once I embark Modern seeds into my spreadsheet , I just drop them into the segment of the ammo can they need to go in .
The dividers were made from old plastic file cabinet that I foreshorten to size and label with a marker . ( In my previous organization organisation , I cut up cardboard boxwood to make dividers , so there ’s no need to get fancy here . )
The third ammo can holds all my herb and heyday seeds . The organization is a bit more simple here , in that I only aggroup my packets by herbs , eatable flush , and ornamental flowers ( since I do n’t have that many seeds for each eccentric of industrial plant ) .
This works well for me , and I can easily summate more ammo toilet as my seed collection expand . Each can holds about 75 to 100 - plus package , reckon on how bulky they are . Alphabetizing my seed has really helped me reduce the numeral of derriere I use , since I ’ll take them to capability before I add another can .
Do you want to use this same system for your own seeds?
Because it ’s such a game - changer , I decide to turn my germ inventory spreadsheet into a templet you may imitate and use !
you’re able to get to the precise Airtable spreadsheet I created and work with it as is , or use it as a start point to make a more robust organization ( if you want to get across additional parameters like annual / recurrent or spring / fall seed , for example ) .
If you ’ve never work with Airtable before , it ’s reasonably intuitive ( even if you ’re not swell with Excel).It ’s also 100 percent free to use — you just have to set up an account . ( They do have paid plans for extra feature , but I ’m still on the complimentary plan and you wo n’t need to kick upstairs to employ my cum inventory “ base , ” as Airtable calls its spreadsheets . )
If you ’d rather not use a newfangled chopine , no vexation — my seed stock list spreadsheets are also useable in Google Sheets format !
You ’ll get all the same dropdown selections as with Airtable , and can easy filter each column to group the data however you want .
I ’m offer both adaptation ( Airtable and Google Sheets ) for only $ 9 .
Digitize your seeded player inventory
Get my seed inventory templates
Keep data track of the cum you have , how much is leave , and how sometime they are , and access your stock from anywhere . You ’ll get my custom templates in Airtable and Google Sheets formats — just copy them to your own account .
You ’ll get access to both versions , along with instructions on how to copy the template to your own Airtable or Google account . Once you have them , you ’re free to redact the spreadsheets ( for personal use ) to fit your needs .
remark : My seed stock list templates will NOT make in Excel .
Will this work for smaller seed collections?
Absolutely . Even if I only had 50 source packet to keep track of , it ’s really squeamish not need to pull out my entrepot container just to discover out how many pea plant seeds I have left or what yr I corrupt that ‘ Fordhook Giant ’ Swiss chard .
( Seeds do have a shelf life , and sporadically clearing out sometime seed can spare you time and frustration . Simply press the “ Packet Date ” horizon in Airtable , or filter your Google Sheet to sort out by the “ Packed For ” date , and you ’ll forthwith jazz what your oldest seeds are . )
I hope you find this imagination as utilitarian as I have !
