My Seed Saving & Organization
Ok, my seed inventory method. Has to include a wee tad of history so it doesn’t look like I’m excessively OCD. Back in the day Shirely Siddell would host lots of bay area plant swaps, we both were GW’ers, she worked a biblical garden at her synagogue and set up a non-denominational biblical gardens website (www.biblicalgardens.com). She liked to give free seed away and I’d made my previous property one big garden. So, we’d collect my seed a few times a year and she’d send it out or give it away at her plant talks (the website still says it offers free seed, but Shirley got very ill and I don’t think the web has been kept up for years- it still has great info and links).
To organize - I like file boxes, with file folders and then whatever I put the seed in. It’s very dry here, so I can use paper envelopes. Those of you in humid areas probably need baggies. One box for veggies and herbs - others for flowers. I’ve been in the process of cleaning out, cutting way back and updating my seed library. I used to try to keep an “archive set” after reading they kept one for Monticello and this year’s project is to update my own archive collection of seeds (good idea with the drought). For those I’m trading with, I’m only trading fresh 2016 seed so haven’t offered everything I have seed of.
To organize - I like file boxes, with file folders and then whatever I put the seed in. It’s very dry here, so I can use paper envelopes. Those of you in humid areas probably need baggies. One box for veggies and herbs - others for flowers. I’ve been in the process of cleaning out, cutting way back and updating my seed library. I used to try to keep an “archive set” after reading they kept one for Monticello and this year’s project is to update my own archive collection of seeds (good idea with the drought). For those I’m trading with, I’m only trading fresh 2016 seed so haven’t offered everything I have seed of.
I've used the paper coin envelopes for years #1 size for sharing, #6 and larger for collecting and storing (I have a dry climate so paper is a-ok). Included the small plastic bags some are using now that you can get in the craft stores as they take less room and weight for mailing. If most of your trades are through the mail, they're also a good idea. Staples only happens to be the place I got these - I have a "value pack" of 500 envelopes of the #1 coin size from Office Depot I'm working through and Walmart, Target also carry these.
Q