How do you store all your seeds?

[FuckYouChrisAndThatHorse]

It’s that time of year when I pack away my seed trays and fill a cardboard box with all the seeds I’ve collected or not used yet, but it’s suddenly occurred to me that there must be a better way!

Is there some ingenious box for storing all seeds by month or type? I have far too many and I always end up getting to the bottom in July only to find things I should have planted in April.

Please tell me there’s a secret MN box that everyone but me knows about. I will be eternally grateful. I don’t have a shed dry enough to store them and I’d love to feel organised for once.

Hi, i have been thinking exactly the same thing about my seeds
I have a seed tin but am thinking of getting some little envelopes so i can write the date and plant name on. Atm there are different sorts all jumbled up in there!

My DHs payslips come in the perfect size envelope for storing seeds, then they go in an old biscuit tin.

Sounds like similar set up. Good to know I haven’t missed out on some secret gardener’s set up!

My brother had a small beer fridge which is now my seed store in my garage. The seeds are in envelopes, in ice-cream tubs.

Biscuit tin in a total messy mix up that I should be ashamed of! Must read your replies.....and learn!

I’m learning that at least I should have a nice tin for all my mess

Ooh ooh ooh, I've just implemented a great system after being frustrated by my giant, impossible to use box of seeds.

Seeds I have harvested are put into tiny credit card sized envelopes and labeled, but most of mine are bought seeds in packets.

I then made a spreadsheet with each packet of seeds in it, the months they can be sowed, the date the packet goes out of date and the family the seed is in (e.g. brassicas, beans etc).

I then sorted my seeds alphabetically and put them into A4 document folders of something like a-d, e-i, j-r and s-z so I can always find the ones I need.

It's been like that a month and it's brilliant so far!

I have several methods.

This year I sowed whole packets of old seeds and if they grew I picked the best 10 and composted the rest.

So I've slimmed down my seeds considerably this year. I have ended up with loads of crops as a result though. More beetroot than it was ever necessary to have.

I still have tons though.

I have a really useful box A4 deep for the tomatoes, peppers, chillis, squashes etc. I have one for flowers and herbs. And one for beans, peas etc. And I have another A4 shallow box for all the 'seeds I am sowing now'. Which is full of all the things that can be sown in September for a winter crop.

I have loads of trays and old ice cream tins around at the moment full of seeds saved this year. Most of these will go back to the Heritage Seed Library sometime soon as they are all harvested and dried.

I regularly have to collect all my seeds as they end up in bags and aprons depending on what I wore to the allotment as I grab stuff from the 'current' box when i visit the allotment.

I find having the one slimmed down box for 'current' stuff really helps organise it all.

Narrow Tupperware box.
I label each seed envelope/sachet with the months it can be sown. Store them earliest to latest with a scrap of cardboard between each month.
Once I’ve sown a March/April/May packet in March I slot it amongst the April seeds etc.
Lid on,Tupperware in back of the fridge (I’ve found this really improved longevity of seeds and germination rates)

You are all brilliant. I’m loving the spreadsheet idea too! I’ve spent today sorting through what I have and putting the seeds I’ve collected in packets. I will get organised!