Starting Seeds With Sticky Notes

There are quite a few details to figure out when you’re setting up your seed planting schedule.

My seed storage box.

Different seeds need different planting times and care and there just seems to be a lot of crazy with small packages of seeds, scribbled notes on scratch paper, or seed planting forms (for some reason they don’t work well for me).

Take the Crazy Out of
Your Planting Schedule

A Simple Tool for a Simple Solution

My solution is sticky notes (sticky notes are awesome).

I just pick up a seed package and look at the planting information. (Let’s use pumpkin seeds as an example.)

It says to plant in full sun after all danger of frost is past. For me, that is May 16th (in a good year). If I want to get a jump start on that, I can start them inside in early May.

THE NEW SEED-STARTERS HANDBOOK

I grab a sticky note (turn it upside down, so the sticky is on the bottom, that way the sticky note can stand up above the envelope like a tab) and write “sow inside early May”. If there are any special considerations I can write those down too to help jog my memory.

Easy peasy.

Setting Them in Order

As I choose seed packages from my box (seeds are usually good for a couple of years) or when they come in the mail, I add a sticky note and put it in order in the box. (The popsicle sticks on the left are for labeling my pots when I start seeds indoors.)

All my ducks seeds are in a row!

Then all I have to do is keep an eye on the top sticky note and plant when it’s time, following the planting instructions on the envelope. Any leftovers go in the back of the box to be considered for next year.

SEED ENVELOPES

The standard envelope size is 3 1/4″ x 4 1/2″. Most seed companies play nice and make something around that size, so it’s easy to organize them in a simple box or basket. If you wind up with a non-standard size envelope you can buy something like the above seed envelopes or make your own.

I keep my collection of seed envelopes in a cardboard box (I’m looking for a cute basket) because seeds need to be saved in something breathable. Well, technically you could store them in something waterproof with a silica pack, but I just tuck mine in a relatively cool, dry place during the off season and call it good. When the seed catalogs start appearing in my mailbox, I pull out the seed box and set it on my desk (so I can look through my existing seeds, make garden plans, and dream of spring).

A box of seeds with sticky notes and a garden journal keep me organized. It’s a simple system and that’s a good thing (hat tip to Martha Stewart).