How to Sort Your Seeds & Make A Seeding Starting Calendar

Well hello long lost friends! It’s been a while since you last heard from us, as we took a much needed winter break from all the things farming (including the website). Break or no break, we have been hard at work on our newest CSA or farmshare offerings, with some VERY exciting new additions. We are going with a great, mix and match model to help people customize their weekly share with exactly what they want. This includes flowers, fresh tea and herbs, locally grown mushrooms and even pastured chicken (new this year!). If you’re local and haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to do so. Spots are very limited.

https://oakandashfarm.com/our-shares/

While we have been taking a break from farming, really a farmer’s work is never done. The past few months are generally dedicated to planning for the coming season; ordering seeds, plants and trees. Ordering chicks to add to our laying flock, ordering meat birds to be run through our silvo pasture etc.

One of the hardest jobs ANY farmer or even home gardener has, is determining which seeds to order for the coming growing season. Armed with stunning color catalogs and a selective memory of the amount of work involved, it’s easy to go a little crazy. So when that box of seeds arrives it’s east to find yourself quickly overwhelmed with dozens of seed packets to sort through.

Well friends, I’m here to help you sort through the fruits of your overactive gardening imagination! While MANY other (much more famous) youtube gardners have highlighted this seed organizing system, I’m here to take it a step further. The real KEY to a successful growing season, is organization and planning. Taking a few extra moments in the beginning, and it will save you HOURS later on.

I show you how to use my method for both organizing your seeds and writing our your seeding starting schedule in the video below, but I am also thrilled to share this free seed starting planner with you! Simply fill in the information on each line and each page for the corresponding week. You can also print this out and keep it a gardening binder (like I do) for easy reference later on.

What planting or USDA Hardiness zone are you in?

This is invaluable information that you should always have before you purchase seeds and especially plants. You can find your zone at https://garden.org/nga/zipzone

What is your last (and first) frost date?

This is very important for the next step, which will have you filling in your planner, by counting back the weeks from your first frost date. You’ll simply need a calendar for this. While there are many calculators online that have you type in your zip code, I find this chart to be a little easier to use and more accurate.

Items You’ll Need for this project:

• Picture storage boxes

While you can use any you find, you want something like these. Keep in mind the amount of seeds and varieties you have. I need two boxes and could, in all honesty, probably use a 3rd just for my flowers and herbs. You can purchase these on amazon here. They are also sometimes on sale at Michael’s stores and Joanne Fabric.

• My free seed starting calendar template, or lined paper

• Your seeds!

• Optional
• The catalog you ordered from a website
• A binder and 3 hole puncher
• Rubber bands

That’s it! I hope you find this video helpful, and that it arms you with the confidence to go on out there and tackle that massive pile of seed packets today!

As always,
Cheers, Prost & Slainte Mhath

Lindsey