When I came to take the photo I thought there didn’t look as many packets as previous years – and then I found a big batch from PoD hiding in the cupboard that I had missed!
Certainly – it is not a spreadsheet…just a record of my sowing (and germination, pricking out, etc from last year) to help me put the seeds in month order!
At the moment I am not expecting to buy any more but I am sure there will be things I have ‘forgotten’ or am tempted by…. Most things were ordered by November or so, after checking out what I had already got and what was still likely to be viable. I have just got in touch with Plants of Distinction today after finding out some of the seeds I had from them are over a year old…
Yes, they were packed in October 2020 and best by Oct 2022 which is far from satisfactory when you you are paying full price for what you expect to be fresh seed. I will be interested to hear their response… And you are quite right about us gardeners easily blaming ourselves when it can be the seed or compost or other factors
Fortunately not a spreadsheet, but I do keep records of all my sowing and pricking out, etc, as I find it really helps in following years…I am not that good at at noting down when they flower though…! Is there a name I can call you in these comments? I checked to see if you had a blog but it doesn’t seem to exist any more… Have fun sorting through yours when they arrive 👍
Hi Cathy, I am Sue. I began a blog called Coppicelearner but at the time my iPad would not talk nicely to WordPress so I gave up. Now I have a laptop and blog as Going Batty in Wales and Going Batty in the Woods.
Well hello Sue – should have asked you earlier, I suppose! 😉 I checked out the coppicelearner blog and didn’t think to see if there was one called Going Batty in Wales…
I am not surprised. One day I will have time and energy to work out how to change my ‘official’ name in WordPress but the site rarely makes such things easy and I have so many more fun things to do!. I hope you enjoy the @Going Batty’ blogs.
Need to do this too! Shame my sheet never seems to get beyond the ‘date sown’ column. It is managing the pricking out and potting on that I’m bad at … especially the potting on.
That was the most vluable lesson I learned once I started serious seed sowing, how inportant it was was to prick out and pot on – prior to that I might just have thinned out seeds in a seed tray and left it that, which was why the resuts were not vey good. Now I sow in quarter seed trays, prick out into 12-cell trays and pot on into 6-cell trays
I love that leaf and the control of planting, germination, etc … So you have such wonderful plants in the garden Cathy, because of how you plan them: you leave nothing to chance. So you have a fabulous garden full of flowers all year round. Take good care of the golfer and you. Very affectionate greetings from Margarita.
I did a general sort out in the autumn to see waht was left and what I needed, so this sort out was putting things in month order, which is why I was referring to last year’s records
Rambling in the Garden 
I did the same yesterday Cathy, as I had lost track of what I had. And I have decided I need Zinnia seeds…. 😉
When I came to take the photo I thought there didn’t look as many packets as previous years – and then I found a big batch from PoD hiding in the cupboard that I had missed!
And yes, do get zinnias!!
Ordered today! 😉
Please tell me that is not a spread sheet..
Certainly – it is not a spreadsheet…just a record of my sowing (and germination, pricking out, etc from last year) to help me put the seeds in month order!
Yay 😁
Looks like some serious planning with that spreadsheet ! I hope we have a great summer season.
Not a spreadsheet John, just my sowing record from last year which reminds me when I sow things and how long germination, etc usually is
Either way you are keeping track. Good luck with the garden !
It is that time of year Cathy, I still end up ordering too many, Oh temptation!
At the moment I am not expecting to buy any more but I am sure there will be things I have ‘forgotten’ or am tempted by…. Most things were ordered by November or so, after checking out what I had already got and what was still likely to be viable. I have just got in touch with Plants of Distinction today after finding out some of the seeds I had from them are over a year old…
That is not very good, Cathy. We blame ourselves when we have poor germination but the viability of the seed is very important.
Yes, they were packed in October 2020 and best by Oct 2022 which is far from satisfactory when you you are paying full price for what you expect to be fresh seed. I will be interested to hear their response… And you are quite right about us gardeners easily blaming ourselves when it can be the seed or compost or other factors
I put my seed order in yesterday so I will be about the same task soon. But I am not as organised as you are – no spreadsheets or plans for me.
Fortunately not a spreadsheet, but I do keep records of all my sowing and pricking out, etc, as I find it really helps in following years…I am not that good at at noting down when they flower though…! Is there a name I can call you in these comments? I checked to see if you had a blog but it doesn’t seem to exist any more… Have fun sorting through yours when they arrive 👍
Hi Cathy, I am Sue. I began a blog called Coppicelearner but at the time my iPad would not talk nicely to WordPress so I gave up. Now I have a laptop and blog as Going Batty in Wales and Going Batty in the Woods.
Well hello Sue – should have asked you earlier, I suppose! 😉 I checked out the coppicelearner blog and didn’t think to see if there was one called Going Batty in Wales…
I am not surprised. One day I will have time and energy to work out how to change my ‘official’ name in WordPress but the site rarely makes such things easy and I have so many more fun things to do!. I hope you enjoy the @Going Batty’ blogs.
Yes, adjusting to any changes they have made over the years has not always been an intuitive process!
Need to do this too! Shame my sheet never seems to get beyond the ‘date sown’ column. It is managing the pricking out and potting on that I’m bad at … especially the potting on.
That was the most vluable lesson I learned once I started serious seed sowing, how inportant it was was to prick out and pot on – prior to that I might just have thinned out seeds in a seed tray and left it that, which was why the resuts were not vey good. Now I sow in quarter seed trays, prick out into 12-cell trays and pot on into 6-cell trays
I love that leaf and the control of planting, germination, etc … So you have such wonderful plants in the garden Cathy, because of how you plan them: you leave nothing to chance. So you have a fabulous garden full of flowers all year round. Take good care of the golfer and you. Very affectionate greetings from Margarita.
It certainly does help me, keeping records like this
You must be having fun 😀
I did a general sort out in the autumn to see waht was left and what I needed, so this sort out was putting things in month order, which is why I was referring to last year’s records