If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’ve put all my seed packets in the ammunition can almost from the start. They were surplus cans given me by a Coast Guard friend and I found them to be perfect for storing seeds: airtight, watertight, and just the right size to hold packets, envelopes, small seed bags.
Read more: How to save garden seeds for longevity
Initially, all seeds were organized in the family of plant, allowing each ammunition to hold two or three families (such as brassicas and legumes). Each family was then further grouped (using cardboard sorting) by plant type, including kale, cabbage, and mustard, of the Brassica family.
Sometimes I managed to alphabetically or sort my seed packets with the oldest seeds before, but in many cases they were dropped into groups of more seeds than I’ve accumulated.
Over time, this system became a bit messy as my collection grew from dozens of seed packets to hundreds. There was an ammunition can living there and I couldn’t easily find what I already had without flipping through the dividers and checking the back of each packet on the packaging date. And if I had to order new seeds, I had to drag all the cans into the office to my office where my computer is, so I didn’t accidentally double the seeds.
I had to find a better way
Input: Spreadsheet.
I love using spreadsheets, but what’s more, I love using AirTable, which is essential in my business. It is a free, cloud-based platform like a cross of spreadsheets with databases, allowing you to store and organize all kinds of data in a visually appealing way.
I ended up creating a seed stock spreadsheet (for vegetables and herbs, the other for flowers) that lets me see at a glance what I have, how old it is, what remains, and where it came from.
The main views on my spreadsheet include diversity, plant type, color, stock level, packaging date, and seed source. Enter a variety name, but all remaining columns are in the dropdown, from which you can select the appropriate option.
The Type column offers a selection of nearly 60 different vegetables and herbs. The Color field contains 13 color options. The Source column contains 36 vendors.
I’ve created several different “views” as AirTable calls. This is basically a different way of grouping the data I want to see.
For example, you can click Type to sort the spreadsheet by plant type, or click Packet Date to sort seeds by year. You can also sort by stock level. This is the type of information I always need when I’m trying to order more seeds this year.
My flower spreadsheet is similar, but I have 46 flowers to choose from, as well as “Ornamental” or “Edible” statuses that help me group all my cultivars together in a single click.
As I buy and buy seed inventory, I am amazed at how extremely useful this spreadsheet is this season! Inventory alone was a very manual process that required all the packets to be spread across the floor and checked one by one. (I don’t deny that doing every winter/spring is oddly exciting and even therapeutic, but it took a lot of time.)
Now you can pull up the spreadsheet to see the required details without digging into the storage container. I was unable to purchase Impulse in the store because I could look up my data within a minute (by logging in to my phone’s AirTable account or using the mobile app).
And most of all, it’s very easy to maintain an up-to-date inventory of over 350 seed packets. Every time a new package arrives from the vendor, I take a few minutes and enter the seed info into a spreadsheet before cleaning it up.
All dropdown options are already defined, so it’s faster when you start. Use the arrow keys to enter the first couple letters for each option and enter them into each field in the air table without having to scroll by clicking the drop-down menu.
So, what does ammunition can look like?
I no longer classify seeds by plant family, so I now organize my ammunition cans a little differently.
Currently, I store my seeds in three cans. Two of them are labeled “A to L” and “M to Z.”
Within each can, I separate plant types (arugura, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, radish, tomatoes, etc.) and plant types (arugura, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, etc.). They almost match the plant types listed in my spreadsheet. Once you’ve entered the new seeds in the spreadsheet, simply drop them into the Ammo section.
The dividers were made from old plastic files cut to size and labeled with markers. (In my old organizational system, I cut out cardboard boxes and make dividers, so I don’t need to get any fantasies here.)
The third ammunition can hold all herbs and flower seeds. Here, this organization is a little more simple. This simply groups packets together with herbs, edible flowers, and ornamental flowers (as each type of plant doesn’t have that many seeds).
This works well for me and I can easily add ammo cans as my seed collection expands. Each can hold about 75-100 or more packets, depending on how bulky it is. Alphabetizing my seeds actually helped me reduce the number of cans I use.
Do you want to use this same system for your own seeds?
As a game changer, I decided to copy the seed inventory spreadsheet and turn it into a template that I can use!
You can access the exact Airtable spreadsheet I created and use it as is, or use it as a starting point for creating a more robust system (for example, if you want to track additional parameters such as annual/perennial or spring/fall seeds).
If you’ve never used Airtable, it’s pretty intuitive (even if Excel isn’t good). It can also be used 100% freely. Just set up an account. (They are paying for plans for additional features, but I’m still on the free plan and I don’t need to upgrade to use the seed inventory “base” because Airtable calls the spreadsheet.)
If you don’t want to use the new platform, don’t worry. My seed inventory spreadsheet is also available in Google Sheet format.
Get all the same dropdown selections as AirTable, and easily filter each column to group the required data.
It offers both versions (AirTable and Google Sheets) for just $9.
Digitalize your seed inventory
Get seed inventory template
Track the seeds you have, the amount you have, how old they are, and access inventory from anywhere. Get custom templates in AirTable and Google Sheets formats. Copy it to your account.
You will now have access to both versions and will receive instructions on how to copy the template to your Airtable or Google account. Once you have them, you can freely edit the spreadsheet to suit your needs (for personal use).
Note: my seed inventory template does not work in Excel.
Does this work with a collection of small seeds?
absolutely. Even if I only had 50 seed packets to track, I don’t have to pull out the storage container to find out the number of pea seeds I left behind or the year I bought that “Fordhook Giant” Swiss chard.
(Seeds have a shelf life, and you can save time and frustration by clearing old seeds regularly. Simply click on the “Packet Date” view on the air table or filter Google Sheets by “stuffed” dates and you’ll know what the oldest seeds are.)
I hope this resource is just as useful as me!
Digitalize your seed inventory
Get seed inventory template
Track the seeds you have, the amount you have, how old they are, and access inventory from anywhere. Get custom templates in AirTable and Google Sheets formats. Copy it to your account.
