Hi! I haven’t bought all of the products in this post. They’re just things that I’m thinking about. But if you like them and want to buy them, please use the links below! I’ll make a little money if you do. You can even hit me up on Twitter @decentmadam and let me know how you like it.

Now that I’m getting some seeds in the ground, I’ve been rounding up stray seed packets from all over the house. There are seeds in the tackle box I use for drip irrigation. There are seed packets in the junk drawer. Seeds in the office/guest room dresser drawer. Seeds on the kitchen counter. And I know there’s a little recipe saver of seeds somewhere in the garage.

I’m not even worrying about seeds I’ve saved over from previous years. These are purchased seeds that I already have, and I’m about to receive twenty more packets of veggie seeds and edible flowers. There has to be a better way.

Those little envelopes are pretty unwieldy. They don’t stack nicely, And they’re not a uniform size.

There are a ton of ways to save seeds. Here are a few with some pros and cons:

Method	Pros	Cons
Fridge/freezer	will save your seeds for years – nearly indefinitely in the freezer	You should only take them out of the fridge/freezer once, because each time they go back in, they lose viability.
Airtight containers	Prevents humidity from sprouting your seeds prematurely, and possibly reduces oxidation.	You have to keep the inside of the jar dry, so start saving those little desiccant packets. Or don’t, you know, if you have little kids who get into things. Try making sachets of powdered milk, instead.
Paper envelopes	Your seeds probably came in one of these!	They’re unwieldy, don’t stack nicely, and don’t prevent humidity from spoiling your seeds.

I like low friction, and in my household the fridge/freezer method would be bound to cause a lot of friction. “What are these things? Can I eat them?” “Oh my god, don’t take them out of the fridge! They’ll die!“

I think some combination of the original envelopes in air tight containers is the way to go. Not too many air tight containers though. I don’t want to have to shuffle a bunch of jars or boxes around to find what I’m looking for.

I love this recipe tin for the adorable factor. The outside could be labeled seeds, and the file cards inside re-labeled to sort the seeds. But today it costs nearly thirty bucks, and I’m not exited about spending that money on such a small box. My three Burpee pea seed packets stack to about one inch high, and this thing is only four and a quarter inches deep.

Earlier this winter, I ordered some photo archive boxes to divide up the family photos and send them out as gifts. $13 is a splurge for a cardboard box, but I justified it because they are meant to be keepsakes. They’re a great size at 11.25 x 7.75 x 4.5 inches, and they come with little file dividers. I’ll keep this in mind, but I don’t think it would survive the abuse of getting dragged around the garden each time I’m ready to plant the next crop. On the other hand, they’re made of acid free paper and come with the desiccant packet inside. Low friction!

I think a tin or a plastic box with the file cards inside is the way to go, but it should be closer to the size of the above photo box.

Okay, these! Currently $25 bucks for two of them, and big enough to file the seeds from left to right instead of front to back. No file cards, but I’m sure I can come up with something. I like that the top is clear, although no light on your seed packets might be better. On the other hand, they’ll be in their envelopes, so they’ll probably be okay(?).

The plastic doesn’t look very sturdy for outdoor use though. I’m thinking maybe a plastic tackle box like where I keep my drip irrigation stuff isn’t a bad way to go. I could keep my seeds in the bottom, file style, and my plastic labels, scissors, a dibbler (or a pencil to use as a dibbler), and probably some other useful stuff in the top… maybe a jar with some mycorrhizal inoculant.

I love this one. It’s bright green (also comes in pink!), has a single removeable tray, and is cute as a button. It’s hard to tell from the dimensions how well my seed packets will fit in the bottom. But, you know, they’re paper. I can fold them over, right? $18 bucks feels like a few bucks to much for this little box, but maybe it’s a cute tax. Ima get it.

I’ll let you know how it goes.