DIY Seed Bank

Why you might need your own personal DIY seed bank:

• I once had a disorganized drawer full of seed packets.
  • As a result, when I was ready to go planting, it was a frustrating waste of time to find the seeds that I was looking for.
  • To make things worse, the corners of the drawer were filled with a heterogeneous mix of lost-anonymous loose seeds that had escaped the seed packets.
  • With all of this mess, I would often not find what I needed and end up buying the same seeds again… knowing full-well that I already had multiple duplicates of those same seeds – somewhere.
• Whether you are part time gardener, homesteading, getting ready for the next natural disaster, or just preparing for the zombie apocalypse, having your own personal seed bank will be a major advantage.

 

What to do?:

• In the past, I have tried several different options for organizing my seeds.
• I wanted something simple, secure, portable, organized, reasonable and flexible.
• With this criteria in mind, I have recently refined a solution that I am very happy with and ready to share (see below).

 

 

How to create your own seed bank:

 

Overall:

• This is just a modified use of a portable file cabinet.
• Sure it sounds simple… but does it have to be complicated when it works?

 

How to DIY:

1. Get a portable file cabinet.

• I like the ones that you can completely close so critters can’t get in.
• I also like the option of having a little drawer where you can store miscellaneous items such as a pencil, tape, clips and envelopes.
• A portable file box that allows you to bring your organized seeds directly to your garden also a big plus.
• I found this Portable File Box with Bottom Drawer on Amazon that is rather perfect for the job.
• I have not seen something like this elsewhere and it is really awesome.
  

  A portable file cabinet becomes your seed bank with just a simple label.

2. Get hanging files.

• Any type will do, as long as it fits the cabinet you are using.
• Here’s some hanging file folders that fit the file cabinet mentioned above.

3. Get some little clips:

• These little clips are key because they prevent your seeds from moving around in the file folders.
• They also allow you to clip the seeds up high where they can quickly and easily be seen.
• You can get these small binder clips (that are in the photos) on Amazon or you can probably also get them at most office supply stores.

4. Label the files.

• Ok, most people would just hand write the name of the seeds on the label tab.  But if your handwriting sucks like mine, you might want to print the labels out.
• I found that 14 point Calibri font works very well for this.
  • However, Arial, Georgia and Tahoma font in the 12 to 14 point range should be very similar.
• Just type the name of all of your seeds in a word document (one line for each plant) and print.  
• Then cut the names out to size for your new file name tags.

 

 

Free DIY seed packets:

• If you are harvesting your seeds, you can also make your own free seed packets very quickly and easily.

 

Step 1:  

• Cut some of the envelopes from your junk mail in half.
• This will make 2 seed packets for each envelope.

Step 2:

• Label the envelope
  • It’s a good idea to label the envelope before you put in the seeds so you don’t damage the goods.
  • Fill the envelope with your seeds.

Step 3:

• Fold over the edge and tape shut or use one of your clips to hold the packet shut.
• Those small binder clips are great for this so you don’t have to keep re-taping.
  • Therefore, those small binder clips are also great for use with your store bought seed packets.
• File it away for when you need it.

Happy planting!