Seed savers believe in miracles. Or as Henry David Thoreau put it, “I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.”
With summer underway, I am collecting: poppy pods, foxglove seeds, and columbine seeds to save for winter, when I will sprinkle them in my northern California garden and await the wonders. Meanwhile I’m storing the seeds in a slim lidded tin, a very satisfying way to organize envelopes, labels, and little jars.
I wish you the same happiness. Here are a few simple supplies to assemble your own DIY seed saving kit:
Photography by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista.
Watchmaker’s Case
Above: I keep all my seed saving supplies in an metal Watchmaker’s Cases. The aluminum case is only 2 inches tall, has a lid, and is $14.80 from Lee Valley Tools (the cases come in several sizes).
Screw Top Jars
Above: The watchmaker’s case came with 20 jars with screw-on lids. (the jars are just the right size to hold seeds).
Cotton Tape
Above: I labeled the jars with white cotton tape. A similar spool of 1/2-inch Waterproof Tape is $5.95 from B&H. A box of 12 No. 2 Cedar Pencils is $5.59 from Dick Blick.
Kraft Paper Envelopes
Above: A set of 25 brown Kraft Paper Seed Envelopes with cord clasps, big enough to hold large poppy pods, is $7.24 from Goldberg Gartenschatz via Etsy. After poppy pods dry and turn brown, you shake out the seeds (like shaking salt) in the garden.
Seed Packets
Above: Packets of Flower Seeds such as Amaranth Green Tails, Zinnia Oklahoma Ivory, and Chocolate Lace Flower are$3.95 apiece from Floret Farm.
When I buy seeds to sow, after I open the envelope I store any leftover seeds in the airtight jars.
Wooden Plant Labels
Above: A package of 50 6-inch Wooden Plant Labels is $4.45 from Horticultural Products and Services.
DIY Seed Saving Kit
Above: The seed saving kit keeps everything organized and tidy. Plus, the little jars make a nice clicking sound when you arrange them in rows in the watchmaker’s case.
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites
Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.
Full Access Individual Subscription
Benefits include:
Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive the full-text daily newsletters
All features that Members have access to
Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Become a Member at no charge
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Start the Conversation