At the beginning of March each year I collect my seed tins from the garage in preparation for reviewing the contents and planning my seed sowing for the year ahead. This year however I am approaching this task a little differently. 


create annual garden seed planner
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Normally I would write down on paper which seeds I plan to sow and when. Now sometimes you can mislay paper and find it a few weeks later but not at the crucial time you need it for seed sowing. It is at this point I then go rooting through the seed tin again. Oh no, this year things are going electronic and every year after (if it all works to plan!).

garden seed planner calendar reminder
Add an Event for a week, be sure to select

a yearly repeat and an alert
So with seed packets at hand and my laptop on with my calender open I proceeded to set up my Annual Seed Sowing Planner. I start with setting up weekly reminders as to which type of seeds I need to plant and any consecutive sowing’s. This only took a little time and I was sure to set up an annual occurrence for each item, along with a reminder to prompt me. Each seed sowing task was set for a week, that way I can plan this depending on my free time and other appointments I have planned that week. 


seed planner for the garden
The seeds scheduled for the week are detailed for each day in that week
By setting the seed sowing appointment to reoccur annually my seed plan will automatically roll forward year after year. Obviously if I decide I do not want to grow certain seeds again or want to include new plants I can easily add and remove the reminder appointments. I can also add extra notes to each one as prompts eg, plant 3 seeds to a small pot or sow in greenhouse or directly in raised bed. I always have my mobile phone within reach, so my seed sowing list is always to hand.
Additional information and uses 
  • If you use up all the seeds of one variety or have been unable to save any following harvesting, I can also set myself a reminder of seeds to order for the following year. 
  • You could also choose to set up a separate calendar for all your annual gardening tasks. 
I have great hopes of this working well, but time will tell. Failing that I still have an addiction to list making and pen and paper – who does not love stationery!  I would love to know if you have any alternative methods. What works best for you?

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