Seed Keeper Deluxe Review

How's your seed storage organization?  If you are like a lot of folks I know you may stash seeds in the odd kitchen drawer, in a can in the garage, or where ever there is room.  If you are one of these types then you also know that this is the perfect way to lose seeds via not remembering where you stashed them. So what is a person to do?

This week I received a "Seed Keeper Deluxe" seed storage kit that I won in a contest hosted by Southern Post Journal.  The prize was thanks to Olivebarn.com

Right out of the box...I love the purple and green...my favorites!

This should be interesting.  That bread box is full of seed packets and more.

It is always fun to get stuff in the mail and especially something like this...I was so curious about how these little kits worked.  Honestly though, I knew they would be far too small for my needs but hey, a good product is a good product and from what I could tell it was worth a try.  So here's my review.

Love the dual system for organizing.  I plant using dates things need to be sown so this works for me.  Then I can file the seeds away afterward in the alphabetical portion.  And the alphabetic cards have tips on them that are very helpful.

The very first thing you see when you open the kit...instructions about what everything is and how to use them.

Keeping notes on the what and when of things is really helpful but I am so bad at keeping these records.  Maybe you won't be.

Glassine envelopes...I LOVE THESE!  Nice sized too.

A big black marking pen and wooden plant tags that are big enough to decorate if you want to.

Wonder how long the Bazic Permanent Marker will stay readable?  The Sharpie will last for several years.

A big thing I found myself wondering about was the stability of the felt marker in the kit...would it hold up in the sun light out in the garden?  There is nothing worse than marking a plant stake only to have it fade with the UV rays.  For me, this is a must know so I am doing a UV stability test in my kitchen window using my favorite marking pen...the Sharpie Industrial marker and pitting it against their marker.  May the best pen win!

Lots of other goodies in the kit too. Handy!

Okay...the fancy toothpicks made me laugh but are great for poking holes when sowing seeds in flats.

Oh more goodies can be found here!

Those are the contents of the kit and oh yeah, these nice gardening gloves that are clipped to my belt loop using the blue clip in the kit.  I like this idea...I'm going to be using this one.

Handy dandy idea.

Here is the most important question we need to ask anytime we are looking at a product that helps us to get organized...Will this kit serve my needs or is it just a gimmick?  I knew this was not a gimmick from the start when I looked at the smart system this company had put together.  But for my needs personally the answer is going to be no, its just too small.  I just have too much stuff and I already have a system in place quite similar to theirs.  Good ideas are shared by many of us gardeners, so nothing is really new...just passed from one gardener to another.

My favorite tools, pens and other paraphernalia...signs I've been doing this for a while.

When you have been saving and storing seeds as long as I have you generally develop a system that works well for you.  These systems are forged by how we work, think and how OCD we are.  I fit that latter category...I like things orderly and sometimes have to slap my hand and say..."It's good enough."  But one thing is for sure, I can always find what I'm looking for because of it.

Proof of my OCD...I can't bear to toss seeds until they have been ID-ed...These were in the bottom of the bread box.

Seed packets too tall...hmmm

To lay them sideways they need to be folded up.

The big fail for me was how seed packets need to be stored in this kit. The generic seed packet size fits nicely, but not those big ones they use for beans, peas, corn and some flowers.  Storing packets on their side can lead to spillage and folding packets makes them messy to deal with and hard to thumb through.

Nice latches that hold the lid on tightly.

 The container itself is actually one you can find at local department or craft stores and is probably the best size for a ready made product they could find.  Its quality is good and it's latches work well so that part is okay.  It will probably work good enough for most people but because of my specific needs for space and such it doesn't make the cut for me personally. I would love to see them have a container designed especially for seed packets, just over an inch taller and wider.  Then all the seed packets would fit easily.

What did I tell you?  I need another box and then some. (The gold envelopes are seeds I've collected.)

So here is my final analysis;  The Seed Keeper Deluxe is a wonderful product for beginning gardeners, gardeners who aren't as compulsive as I am about growing numerous varieties of everything or those with less of an addiction to seed saving than I have.  It is well thought through, has some forgivable weaknesses and over all an excellent product. 

I think mine will make a very nice little gift for a friend that has just started gardening. I'll add packages of favorite seed and tips on local sowing information and websites I like.  What a great way to get someone off on the right foot by helping them to stay organized right from the beginning.


Copyright © 2011 by Patty Hicks
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