Turn Harvest Notes Into Next Year's Seed Order
Order the plenty and enough varieties first, replace failures with a different variety of the same crop, size up the not enough crops, and check old seed...
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Turn Harvest Notes Into Next Year's Seed Order
Order in this sequence: reorder the varieties you rated plenty or enough, replace the failures with a different variety of the same crop, add plants or sowings for the not enough crops, and check your seed box before buying anything. Your Harvest Log ratings feed Variety Verdict, which builds the shortlist.
Step 1: Reorder the Winners
Plenty and enough varieties go on the list first. These are proven in your soil and your weather. University of Georgia Extension advises sticking with proven varieties for major plantings and trying new varieties on a small scale.
If a winner was plenty and some went to waste, order it anyway but plan fewer plants.
Step 2: Replace the Failures
For a failed or Never row, buy a different variety of the same crop, not the same packet again. Read your note on why it failed first:
- Failed from a one-time cause like a hail storm or an early freeze: mark it Trial again and grow a few plants.
- Failed from disease: look for a variety that lists resistance to that disease.
- Failed from a short season: pick a variety with fewer days to harvest. Compare days to harvest on the crop's planting guide.
Step 3: Size Up the Not Enough Crops
Not enough usually means too few plants or too short a harvest window.
- Add plants. Use How many plants per person as a starting point, then adjust from your own totals. The Seed Order Planner reads your Harvest Log ratings and adds 50 percent to crops that ran short.
- Add a second or third sowing for beans, lettuce, carrots, and other quick crops. See the Succession Desk.
- For a crop you cook in bulk, plan from the recipe. See Plan your garden from what you cook.
Step 4: Check the Seed Box
Before you buy, sort leftover packets on the Seed Viability Check. Onion, leek, parsley, and parsnip seed lasts about a year. Many other crops keep 3 to 5 years in cool, dry storage. Reorder only what is past its range or used up.
Step 5: Put Dates on the List
Once the list is set, schedule indoor starts on the seed-start calendar and check your zone's first frost date for fall crops.
Next Steps
- Rate every crop in the Harvest Log and save the ratings to Variety Verdict.
- Use the Shop Seeds Now button on Variety Verdict or the Harvest Log for the reorder list.
Sources: University of Georgia Extension B577, Home Gardening. Illinois Extension and Iowa State University Extension seed storage guidance.