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How do you keep it all organized?

Nagel

Nagel

I see you guys growing so many varieties of peppers, and I have to wonder how you manage to keep yourselves organized from start to finish?? Its easy enough to label rows or even individual plants when they are seedlings and you only have so many.. But when you guys go and plant like 30-40 different strains outside, how are you labeling them?

I'm intimidated by the record keeping aspect, as I would like to be able to share some seeds and say "these came from a Butch T I got from So and So".. But seriously, how do you keep track of "whats what" when you move 100+ plants outside (either in planters or in the ground). Never worried about it before because "corn was corn, bell peppers were bell peppers and eggplant was obviously eggplant". Now I want to keep similar strains of superhots, and distinguishing between similar looking peppers could be tough.

What kind of labeling do you use? stake in the ground? something tied / fastened loose around the stalk? excel spreadsheets?

I'd be curious to know..

Thanks in advance..
 
I draw a garden diagram as I plant the peppers labeling and numbering each plant and keep it in a binder with all the seeds info on seperate sheets of paper
 
I tag each plant with a colored cable tie around the base. I have more varieties than colors, so I also use a letter code on tie. They go into the seed tray at the same time as the seed and the seedling grows through the ring.
 
Like WonderTwin, I draw a map (sketch, really) of each section of the garden. Even with various beans, corn, tomato types, etc, its nice to map the varieties. Mobile containers get a tape label--blue masking tape w/magic marker scribbles with name and various additional info.

After a couple of months, it's pretty much memorized, and the plant characteristics make it easier.
 
that's what I'm gonna do too, the map of the garden, but for the peppers at least I am going to add the ties to the base of the plant (like I saw in Baker's Pepper's Glog) and most likely just put them on the first plant in that "row" of that type, so I know that everyone one behind that labeled plant is that type, until I get to the next type so I don't have to label every single one.. although if I get a big enough packet , I might just do that for kicks...
 
I have developed a pretty elaborate spreadsheet method transitioning from sow plug trays to other plug trays. I then feed data into label making programs to generate what I need. I've been at this for years, but every year it seems to be improving. It's a real hassle nonetheless, but this is the ONLY manageable way given the quantity of DIFFERENT varieties I grow. It would not be needed if I grew 200 plants and there were 20 each of 10 different varieties. It's when you grow a 150 different varieties, it becomes useful.

Chris
 
I use a sharpie to label each pot and then like a few of the others, I make a diagram of the garden which I refer to later.
 
last year I kept a pretty robust spreadsheet going as i used jiffy pellets and germination tray.

This year I used Keureg cups that are labeled with a sharpie to keep track of plants. As they grow, they'll go into solo cups....labeled with a sharpie. I'll keep a list of which numbered K cups are which number, and a list of which numbered solo cups are which strain. http://min.us/mbcUQymXYv#1 So far I'm up to 43 cups (46 really, but the three unmarked are brussel sprouts...easy enough to tell they are not peppers!).

Next year I plan to stay with K cups, but I've also learned that jiffy pellets fit perfectly in the K cups. so instead of messing around with starting soil...I'm going to stay with jiffy.
 
Justaguy said:
For labeling I recommend old venetian blinds. I pick them up anytime I see some by the curb for trash, cut the strings and have a pile for tags that just need a sharpie to mark them.
Click to expand...

Dude, thats an awesome idea! I'm gonna have to keep my eye open for them...
 
Yep. that's the same thing I use to make my labels. :) Great minds think alike. lol. I have found no better, cheaper plant marker than cut up blinds. Someone told me about it 3-4 years ago and I never looked back.

Chris

Justaguy said:
I sketch a garden plan which gives me an idea of what I want to have. For labeling I recommend old venetian blinds. I pick them up anytime I see some by the curb for trash, cut the strings and have a pile for tags that just need a sharpie to mark them.

I also use them for moving, but mainly for tagging.
http://www.thehotpep...on/page__st__81
Click to expand...
 
I wing it :) I keep them labelled until they go into their final pot and by that time I know what each one is. I need to get better at it though and do have some blinds that I was planning on using this year.
 
I like how I can cut them longer to go deep and no worries about wind or heavy rain moving them.

Friends with dogs that have venetian blinds can be a gold mine for them. Dog breaks cheap blinds and we recycle.
 
i'm growing slightly over 100 varieties this year and maybe as many as 4000 plants total. i use a spreadsheet, tons of plant tags and a bunch of grease pencils (doesn't fade like sharpie).

if i'm only growing a few of a given variety i label the plants individually. if i'm growing a lot of them i do it by the tray and then by row or sections of row when they go in the ground.
 
Justaguy said:
I like how I can cut them longer to go deep and no worries about wind or heavy rain moving them.

Friends with dogs that have venetian blinds can be a gold mine for them. Dog breaks cheap blinds and we recycle.
Click to expand...
I now know what to do with the blinds in my basement window that the cat destroys trying to look out, or all of the extra pieces after I shorten new blinds to fit the window. Though, I need it for the bulbs in my flower garden. I can keep track of just two pepper varieties. I'm just amazed at the grow lists folks here have!
 
I assign each variety with a number as it is easier to keep up with and label with a number, and if I had a variety from different venders I tag an a to the number for the first one and b for the next and so on. I then map it all out on a diagram. Here's a pic from my current grow where I have 288 seeds germinating.

IMG_0853.jpg
 
haha, I'm not too sure, mine is pretty bad, + to me, my dad write labels and stuff in all CAPS and it just looks cleaner to me.. I just rush too much to really care, as long as I can read it, but it does make it look nicer
 
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