The Genius Way Gardeners Should Repurpose A Photo Album

Gardening — much like crafting — is a hobby that can start out very simple and then quickly spiral into an elaborate undertaking that produces amazing results, but also requires significant amounts of time, money, and space. One aspect of gardening that requires your time and space is finding ways to store the seeds you collect from your garden and acquire through purchase or trade. While you can purchase binders and boxes for the purpose of organized seed storage, you'll likely be looking at least a $20 price tag.

Instead of adding the price of a storage solution to the cost of your actual seeds, consider heading to your local thrift store to pick up a used photo album for a couple of dollars, as demonstrated by TikToker Allison Bickerstaff. Any album that contains plastic pockets for photos will do. Simply keep your seeds in their original envelopes and slide each one into a photo pocket. This will create your very own organized, accessible personal seed library for planning and maintaining your garden like a pro. 

Storing your seeds in a repurposed photo album isn't just about storage; it's also about organization. The way you choose to organize your seeds is up to you and your own personal preference. As long as the system you choose helps you to easily find the seeds you're looking for, it serves the right purpose. Try to imagine yourself searching for specific seeds and ask yourself which organizational system would make the most sense to your brain in that moment.

You may find that you are inclined to store your seeds in simple alphabetical order. If that doesn't feel right, consider separating them by type and grouping all the vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers together in chapters. You can also organize your seeds by season and/or whether they are grown as annuals or perennials. In the end, your seed library is as personal and unique as your garden and should be set up in a way that suits you, whether or not it makes sense to anyone else.