I know they’ve moved me from Zone 5 to Zone 6, but I’m still planting based on the Zone 5 frost date of May 10.
I always plant a range of home starts, nursery starts (although fewer and fewer of those) and direct. I like to do traditional seed starting, and a little winter sowing.
The hardest part of all this is to make sure that you’re planting, first, in a way that doesn’t overwhelm you, and second, so that your seedlings are ready to plant out when the proper weather hits– the cool weather ones in early April, the tender solanums not until almost June around here.
I use the wonderful “seed stash” tool at MyFolia.com to keep track of my seeds, but it’s most useful as a database. While it lets you note when you should plant indoors, and transplant, it doesn’t yet have a reminder function, and anyway, a pop-up box on my calendar or desktop is not a useful method for me. I like something really hands-on and visual, that puts it all in one place at a time.
I’m pretty organized, plus like all gardeners I get antsy (plantsy?) in the middle of winter and start wanting to do something–anything–that seems like gardening. I used to sort by date into planting pots, but they tip over and get out of order. It’s really not optimal. 
So what I’ve developed is a seed keeper system, organized not by type, but by planting date and method. It allows me to select out of the larger seed stash the seeds I’m actually planning to plant, so I’m not constantly pawing through seeds trying to remember what to do, and I have a beautiful basket woven from recycled materials that a friend got me from Ten Thousand Villages which is a perfect size.
Here’s the method:
Make a card divider with the planting date on it, and list under it the method (indoor, winter sowing, direct) and the seeds you’ll plant. Those seeds go in front of it. I have my cool-weather, long growing season ones starting Feb 15 (leeks, brussels sprouts), then nothing for about a month. Here’s what they look like (hmmm, March 20 is a little bit early for tomatoes, may have to redo that one):
I use them year after year. As you can see, I used some old fliers from one of my clients. If I was the entrepreneurial type, I’d probably propose that NDiN market these with a logo and a guide book for the different zones!
Once I have my cards worked out, I pull out my seeds, all organized by type (as you can see, this task is yet to be completed) and start pulling packets, to load into the planting system.
When it’s all ready to go, it looks like this:
Ready to go.
How do you organize for the planting season?
Not Dabbling In Normal 
I like this! Still working on getting myself organized in this area (along with many others)!
This makes me very excited for spring! This year I’d like to try successive plantings to extend lettuces and kale a bit longer. I think this system will be a great way to keep me on track with everything!
This system works really well for succession planting too. You can actually see on the June 6 card that it says “succession” and behind that is one for August as well. And this year I’m going to do starter cells for planting out stuff like broccoli which can get a second crop, but doesn’t do well from seed in the heat/dry of late summer here.
So far I just have a desk calendar where I’ll write down when I need to seed-start/plant certain veggies, and I want to do successive planting, so I think the calendar will help with that too. Sometimes writing it down vs. keeping tracking electronically makes it more permanent in my head. Thanks for these good tips, I’ll probably use your suggestions!
Nice system Xan! Last year was my first year to be organized for the planting most of my seeds for the spring garden. I made up a page with the plant and the dates to either seed start or direct sow. It worked and I made notes and changes for this year and re-printed it. I like keeping my seeds in order by plant. We have 2-3 planting seasons, that way I can look at my page and pull the seeds I need for the planting date. I am pleased at how this has worked for the spring planting, but completely missed doing it for the fall. If I stick to this plan I don’t need to buy any seedlings this spring, but there always seems to be something I forgot. My notes will help me improve the system each year. I will work on making up a list for the fall planting to improve my chances of being more organized.
I did have a problem with one of my seed packets this spring. Opened it up to find bugs! Only one packet and it was tomato seeds I saved from last year. I will have to keep any eye on that. It would be a bummer to have to go to all jars.
Emily, save all those little dessication packets that come with shoes and purses, or just throw a few rice kernels in with your seeds; this can prevent moisture build up and keep the bugs away. I’ve found that I have more problems with moisture using jars than using paper envelopes; it also helps to store them someplace cool but not freezing, like an unheated basement (I keep a fan going in my basement, again, to alleviate humidity problems)
I save those packets also. Rice – use it in other things, never thought seed storage. THANKS!! I keep most of the seed in paper envelopes and I am super careful to make sure they are dry before packaging them. I am thankful it was only one packet because these little bugs got into so many things in the kitchen when we first moved here. Lessen learned. Everything is in glass now and sealed up tight! Most things (grains, flour, etc) go into the freezer a few days when I bring them home. How I miss basements. No basements here. It is hard to come up with a cool dry place in the house some summer.