Decide what belongs to one batch
For this sheet, a batch means seeds you want to follow together because they share a variety, source and sowing date. Give it a short label you can also put on the tray, such as “Basil A — first sowing.” This is your own record label, not a seed supplier’s lot number.
Start another sheet when you use a different packet or sow on another date. If you split a batch between two growing setups, label each part and keep the observations separate. Otherwise, “8 emerged” can become hard to interpret: eight from which sowing, packet or tray?
Copy the variety name and supplier from the packet. Record a lot number or packet year only if one is shown. For saved or shared seed, write the source you know and leave unknown details marked as such. A photograph or the empty packet kept with the sheet can preserve wording you may want to check later.
Put the packet’s instructions beside your plan
The University of Minnesota Extension guide to starting seeds indoors says to follow packet or catalog instructions because species have different requirements. Its planting calendar is written for Minnesota. Do not copy those calendar dates into a plan for another location without checking local guidance.
Use the plan area for relevant packet wording, an intended sowing date and a possible transplant date. Include where that advice came from. “Packet says start indoors before planting out” is source information; “sowed March 8” is an event. They belong in different places on the sheet.
The template does not calculate a frost date or prescribe a watering, lighting or temperature schedule. Record the conditions you used and turn to crop-specific, local guidance when deciding how to grow the plants.
Count seeds and cells separately
Write the actual sowing date, the number of seeds sown and the number of cells or containers used. Twelve cells with two seeds in each contain 24 seeds. Twelve cells alone do not tell you how many seeds you sowed.
If you did not count the seeds, write “not counted.” You can still record how many cells you used and what you notice later. Do not substitute the packet’s advertised germination percentage for your own observations.
| Field | What belongs there |
|---|---|
| Seeds sown | The number you actually sowed, or “not counted.” |
| Cells or containers | The number used, with a description such as “12 tray cells.” |
| Actual sowing date | When you sowed this batch; mark an approximate date as approximate. |
| Starting setup | Mix, location and equipment you used. Add units and what you measured if recording a temperature. |
Distinguish a measured mix temperature from room temperature or a heat-mat setting. Those labels describe different things. If you change the setup later, put the change and its date in the notes.
Observe emergence without counting seedlings twice
The observation table asks for seedlings newly seen since the last check and the cumulative number seen so far. Use the cumulative column as a running count, not a series of numbers to add together.
Here is an invented counting example. It is not an expected germination timetable or a result from Yearbed users:
| Check date | Newly seen since last check | Cumulative seedlings seen |
|---|---|---|
| March 12, 2026 | 4 | 4 |
| March 14, 2026 | 3 | 7 |
| March 16, 2026 | 1 | 8 |
Eight seedlings have been observed in this example. Adding the cumulative column would give 19, which counts the earlier seedlings again. If a seedling later dies or is removed, leave the historical emergence count alone and record that later event separately.
Record zero newly seen only after making that observation. Mark a missed or uncertain check in the notes instead of filling in an observation count. A blank row does not establish that nothing emerged.
“First seen on March 12” means you observed it then. If the previous check was March 10, you do not know the exact emergence time between those checks. Record the observation date instead of inventing a more precise one.
The sheet follows visible seedling emergence in your growing setup. It is not a standardized seed viability test. If you lose track of which seedlings are new, describe that uncertainty rather than filling in a confident count.
Follow the seedlings after emergence
Use the dated notes for changes such as potting on, beginning outdoor acclimation, thinning or moving part of the batch. Add the number involved when you know it. The final handoff table has two rows for moves; write the destination for each one and continue on another sheet if needed.
For example, “May 2: moved 6 to Bed B; 2 remain in pots” preserves a split. “Transplanted 8” would not describe the same event. If some seedlings are given away, removed or lost, record those separately rather than rewriting the original sowing count.
The handoff table records the date, the number moved and the destination. The Still at the source line underneath records what remains where you moved them from. In the example, that is “2 in pots, as of May 2, 2026.” The six in Bed B belong in the move row, even though you still own them. This snapshot is separate from the historical emergence count.
To continue through care and harvest, start a garden journal sheet and copy this batch label into its identity or notes. Keeping the label gives you a paper trail between the two records.
Read the result in context
At the bottom, leave one observation and one next step. “Second tray was checked less often; start a separate sheet for it next time” is useful even without a complete count. You do not need a percentage for every batch.
If you compare two sowings, look at the source, sowing dates, setup and check dates as well as the counts. These are records of what happened under your conditions. A difference alone does not prove that the seed, mix or light caused it.
There are four emergence rows and three dated-note rows. Continue on another copy when needed, repeating the batch label. Put observations made after that point on the new sheet; do not squeeze them into the plan area.
Print the blank sheet
Use “Print blank seed record” above, or your browser’s Print command. Choose A4 or US Letter, portrait orientation and normal scale. Turn off browser headers and footers if they overlap the sheet. The print layout includes the blank record only; choose “Save as PDF” to keep a copy before printing.
All entries are made by hand after printing. The web page has no seed records to save or submit. This original Yearbed sheet is free to use independently of the app.
Yearbed’s current app records seasons, beds, plantings, care logs and harvests. It does not have dedicated seed-batch counts, emergence tracking or a template importer. These paper fields are additional record space, not a promise of app features. Check the home page for app availability.