How the Shopping List and Seed Inventory Work Together
3 min read · Updated July 6, 2026
The two Supplies pages share one job: making sure you own the seeds your plan needs, without doubling up on ones you already have.
The math
For each variety in your plan, the shopping list computes:
To buy = Needed − On hand, adjusted for germination rate.
- Needed comes from your planting quantities in the planner.
- On hand comes from your seed inventory.
- Germination % uses your own tested rate when you've logged one; otherwise the species' Federal Seed Act minimum, falling back to a conservative 65% where no standard exists.
When your inventory covers a variety, its row shows a Covered badge and fades out. Where GardenDraft can match a seed vendor, the row includes a purchase link.
Keeping the inventory current
On Seed inventory, click Add seeds and record the plant, variety, quantity (packets, grams, ounces, or count), source, purchase date, and expiration. Expiration dates are color-coded — red within a month, yellow within six — and the stats strip flags anything expiring soon.
Log packets when you buy them and the shopping list stays truthful all season.
Beyond seeds
A manual supplies section on the shopping list handles everything else — stakes, row cover, fertilizer — with a simple name, quantity, and check-off.