Never. I'm very organized. Put only one kind of plant in a cell pak, and stick a plastic tag in right away. Make a sketch of your garden and write the plant varieties in it as you plant them, leaving the plastic tag in the ground to remind you.

After a few years you'll have a method that works for you. Right now, just plant the seedlings and you can figure out later what they are. Laugh at mistakes and have fun with your garden.

Never. I'm very organized. Put only one kind of plant in a cell pak, and stick a plastic tag in right away. Make a sketch of your garden and write the plant varieties in it as you plant them, leaving the plastic tag in the ground to remind you.

After a few years you'll have a method that works for you. Right now, just plant the seedlings and you can figure out later what they are. Laugh at mistakes and have fun with your garden.

I bought a large pack of those plastic labels one can write on and stick in the pot/cell, but I bought them in different colors. If you are in a hurry you can write out a label for one, and then just use blank labels in that one color to identify all the rest of the seedlings of that kind.

I make up simple plots in Excel and color code them per plant because that helps me when I look at the spreadsheet. Then I stick any sort of sticker to one end of my rectangular seedling container and mark that end on the spreadsheet (because I turn my containers). I don't label anything in the container anymore because that only frustrated me.

I track planting dates/methods, sprouting dates, all transplanting dates (depending on plant), hardening off times/dates, and planting out dates/methods.

It doesn't have to be pretty and it doesn't have to be complicated for me, I just want the data. I use the rectangular cell seed starters because I can just section off a bunch of cell in Excel, size them to my liking, color them, make some borders, and call it good.

I buy peel and stick on labels at the dollar store and write the name and sometimes the color and height on the label and stick it on the cell pack or flat that I'm going to be planting in before I plant the seeds. I sit down at the kitchen table with the labels and seed packages before I go to plant and write out all the names so they are ready to stick on. I usually do this when I'm having my morning coffee. I use an ultra fine sharpie marker so that even if the label gets wet the ink stays. The labels stick just fine to any container and if I reuse the container I just stick another label over the other one or try to peel it off often without success

You could really do that at any time and store the labels with the seeds so that when you are ready to plant you have them. I learned long ago that the memory is faulty when you are staring at a bunch of containers all the same.

I used to keep a planting book but I found bundling up the seed packages and securing with an elastic with a slip of paper or label with the date works just as well. I sow all the seeds according to planting date so there are usually multiple sowings at once

but with so many crammed into cells

Are you putting different varieties into the same cell? That's a big no.

Shouldn't even put different varieties into the same cell pack. Flats with multiple cell packs in them are intended to use for one variety only. You can off-set that somewhat by always cutting your cell packs apart first and label them first before you plant anything in them. Better yet, don't use cell packs for germination but for transplanting only.

All sorts of adhesive labels and stick labels are available to use.

Unfortunately your mixed up peppers can't be identified until the produce fruit and even then you may not be able to tell for sure.

Dave

I'm pretty sure they're all California Wonder and Early Jalapeno since all my other ones do have IDs.

I went and bought a label maker and have everything labeled up now. :)

I show off what I got on my YT channel youtube.com/synfoods just posted an update video yesterday of my seedlings.

I appropriate the ideas. Excel sounds good. I have an excel sheet with the seeds themselves but wasn't keeping up with germinating/planting info with it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardening Vlog

HA! I planted a bunch of winter stuff, labeled the areas, put string between areas.....then the turkeys came! Ripped the 2 winter boxes up to He**! No chance of figuring out what was what!
I just let it grow and am now weeding it all out and finding more recognizable things! LOL
I have since strung up shiny twirling CDs and other reflective things! No more turkeys!
For labeling, I use popsicle sticks in the tiny starts, then move to vertical blinds when the plants go in the ground ( one $5 set will last forever! Or free from freecycle!) Finally, I use cute wooden stakes that my DH makes at work (birds, owls, cowboys,etc.

Oh, always....but what do I care? I am going to be eating them whatever variety and I can usually recognise flower seedlings pretty early. I barely even bother with any labelling since it has been a cause of so much stress (since I grow at least 20000 seedlings every year).
It's all a nice surprise.

I use Venetian blind panels cut to required length with a pair of scissors as marker sticks, and write with a Sharpie Industrial pen - works both indoors & out, and is cheap!