Best way to get my seed supply started?

Hi! I am not new to gardening but I AM new to obtaining seeds from sources other than my local Home Depot.
I'd love to get into trading and saving my own seeds but I dont know where to start. Should I stock up on some seed packets and use those to trade for other things? What do you suggest?

Thank you!

I started buy purchasing a few seed packs from the local Garden Center. I kept a few that I wanted to plant and traded the rest. I also have a neighbor that is kind enough to let me collect seed from a few of his garden plants as well.

If you keep an eye out on the Seed Trading forum, there are quite a few people willing to trade seed for SASE/SASBE as well.

Here's a link to 'new seeds for newbies.'

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1160896/#top

I think people donate their extra seeds, and Robin has her own stash as well. She sends them out for a SASE. My package was stuffed with goodies. There were lots of unusual seeds as well as many, many familiar and practical types.

Good luck!

Pam

If you send me postage of three stamps I'll send you about twenty packs of seeds. I'll even supply the bubble envelope. Some are collected from my garden and are from flowers that are bold and bright colored. Others are from a seed swap that I won't be able to use.

mao

I am new to the site and must say I LOVE IT!! I used to help my grandfather with the vegetables every year but never bothered where or how he obtained the seeds. Then my grandma always had beautiful flowers but would manage to keep them from year to year. Now that I am doing things and have my grandma living with me I am learning more and more. And I must say this site is going to be a big teacher for me. I want to start learnign how to save the seeds and be able to trade as well. I see it will take me awhile since we are just starting over in a new yard and trying to get things established again. So I have the same questions:

1) how is the best way to get my seed supply started

2) What is the best way to be able to have enough seed/plants to trade ( I'm scared to post what plants we have cause we may not have any ready for trade at the moment.

I agree: Robin / Arejay is an angel for for providing 'free seeds for newbies.'
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1160896/#top

And "newbie" can mean anyone who joined DG in the last 8 months ... or so. Some kind people send her big bags of sseeds every so often, and she helps share the wealth. I'm gettting involved in helping her.

Also, check the "Seed Trading" forum every few days or weeks. If you don't have anything to offer someone who wants to trade, ask politely if you sending a self-addressed mailer with return postage is enough. I often see that person (or others watching the thread) say "sure, and let me know what other seeds you might want".

The First Truth of DG is that there are a LOT of generous people out there.

Corey

>> Should I stock up on some seed packets and use those to trade for other things?

This is also a good method. It shows that you are not a chronic moocher.

The best varient on that (I think) is to find some websites that sell wholesale. You might pay twice as much for a packet, but get 5-10 times as many seeds. And buy several pkts at one time, so you don't spend more on thier S&H than on seeds!

Then you can go to the Seed Trading forum and start your own thread: "Will trade XYZ for ABC".

For example, I just bought a relatively big order from Hazzards, but I expect to plant less than 10% of what I bought, and trade away the rest. (I have been the recipient of a lot of generosity, and hope to return the favor, or oay it forward.)

I did the same with Tainong Seeds (and Kitazawa Seeds, in the past). Big packets, for an extra few dollars each, and now I have 5 or 10 or 20 trades of each variety!

from Hazzards:
Spigariello Liscia = Broccolo Spigariello = Brassica oleracea 1,000 $4.35
Radish Daikon Minowase - - - 1,000 - - $3.58
Carrot Danvers 126 - - - 5,000 - - $4.35
Pak Choi Joi Choi - - - - 1,000 - - $6.55
Pak Choi White Stem - - - - 5,000 - - $5.45
Tomato Black Russian - - - -250 - - $6.33

Zinnia Benary Giant Crimson - - 1,000 seeds - - $6.55
Zinnia Lilliput Choice Mix - - -2,000 seeds - - $6.49

Salvia (Sage) transylvanica Blue Spires - - - 250 seeds - - - - $7.43
Salvia (Sage) superba Violet Queen - - - - 1,000 seeds - - - $7.65
Salvia (Sage) nemerosasylvestris Amethyst Blue - - - 1,000 seeds - - - $5.45

Corey

If you are very patient:

1.
Wait for year-end sales at local stores, like nurseries. Pick up seed packets at half price or less.

2.
Saving your own seeds gives you thousands of a few varieties.

3
Watch the Seed Trading forum for "Round Robins" or group swaps, and join one. Wait for the box to come around to you. Put in handsfull of your varieties, and take out handsfull of packets of dozens or hundreds of varieties. But each RR or swap will have different rules and styles and focuses.

For example, last fall, Heather did a centralized swap of tomato and pepper seeds. LOTS of people sent packages to her, with whatever tomato and pepper seeds they had saved, bought or traded for, and a "wish list" .

The she went through dozens or hundreds o boxes and lists, and swapped things around so that (depending on what came in) people got back more variety of what they wanted, plus surprises.

Or Susie has been running a nearly-continuous Round Robin going for as long as I've been a memeber. Around two dozen people signed up and waited for the box to come to them. Each person put some in, and took some out. Since some of the people put in PINTS of seed, and take out teaspoons, that box tends to get big and heavy! (Often people near the end of the list would send some or all of their seeds to Susie at the fornt of the list, so the box would be bulging even at the first stop.)

One nice thing about that style of swap is that you get to sit down with hundreds or thousands of varieties, and try to research the new ones and decide what you want ... and take out only exactly what you want. And it is kind of nice to put in a lot of something that lots of people want!

A spin off is that often the people in such a swap or robin will post the seeds that they actually have ins tock right then and are willing to give away right then (this is better than the Plant Files feature, which is full of entries years old and "not available". By watching such a Robin's "Have Lists", you learn who has what ... and can ask them if they will trade some away.

There are also seed swaps on other web sites, but out of courtesy to DG Admins, I shouldn't use a public DG forum to advertise what Admins might consider "the competition".

Generous gardeners are everywhere!

Corey

DUHH!

What good is it to suggest buying big packet at low cost if I don't include links?

The first three are like that: big bargains if you split and trade.

The others are good places in general, where you can find some unusual seeds honestly labelled.

I know and love the first five, and wish I needed to go to Baker Creek heirlooms and Comstock & Ferre for historical reasons. Tainong says very little about each variety online, but will answer questions very kindly and patiently by email and phone. They never even laughed at me! Good people.


Seed Vendors

BIG PACKETS:

HAZZARDS Wholesale Seeds: great prices for 1,000 seeds. Crops, annual flowers, vegetables, you-name-it:
http://www.hazzardsgreenhouse.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Scr...

Tainong - ASIAN CROPS, big pkts: http://www.tainongseeds.com/

Kitazawa - ASIAN CROPS, big pkts, plus descriptions of varieties: . http://www.kitazawaseed.com/


My two favorites for great varieties, not big packets:

Botanical Interests: http://www.botanicalinterests.com/store/search_results_sample.php?select=10000

Jonna Sudenius: http://www.seedsite.eu/


Some others that have been praised, not necessarily big packets:

Baker Creek heirlooms, good tomato blurbs: http://rareseeds.com/ & http://rareseeds.com/comstock-ferre/

Pinetree has so many things available and such good prices. http://www.superseeds.com

Fedco Seeds up in Maine: heirloom veggie and flower seeds: http://www.fedcoseeds.com/index.htm

Swallowtail fancy! http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/index.html

Diane's Flower Seeds, one of the Top 30 companies at the Garden Watchdog, has awesome "Articles"
http://www.dianeseeds.com/saving/flower.html


Corey