"Think Spring!" seed swap DISCUSSION

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Swap CANCELLED due to stupid groundhog and his stupid shadow
We will reschedule, probably for Saturday March 1. Details will follow on a new swap threads.
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Here's the place to chat about seeds we have, seeds we're looking for, wishes we can fulfill, and so forth.

Remember to post on the main seed swap thread if you plan to come to the party, or if you'd like to participate via mail and need a "Seed Fairy." (We need Seed Fairy volunteers, too!)
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1347154/

We also have a thread for posting "HAVE" and "WANT" lists so that information doesn't get lost in chatter. Please post ONCE there, then edit your post as needed.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1347159/

There are some other things happening in conjunction with this seed swap, such as the Group Buy for caladium bulbs. You'll find links for them in the "EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!" post on the main swap thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=9745258


This message was edited Jan 11, 2014 11:41 AM

This message was edited Jan 14, 2014 5:54 PM

This message was edited Feb 14, 2014 6:40 PM

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I am hoping to attend but may have to use the "seed fairy" option. I will update the attendence thread whenever I figure that out. Thanks for organizing this, Critter!

I'm going to start things off here, I guess. I am into cutting flowers and annuals. I'm looking for poppies, zinnias, cockscombs, amaranths, tobaccos, scabiosas, lisianthus, etc. I love hot colors: magentas, lime greens, purple, orange, etc. I don't really go for white or yellow or shades of blue (able to be persuaded, though! ;)

I'm still in the process of making my Have list, but if anything posts something that I have, I can't wait to share.

Heya! Hope you can make it. :-)

I have a 4vyear old, so it probably goes without saying that we love pink & purple!

is anybody placing seed orders? with shipping prices going up up, it's nice to have a chance to ride the coattails of somebod else's order, especially if you want just 1 or 2 packs.

I'll be looking at Hazzard Seeds the next few days... Joyanna likes picking out something special to share for Valentine's Day, and they have nice big packs for sharing or WSing.

:-)

Are there general guidelines for this swap regarding how many seeds should be in each packet, and how to measure teeny tiny seeds like Great Blue Lobelia?

Also, is there a good place to buy clear packets for seeds like lobelia, which seem to adhere to the inside of baggies due to static?

Hopefully someone else can chime in on the quantities.

but about the static:
Maybe you could make a little wax paper square and put it in that? Sometimes when I purchase tiny seeds, they put them in a tiny wax paper envelope inside the normal sized seed envelope. Haven't personally tried it, but maybe it would help?

This message was edited Jan 21, 2014 6:17 PM

muddy--

No guidelines--you can bag as many, or as few seeds as you like.
If you have a lor of seeds--bag more--if not--a few will do.

You can find little plastic baggies at Walmart in the aisle where they have
beads and jewelery making stuff. The come in about 4 different sizes
and all cost 99 cents

There is a small size--1.5" x 1.5" that is suitable for very small seeds...
Cant offer any suggestions about the static.....plastic=static.
Paper baggies are better. DG has a site under "Extras" where you can buy
them and fold them up into baggies.
Let me see if I can get to the Extras site--there is NO link above...

http://davesgarden.com/files/seedpackets/

There are many, many wonderful things under "Extras"--old things...a whole DG Cookbook
that is now out of print--lots of things.
If you can get to it--bookmark it. I keep the link to it in my top tool bar.

Here--I think this is it.

http://davesgarden.com/extras.php#b

As Karen said, you can make a wax paper or regular paper folded packet to go in the plastic.

I haven't given much thought to seeds yet. I doubt I am going to place an order. I'm getting tired of trying weird things and being disappointed- my vegetable garden is getting too shady.

I might pick up some bulk seed from the Farmers coop to share- its a bargain for basic varieties of edibles.

If I think I have especially fat packs (eg, morning glories by the tablespoon, or little scoops of columbine seeds probably measuring over 1000) or skinny ones (eg, 7 leftover hybrid seeds, 2 seeds from a special japanese morning glory cross, etc.), I'll just mention that when I post the offer.

Don't worry about not having enough," though... "just a few" seeds of a special basil or hard-to-find perennial are just as welcome as commercial-sized packets, for those wanting that plant. But don't worry either if you think your seeds are "too ordinary." All of us want/need all sorts of different seeds each year, from marigolds to unusual tropicals.

Started this post much earlier, see there have been plenty of good suggestions! A scrap of folded wax paper does work well at holding tiny seeds & preventing static.

And while we're talking about things like this, don't worry too much about chaff, either. As long as you can see some seeds inthe chaff, it's fine IMO. As with quantities, you can always note when your offer, "with chaff." Some seeds are relatively easy to separate, others virtually impossible without a magnifying glass & tweezers -- and nobody expects that sort of effort!

Thanks everyone, all of your input was very helpful !

I think little wax paper envelopes in baggies, or in one of those cute printable seed packets on the extras site, will work well.

Buttoneer can I have some of your passiflora incarnata?

Cat, can I still have some of your celosia seeds? We talked about it last year. :) I only need a little bit, 10-15 seeds should be good.

TYP got you down for the Celosia!

Cat--if this yellow Celosia is the one you showed us last year--growing on its own--
and you had no idea where it came from--I would like just a FEW seeds of it.
I have really not yet paid too much attention to the whole seed swap thing...

What's happening to me????? G.

Thanks, Cat! :)

Oh and this is really cool. I know I'm not the only one who buys from Pinetree Garden Seeds. If you sign up for their account and create a wishlist, then it's possible to generate a link of the items you want, so that you can share it with people. This might be handy for DGers if you actually have specific seeds on your want list for the swap. A bit more interesting to look at people's want list in this way than as just a list of words. Here's mine: https://www.superseeds.com/wishlist/shared/index/code/09d8edf4b4ff0e1d71fd207698fe147e/

To create your own:
1. create an account at superseeds.com
2. add seeds to your wishlist.
3. when you're done adding seeds to your wishlist, click "View Wishlist" at the top of the page. 4. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Click the red button to "Share Wishlist".
5. email the wishlist to yourself.
6. open your email. at the bottom of the email, right click on the link that says "View all wishlist items" and select "copy link location".
7. paste the link wherever you want to share it.

Just in case anyone else thinks this is as cool as I do. :)

Oh wow Typ, that is super-cool, thank you for telling us about it! I have never shopped there before, but it's looking like it might be about time. :)
Love the visuals to go along with your wishlist, this is a great idea.

Does anyone have any Angelica gigas seeds? I just came across a picture of this plant and found it really interesting.

Quite a nice list typwc...and more enticing with pix! I grew Hot Biscuit a long time ago. It is sold out, I'll see if I hung onto my bag of seed. I got a huge striking specimen of it to grow that year.

OOOOH! Sally I hope you still have it!

I'm also working on a pinterest board to visually show what seeds I have, both as a personal directory and for sharing. I'm very visual and pinterest is so easy to put a picture that I have or a picture online with a short caption.

typwc, get all the fingers crossed, my first run thru the box did not turn up any Hot Biscuit.
I just cannot grow amaranth here with horrible pigweed beetles making ' shot holes' all over them.

it's all good. i'm wanting to plant so many seeds this year that my husband will need a machete to take the trash out. :)

I know I have not yet posted anything re my seeds...but I AM still busy sorting and bagging
and labeling my seeds. My DR table is full...

Here's the issue......
You all know my BIG BOX of seeds i always bring. It has an amazing amount of seeds
in it, BUT--I wanted to do a NEW box with seeds I have collected just this past
summer in my garden. There are lots! Many are the same as in the old box--just fresher.

SO--I thought I would start a new BOX with ONLY the seeds from 2013 in it.
That is what i am working on.

Here's the problem.
There are many interesting seeds in the "old box" that will not be in the new box.
and.............
There will be some 2013 seeds in the "new box" that are not in the "old box".

I may have to bring BOTH boxes--even though that will be a bit bulky.
Having a few NEW people at this year's Swap--would make this worthwhile.

The NEW seeds I have this year are:
Lobelia Cardinalis
Lady-in-red Salvia
Karen's Lg. Yellow Rudbeckia Hirta
LOTS of Frans Hals bulbils--they made a huge amount of "seeds" this past year.
LOTS of seeds from "Dorothy Rose" Columbine (I used to call these "Winky Pink).

The "Old Box" has interesting seeds in it--but some of them may be 3 or 4 years old.
I don't think that is a HUGE deterrent to germinating as they are still "good"..

A doable solution would be to remove some of the seeds from the "Old Box"
that no one ever wants anyway making a bit more room--as well as any duplicates.
Then---putting the 2013 seeds in the same box--but, maybe, in different colored envelopes?
I really would prefer just ONE box.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks, Gita

My usual Seed Box....a LOT--but easy to look through. Has pictures on each envelope.

Gita: Your seed box is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It is glorious and inspirational!

I love Gita's seed box!

Gita, if you want to combine "both" boxes, maybe just put fresher seeds at the front of each envelope (if you have older seeds of the same), and "flag" the newer ones with a little sticker or tag of some sort. (eg, an envelope with a "new" flag may have both old & new seeds or just new seeds, depending on the variety... and people who aren't *sure* they'll be able to fit that variety into their plants can take an older packet of seeds)

You're right -- most seeds are good for at least 5 years and often longer, as long as they've been stored well. I keep mine at "controlled room temperature" (A/C in summer, heat in winter), protected against water and light. (eg, they get stuffed into a chest of drawers in the living room)

Sorry I have no helpful advice, I just came here to drool over the pic of Gita's seed box. All that beautiful organization ... it's so dreamy!! < =)

Weed out some of the old ones. Most of us are repeat customers. Throw out what you think is of less interest. Get it down to one box size. Then put all the NEW ones in front and a seperator before the OLD ones.
Take it from me with my library job. You sometimes have to realize that you have more stuff than there are people interested in it.
You could maybe post a LAST CALL on some envelopes you are removing. If no one here hollers, toss them or at least leave them home in your spare box.
Just my 2 cents

I dunno Sally. I'm not a big seed person, but I do know that my interests change from year to year. I'd hate to think Gita would have gone to all that trouble, and one of us -- or someone new to the MAG -- wouldn't be able to take advantage of Gita's incredible resourcefulness just because our interests were evolving!

Thank you Jill and Sally---
Sally---your 2 cents always makes a lot of sense...

I an hesitant to toss seeds--but I should. Like--WHO in their right mind would still
want Northern Sea oats? Or--5 year old Marigold seeds? Or the Tomatillo Seeds?
Or who on Earth would like to have Garlic Chive seeds? Or--Cleomies--or Rose Campions?
These are all in the category of: Once you have them--you will always have them.

I have thought also to put a little colored sticker on the "NEW" seeds baggies IF they are mixed
in the same envelope with the older seeds. Maybe--to save time--I will just use a magic marker.

I was shopping around different el-cheapo stores today. Hit all three of them...took me hours!...:o)
Ollies---Big Lots--and DJ Liquidators. Spent a lot of $$ on stuff I can, surely, live without.
OH, well--I don't have too many exciting things going on in my life--so shopping
for bargains is my "thrill"..
I was hoping to find, among all the other things I bought, different colored envelopes. NOT!

I am confident that it will all be resolved--as it always is. You will see...You will see....
But--time is running out fast....

Maybe I could only list the seeds that are "new" on the "haves"--otherwise my list will be
way too long! Many of the seeds I have can be found on mt "Trade List"--pictures and all.
Just click on my name--and go there.
We only have,maybe, 2 or 3 new people that have not seen all my seeds--right?
You can dig through my envelopes to your heart's content and take ALL you want!

Gita

Glad we are comfortable enough to offer our various opinions!
; ^)

If Gita's piles of old seeds make her unhappy, I don't want her to suffer.

Is there any organization that would like to have my "OLD seeds"????
Maybe a school? Boy scouts" Budding gardeners in this area?

I can just see it now--if I dump them in my trash--our Land Fill here will be abloom
in colors. Lots of "fertilizer" there....

SSSHHH......I have a secret to tell you all----
Last fall, I walked around (outside the fences) of my HD and sprinkled asst. perennial
seeds right against the wall and the chain kink fence surrounding the HD outside garden.

I would love to see them sprout and bloom--BUT--I do not know who mows the
grass out there. NOT US! I imagine, anything that pops up, will be mowed down.
I tried to sprinkle them as close to the fencing as i could--but I am sure the grass trimmer
will take care of that....
One can dream....Just call me Gita Appleseed....

Gita: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/metro-rips-out-phantom-planters-flowers-at-dupont-circle-station/2013/07/06/4220cef4-e5ce-11e2-80eb-3145e2994a55_story.html

I recommend you mark the "old" seeds as "old", rather than the "new" seeds as "new", since the old seeds will never become new but the new seeds will eventually become old.

And SallyG is of course right: You should dump the older seeds if they are becoming a hassle. I just meant that you shouldn't toss them just because you think we want you to. I for one am stunned with the beauteousness of your seed box!

Don't dump them... especially not those you have bagged & tagged in their little packets! I think somebody is still running the DG "seed for newbies" effort... I've sent my extras there before and also included them when I've participated in the "piggie" swap that Starlight runs... any extras she ends up with go to "good homes," as she knows a lot of local folks who want to try things and are on a very tight budget. She also makes seed available through that swap to "survivors" who are starting over after a disaster (fire, flood, storm, that sort of thing).

I always put out a basket labeled "Free to Good Home." That's a good place to toss "older but probably good for another couple of years" seeds. If you brought 12 packets of petunia seeds and only found homes for 2, you could put a few packs in there. I also use it for my "odds & ends" -- seeds that I didn't put in my "haves" list because I only had 1 pack, or they were older, etc. People do look through that basket at the swap. I take the seeds that are left in the basket at the end and send them to one of the places I mentioned above.

Good point about marking the older seeds rather than the new ones!

When I make labels for my seed packets, I put the year I collected or purchased the seed on the label. That helps, too.

Happy--

That is a very sad story. I did not read all of it--but I got the gist.

My "old" seeds are just a bit older than "current". That means--less than 5 years old.
We all know--or should know--that 3-4-yr. old seeds will still germinate just
maybe not all of them--but that means that 70% of them will.

I have been tempted to mix the old with the new-but that seems a bit like cheating.

I think it remains for each person to be knowledgeable enough to know which
seeds WILL germinate from, say, 2009 or 2010. Also--they have to be able to
remember the conditions and the weather that may have affected this, or last year's gardens.

Who says the seeds collected from last year's (2013) crop are all going to be perfect?
Last year was a crummy gardening year. Cold spring--delayed planting out-
drought--100* temperatures...etc. Many of my seeds I collected that are "new"
may be compromised by the weather we had.
Whereas--seeds collected from 2 or 3 years ago may have been taken fro thriving,
healthy plants-and much better. It is all a gamble!

I package a generous amount of seeds in my baggies. Plant extras--and get rid of the
seedlings that do not thrive.
I do not know what else there is to really hash out.

I have 7 year old dropped seeds from Grandpa Ott MG that are still coming up.
G.

Hi Gita I will put you down for the Celosia seeds! :-)

And a fine one I am to talk...typwc wants the seeds I had a serious cupful of for couple years...surely if I had that bag she'd get a plant or two! haha

Thanks, cat.
I hope the yellow Celosia lives up to its image from your garden.
Gita