What do you consider a fair quantity of seeds? I base the quantity I trade on what would be more than enough if I was getting that kind in exchange. These are the quantities that I use.
small seeds (e.g. salvias) 1/4 teaspoon
medium seeds (e.g. peppers) 1/2 teaspoon
large seeds (e.g. some morning glories) 25 seeds
very large seeds (e.g. wisteria) 15 seeds
bulky but lightweight seeds (e.g. cosmos) 1 tablespoon
Are these reasonable quantities? I also have stated in my trade list the quantity involved in one offer, and I figure if people want more, they can ask for more.
A Fair Quantity
Sounds good to me Kelli. I usually just dump some in the package and see if it looks like a trade I would want to recieve. LOLOL!!!!!!
Kelli, This is from the DG Seed Trading Primer: http://davesgarden.com/trading_primer/
How much seed is considered a "fair trade"?
That depends on the seed - its size, the typical germination rate, and how rare it is. A general rule of thumb is to put at least a little more than the commercial seed catalogs offer in a package of similar seed. Very tiny seeds are usually measured in fractions of a teaspoon (1/16th, 1/8th, etc.); larger seed that are easily counted should be listed as number of seed.
If your seed is rare and/or you have a small amount to trade, the general rules of thumb don't necessarily apply. Just be sure to let traders know how many seeds you can send, and they can choose whether it's worth the postage expense.
I guess I just gotta be an engineer about everything. ;-)
Actually, Kelli, I thought what you posted above sounded reasonable to me. I just added the stuff from the trading primer so you could see what someone else recommended.
I'd find it nearly impossible to measure what I had to offer against what seed companies sell. For one thing, I'd have to find their info. first...
My response was to DonnaB, but yours slipped in there before mine. Anyway, I don't really know what seed companys offer, either, and I would imagine that it varies from company to company anyways.
I am just about happy for any amount of seed I get for trade after paying for seed and getting amounts like 15 tiny seed for a few dollars.
Right, some of the commercial seed companies send practically empty packets at high prices, not naming English names. I like to think along the lines of sending a good 'start' of something. If I have plenty, I'll send more. If it is something rare, and I have 10 seeds, I'd send 4 or 5 to someone with a real interest in that item. I just received 8 Franklinia seeds in a trade and I am thrilled, if someone sent 8 cosmos that would not be so exciting.
I think it is just about impossible to predetermine the amount of seed when dealing with tiny seeds. Poppy seed is quite small, and a quarter teaspoon would be hundreds of seed... more than most people can use.
Some seeds are even smaller... like dust. I wouldn't even be able to collect a quarter teaspoon of those. The measure would vary greatly depending on how well the seed is sifted or sorted, too.
More important, in my opinion, is that the seeds be packaged well so that the they are available to plant. If the packages are leaking or the seeds are stuck to scotch tape or glue, they aren't available to plant.
I expect less seed than the seed companies because I'm paying between $1.50 and $5.00 for a package of their seed. In a trade, I am most likely getting several packages of seeds for the same amount of mine, and the actual cost is only postage.
A fair but prudent amount of seed, well packaged, means that you'll have more seeds to share with other traders.
I think the quantity should come across as generous, not stingy or miserly, especially in the case of seeds from plants which produce huge quantities of seed. Seeds from a named daylily (hemerocallis) cross, for example, are something else entirely, and anything from 1 to a few seeds are very special.
Back to communication: I once desperately needed Hibiscus dasycalyx, someone had a mere 5 seeds to spare, told me so, and I was thrilled to get them.