Greetings, I have a question about trade lists. The tutorial I read did not address my question or at least I did not see it. Do most people just put the things they have available for trade right then or do they keep an inventory of all their plants? In my case I might not have a plant sitting there specifically for trade but could divide or even trade the whole plant for the right item. Any pros or cons you experienced Daver's would be appreciated.
Trade list question
There is the option of "will have" if that helps.
I think for the most part people understand that you might have to divide the plant or can take a cutting when you list it under "plants". Not everyone has a greenhouse and are just listing plants that they have in their yard that they are willing to share. I think when you are listing your plant in your tradelist, there is a place where you can make a comment and you can also list it as 'will have'.
You can also keep your Plant Inventory in the Journal feature and then as you have divisions available or seed collected you can Copy the journal item to your Trade List for offering it for trades.
Actually, the tutorial needs major overhauling since Dave gave us the option of creating our tradelist by going through the PDB and picking out the plants we have or are seeking.
But to answer your question, it is a matter of personal preference. Since your tradelist is in essence a small database, you can manage it however you want. Some people list only those items they have available; others list all their anticipated "tradeable" plants and seeds, even those that are "will have's".
When you run out of an item, you can remove it completely or mark it as unavailable (again, that's a personal preference depending on how you want to manage your list.) If an item is marked "unavailable" it is removed from the public's view even though you can still see it when you manage your list.
Oh yeah! Forgot about the 'unavailable' tab. I think that might be the best option.
Thank you, I like the journal idea. If I am trying to arrange a trade people can look there and if they see something/s they want. Then we can go from there. To me that is easier than, "what are you looking for or what do you have"? Is the journal a public feature that can be accessed by all members? Terry the PDB option sounds interesting. Then I suppose all the cultural, zone, and a picture is right there. Have'nt had a organized plant inventory since my list got lost somewhere in cyberspace. I appreciate the quick replies and information.
You can choose to make your Journal public or private.
http://davesgarden.com/faq/journal/#155
Used the link and it is a pretty cool feature. And it can be about gardening and non-gardening. Kind of like a scrapbook.
shadowgirl - feel free to click on my name and browse my Journal. I do a lot of work in it, but am forever behind getting in new plants, photos, etc.
I don't know how to use the journal, I think I read it but didn't understand the instructions. Anyone want to explain?
Well....since I wrote the FAQ for the Journal with Terry's help a couple of month's ago, I guess I'm not the best person to explain it!! LOL!
CaptMicha - seriously though I self-taught myself and started off just looking at a few people's journals and then started clicking buttons to see what I could do. It fell together. Every now and then I had to consult the FAQ (the old version before the one I wrote) to help me through a task.
Brenda
Brenda, Can you have pictures in your journal? It looks pretty straightforward after you get past th learning curve. I imagine you're right about playing around with it.
Loretta
Yes you can Loretta......here's an example
http://davesgarden.com/j/viewentry/28788/
Wow Brenda, you have a lot of detail in yours. I worked mine a little while last night but seemed to be stuck in Step 3. Would like to add some more categories and subctegories but can't figure out how to go back to that step. Will read the FAQ on it again. Thanks!
Here ya go.....
http://davesgarden.com/faq/journal/#148