Nana, That one hint was worth my entire year's membership to DG!
How perfectly perfect! Thanks!
Suzy
CLOSED: A poll...what are your biggest complaints
Illoquin is right, why didn't I think of that!! That's great, I'm going to try it right now. I've been sitting here all afternoon trying to get chaff off little bitty seeds.
Thanks for all the help everyone. I've had so many people help me!! And everyone has really been generous
Could you use a flower frog to poke the holes, or would that tear the foil?
What a splendid idea. Up till now I used little tea sieves.....
If Dave had a tip of the month, week, day, that would be it for all three for sure. Nana3 you're a genius! Here I was, fighting with a spaggitti colander.
That's great! I added a few tags to your post, nana, so I could be sure to find it again ("seed saving, seed saving homemade sifter, dechaffing seeds"). I'll probably do a summer/fall article on seed saving (likely geared toward basil seed), and that's a tip I want to be sure to mention -- and to know who to credit for it!
I think a flower frog might be a good way to poke a bunch of holes at once, although I might be more coordinated and get better results if i stuck to poking holes one at a time... I'll have to experiment...
That is a really cool tip! I was using gravity---dump all on a paper plate, scoot everything to one side and then tilt the empty side down. Seeds would roll down to the low end and the chaff stayed mostly in place. Then I'd have to start tapping and stirring the chaff to release any stragglers. One wrong move and you could loose all the seeds by dumping them or mix it all up again.
Your sifter is a much better solution.
Swirling and gently blowing is a good way to get rid of the little stuff after sifting.
Regarding amount of seeds in a package. Generally I don't do SASBE trades. Financially, by the time you pay for postage to and from, you would be better off buying the seeds at the store. So unless you get LOTS of seeds, you probably do feel ripped off.
On the other hand, I don't usually want 50 of anything :-)
So, if it is a special seed I want, rather than spend a bunch of money for a few seeds in a trade, I will buy LOTS - like 1000 seeds from a wholesale seed business. Then I break these into smaller packages I can trade - usually 20 to 25 seeds per package. If anyone needs 50 plants, they need only ask for 2 or 3 packages.
I then use these seeds in big seed swaps, which seem like the most fun and the most economic sense.
Often, I receive really wonderful seeds in trade - and LOTS of them - but I only want 15 or so, so I take my 15 or 20 or whatever, and mark on the outside that I have removed X amount. I then pass them along in a swap. I never expect to get a one-for-one return. I might send in 20 packages and get more back, or I might send in more and get fewer back. That's okay with me :-) Following the example of many great DG members, I have also sent seeds to people at my own expense and not expected (or even wanted) compensation in either stamps, currency, or seeds. It's just spreading the fun around. :-)
From Seandor - who is frugal, but not cheap! (just ask DH hahhaha)
Now that I think about it, this was addressed before. Some of you might have visited the thread, but some may be interested in looking it over.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/801012/
Seander, I still remember how excited I was to get your seeds. You sent me several different ones and you'll be glad to know some of them are already coming up in my ws pots.
I have to say, everyone has really been good to me. Got a trade from Ansonfan yesterday, I almost fell down, she sent me so much really good stuff. I told her I would" pay it forward" and if we all do that trading will be lots more fun. I can't wait till I have enough to send out to people like me!!
Do any of you ever go in together to buy the big packs of seeds or are they not expensive enough to do it. Where do you get yours?
Gram -- since i've only been swapping seeds less than a year, i don't have many complaints, but have just found a minor "irritation" .
while I am just happy to get any new seed .... I have found that a few, only a few mind you ... where i can not read the hand writing on the package.
no name, so i can't contact the person, and the 'script' handwriting is illegible ... i can guess a few of the letters and will try to do a search... so i guess i'd like to toss in the mix,
try to write legibly or type up labels, and include your DH name so a person can contact you if need be.
If the 'sender' does not include a lot of data for the seed, try to include at least the scientific name. then it's easier to search.
I go into Word on my computer and just put a whole page of the instructions for the front and my d-mail. Then you have them and don't have to worry about anyone not being able to read it
I have some big labels, 10 on a page. Each one can hold two If you want to print a whole page of same thing, you can get 20. If you want different labels, you'll just have to spend a minute figureing out where to put it on paper so it will be on the labels when it prints.
Now, are you all as confused as I am. Anyway, I like it, cause if I need to fix a trade, I've usually got one ready, just take it off and there you go
misty, thanks for that link. I'll read thru that thread as soon as I get a chance.
I do so many things wrong, but I only have one thing that upsets me. . That is folks that are , trying in there own special way to be extra nice and send a piece of candy in with the seeds. I have received things like tiny choclate bars, which I love, gum and even them soft chew candies.
In th e winter it not so bad, the temps are cool and they will hold their shape, but in the summer, it is a whole different story.
There nothign more sad than finally abel to get soe special seeds ya been waiting for everfor only to have to trash them becaus e the candy inside melted and made a big mes s over the envelope and the seeds that were wrapped in a piece of paper.
grampapa, you are quite welcome! :)
I just came upon this Thread. Much good information on it--to learn from! Just read the WHOLE thing!
I trade seeds only occasionally, but mostly give them away just for reimbursement of postage, as I have a hard time dealing with the "greed factor" if I advertise I have such and such seeds on the Seed Exchange Forum. Seems so many people want what you have--just to have them! I prefer to announce any seeds I have to share in my local, regional Thread instead--Mid Atlantic Forum.
As far as sifting through very small seeds, you can buy a sieve meant for tea, or such. It should work for minute seeds. "Blowing" on seeds to separate chafe from them does not always work, as many of the small seeds are just as light as the chafe and you will just blow them all over the place and lose them. Then what???
I agree that, if you have limited seeds or some with chafe, you should post that as you "advertise" them for trade or SASE.
Most of the seeds I offer are from my own garden and i have plenty of them. I have NEVER counted just how many seeds I have when I package them. You will probably get 50 or 100!
gita
Hello All,I would like to so that this is a great thread...I now know all the things I did wrong when sending seeds. I am new to this but learning fast. I am truly sorry for my bad ways. :*)
Kim
I do have to add.... .the 1 seed baggie that i could not fully read... i just typed in the letters i could read, and guestimate on the other letters, and i actually FOUND the correct plant. google is truly amazing.
I have also been guilty of putting common names on the seeds and no botanical name.
If the chinese lantern were from me Seandor they were Physalis franchetii var. Gigantea. and they were in a glassine eny.I will from now on try to get the right names on my Round Robins. I don't usually do individual trades. I also try to do 20 in an envy on small seeds and 8 or more on large seeds. Rarer seeds I may do as little as 5. If I have only 3 of the rarer seeds to share in a round robin box I make a note that they are rare. (to Me) In my few one on one trades if I sent less than standard numbers I advised them up front.
My pet peave is the tiny folded envys. Please use larger bags are paper envelopes. anything 2x2 or 2x3 would be nice. These are easier to handle and read the seed name and giver.
Thanks for the info Riverland - I am delighted that these are the favourite of our youngest DD. She is thrilled! :-)
so welcome. sorry about the name we all learn as we go.
No big deal - I really wanted Chinese Lanterns - we call them by the same name - so when I went to the Plant file to see how to care for them I was suddenly confronted with three options . . . who knew? I certainly didn't. I would have been happy with any of the three :-) I only wished to know how to care for them
Now I am truly delighted because now I know they are the seeds I was hoping for.
I am most grateful! Thank you sooo much :-)
I never used latin terms before either. I still can't pronounce them, but increasingly I recognize them :-)
Cheers,
Seandor
I figured out pretty fast latin is where you have to go, especially when your talking to someone from a foreign country. More than a few non-USA people here.
Good point Core,
My DH is in the gardening business, so many plants I only know by their latin names.
My peeves:
1) Clearly marking the packet as to what it is (botanical name or common name does not matter, but if it is a certain color, put it on the packet)
2) Not sending enough seed
3) Not sending viable seed
4) Not sending promptly ... I've had tons of excuses after excuses
5) Not providing feedback in the Feedback area
6) Send what was agreed upon, not something else considered a substitute
7) If you don't have it, don't offer to trade it
8) Send cleaned seed. Don't send bugs, stems, leaves... etc
I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of ATM.
Donna
Donna,
Where can I find the feedback area? I can't find it!
Thanks!
Hey Tuink!
If you go to someone's member page it says leave feedbck for this member on left side with other member info.
OK, thank you Flowerhead!
I have to admit... I dont do the feedbacks. I think 1 or 2
I guess that ever after a year here. i still consider myself "new" as i have yet to "figure" out all of Daves.
I'm guilty of that too! But maybe we should do that more often, also when we're not entirely satisfied. We traders can learn a lot from it....
After I read that I started looking through my dmail and started posing feedabck. I found some I thought I had done long ago, but NOPE! I will redeem myself.
I do not put directions in my seeds, and I feel if I ever did I would never get around to trading! I hope no one hates that.
I too like latin name and color included.
Wow, I was afraid I would get a blast of complaints and instead it's a great of thread of thoughtful input. thanks to all who are responding. I'm going to keep it going for a while to see who drops in.
I don't include any instructions, although it's nice of the folks who do. If I find any special tips, I may start to add those. I figure if the latin name is clear, there is a lot of info available here and other places on the web. Color is important, though. It's a shame to plant something for your pastel garden only to find it's neon orange when it blooms.
I'm really appreciating how many people are saying the Latin name is important. Usually when I mention it, I just get complaints about how people don't care what the "real" name is, they just want to grow pretty flowers. I've got an article scheduled next month about the importance of knowing and using botanical names for plants... maybe it won't be as hard a "sell" as I'd thought! LOL
As a new gardener, when someone knows a seed may not "come true" or knows that it will and includes a statement to that fact, I really appreciate that tidbit of infor. As for as a lot of information, well it's great if someone has the time to do that. Otherwise, the botanical name, DG name, year harvested or "accquired from status" is all that I would need. I enjoy the seed research part of learning to garden.
Rule of thumb is that with hybrids you'll never be sure the seeds will come true. If you want to be really certain, you'll have to stick to the species!
I always use the Latin names because the names in my language and English simply differ too much. I may literarily translate them but most of the times this will be a whole different plant. So hurray for Latin!
Got two trades today. No d-mail name anyway, and of course I don't know their "other" name. I guess is a sase tradebecause there is an envelope and $1 in there.
There's another one that has seeds in it, but have no idea where it came from, because no name, not D-name not any name. Plus the flower packets are written in German. So, now I have to learn German too.
I'm not being mean, and I know since I've only been here a short time I've done so many things wrong
But if everyone would at least put their d-mail name we could figure it out. Now all I have to do is go through all my d-mails and try and find one from Germany , and another from Canada.
Lorraine, I could help you translate the German packets (Oops, there I go again!)
Don't tell me you do that too!!! What am I gonna do.
Actually, I have a sister in law whose mom is from Germany, s she'll do it. I just wanted to complain. Took my mean pill and my gripy pill.
I just don't want to leave anyone waiting for seeds while I'm trying to find out who they are
Lorraine your showing several things not to do at once. Nice. Not putting your D-mail in it somewhere is just not a smart move.