The weather outside is frightfulBut seeds are so delightful
And though it's too early to grow,
Let us sow, let us sow, let us sow!
It's time again for hosting my round-robin, snail-mail seed exchange. Here's how it works. I start the swap by placing about 30 little seed packets into a large padded envelope. I enclose the addresses of participants printed onto labels, in the order of the swap. (I also enclose directions, but it's pretty straight-forward.)
I send the envelope to the first person on the list.When the envelope arrives, that person runs gleefully from the mailbox into the house and takes out any seed packets they want, replacing them with the same number of seed packets for the next person. They then send the packet on to the next person on the list, ideally within a few days, and so on until the last person sends it back to me. I'll then pick out my share of seeds and donate what's left over to a local community garden.
You can use any kinds of seeds (veggie, herb, native, showy, perennial, annual, biennial, woody, Jack in the Beanstalk, whatever). They can be extra seeds from a apcket, seeds you collected in your garden, etc. You can enclose any amount of seeds per packet, but if you have a lot of seeds of the same type, I'd recommend dividing them into smaller amounts in multiple envelopes. You replace seeds by the number of packets you took, not the number of actual seeds. (It's also OK, for example, to take 6 packets and replace 5, or to take 5 and replace 6. Use your own judgment.) You can use any kind of envelope or packet to hold your seeds, whether the original seed packet or one you made yourself. You need to label the seeds by name and color, plus anything else you find helpful.I start the swap early to accommodate winter sowers and because it takes the envelope a while to make it from person to person.
Fine print and update: Sorry, the swap is now full. Last year, I had a ton of extra seeds. I was excited when the swap got tweeted and listed on swapping forums, and I was able to start off multiple swapping rounds for many new visitors. This year, however, I have fewer seeds to start with, so I need to add the caveat that the swap is open to "the regulars" (bloggy friends, regular commentors) in the U.S. only. (I've researched international postal regulations on mailing seeds. I can mail them out of the US (unless they're in suet cakes, of all things, which are prohibited because of the oils!). However, for me to receive multiple seed packets from outside the U.S. I would have to fill out a ton of forms from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture that essentially make me a registered seed importer (see third comment here for details). Eep, that's just too daunting!)
Thanks for everyone who signed up. I will mail off the swap the week of January 11.
Happy new year! Monica
Liebe Monica,
ReplyDeletewollte Dir auch noch ganz schnell einen Gruß und liebe Wünsche für den Jahreswechsel vorbei bringen. Ich hoffe, Du rutscht gemeinsam mit lieben Menschen gesund und munter in das Jahr 2010. Auf dass es für Dich ein wunderschönes und gesundes Jahr wird.
Vielen Dank für Deine vielen lieben Kommentare in 2009.
Deine Blogfreundin Birgit
PS: einen Extrastupp an die beiden Fellnasen
It is so nice of you, Monica! Thank you for your time!
ReplyDeleteHave a Healthy and Happy New Year!
Good Luck with your seed swap, Monica. I'm sorry to say, though a happy gardener, I'm not a sower of seeds :( Happy New Year, dear Michigan friend! (I'm off to the Northwoods tomorrow ... yippee!
ReplyDeleteCount me in. I saved some seeds just for this. Happy New Year too!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like such fun. Count me in. I have lots of seeds to share. Happy New Year Monica.
ReplyDeleteDear Monica, I'm one hour away from the New Year so high time to wish you and the sweet furbabies a very Happy and healthy New Year.
ReplyDeleteLove the whole seed swapping idea but as I'm up to my neck in seeds already I won't participate this time, OK?
BTW great that you discovered that unexpected treasure of hagel! Hope it was yummy!
Happy New Year, Monica! Hope your weather improves. It's bad here too - I've just had quite an exciting drive through the snow!
ReplyDeleteYour seed swop sounds brilliant. I would take part except that I'm terrible with planting seeds - the only time I've had success was when I was at Hortic College with access to the glasshouses - otherwise my seedlings all go mouldy!
Perry & I look forward to the 2010 Seed Swap!
ReplyDeleteYo! I'm in for the seed swap please!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Monica and thanks for organising this :)
Happy New Year Monica.
ReplyDeleteMonica, it's so nice that you can start this event. The bunnies have made off with most of my seed heads already this winter, I guess that will teach me to save them earlier next year. Oh well, I guess we can't win them all.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year and have a wonderful seed swap.
Sounds like fun Monica! I've accumulated some seeds to share so I can play this time.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
What a cool idea Monica. You're always full of good ideas! I'm not much of a seed starter though. Hope you have a great 2010!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the seed swap Monica - a great idea and so much more fun than ordering from a catalogue. Look forward to hearing about what you sow soon :)
ReplyDeleteYou know I'm in. Hopefully your bag will be there before you start the seed exchange:)
ReplyDeleteCount me in, Monica! Looking forward to participating again this year. Beckie and I had such fun last year--we sat at a local restaurant drinking coffee, surrounded by our little seed packets. I'm not sure what the rest of the customers thought of us:) I collected more seeds this year, but hastily stuffed them in some envelopes before heading off for the weekend this fall, and I hope they're okay. Looking forward to trying some winter sowing and better results with the indoor seed starting this year.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for a Happy New Year!
THis looks like loads of fun!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/BGgarden
Happy new year Monica. I hope you have loads of fun with your seed swap. I am going to hold off this year but hopefully next time I will be settled in and know what gardens I have to work with. We just moved this fall and I am still not sure what is going to pop up in the spring in the remains of the gardens here.
ReplyDeleteSeeds are piling up here for this wonderful exchange, Monica. We are getting the little envelopes from Staples this year instead of making them ourselves since we are just lazy. :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
Hi Monica, This sounds wonderful. I know how much fun you had last year... but I'm going to abstain again. I'll watch your fun, though! :-) Happy New Year!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like fun!
ReplyDeleteAaaaaargh, those st#+?6% custom regulations. I can't take part in the seed exchange, sob. I have plans to do a Nepeta cataria seed exchange next year (yes, to create a monster nip plant for the girls) and maybe I should read into these regulations too.
ReplyDeleteI'm sooo excited to participate this year! I want to try both wintersowing AND indoor seed-starting to compare results directly, so I'll need seeds and lots of them (of course I have plenty saved to share as well :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!! I would love to participate, I have lots of seeds, I love them! I collect them wherever I go!!
ReplyDeleteCount me in! gail
ReplyDelete