Winter Sowing Seed Swap

Hi Critter,
I don't think anyone would mind getting seeds from last year.
Sounds like you have a nice selection collected already.
Alice

Good! I wouldn't include them if I didn't think they looked good or didn't trust their germination... But both the Linaria (toadflax) and the Celosia argentea (Flamingo Flower) came up so well from WS seed that it would be a shame not to include them!

Am I too late? There are some late bloomers in my garden that make gorgeous perennials and self-sow like Actea 'Elstead' (syn. Cimifuga - dusky purple leaves and stems, wonderfully fragrant creamy bottlebrush flowers white blushed pale pink; mid-September), etc. I always think it's such a shame to waste all those seeds.

And then, there's Lobelia syphilitica with no disease or insect problems, tolerant of wide spectrum of conditions as long as it doesn't get too dry, a late-summer blue close to color of sky...Lobelia cardinalis has self-sowed here, so I would think L. syphilitica would be a good bet.

bluespiral makes number 19, we have one spot still open.
Alice

Ill be the 20th if you all will have me. Thanks Blue for th heads up!
Caren

Glad to have you with us, Caren.
Okay, we got our 20.
Alice

Questions: What type of envelopes are ok? Do tiny plastic baggies (which I have a lot of) steam the seeds? If so, where do you get paper envelopes, or whatever else you use?

This afternoon I gathered a bunch of teeny Penstemmon smallii seeds... I wintersowed this one from seeds that Gerris2 shared with me, and I love it! It blooms at exactly the same time as my Salvia 'Caradonna', and the two shades of purple look great next to each other!

Here's a look at the Penstemmon in my driveway bed...

I use little zip-top baggies all the time for seeds, and they're fine, but make sure your seeds are all the way dry before bagging or you can end up with mold & yuk.

Hmmm, I see photos aren't going through tonight... maybe the picture will come up on the above post tomorrow!

Thanks!

The paper coin envelopes can be gotten at any business supply store like Staples. I like that you can write all the information on the outside of the envelope (both sides if needed). The glycene envelopes can be purchased on-line. With these, you would need to write the information on a small slip of paper and put it inside the glycene envelope. Here is a link to printable seed packets. Just make sure that the edges are secure so that the seed does not fall out of the packet. http://davesgarden.com/files/seedpackets/

And if you make your own seed packets, please use a design with tabs to fold over and tape/glue down... folding a piece of paper in half and taping around the edges results in little seeds getting irretrievably stuck to the scotch tape. (I know I've mentioned this before, and I'll probably say it again, LOL.)

The glycine envelopes are the ones that stamp collectors use, right? They're really good for teeny seeds that tend to cling to the inside of a plastic seed baggie... Some folks (like the amazing Weezingreens) put little seeds into this type of envelope before enclosing it in a DIY paper packet with info printed on it.

I use craft baggies from Wally world. I have found some with a white strip so I can write easily and at about $1.00 for a hundred. (I think?) Really its all about the fun of trading, I don't care how it comes so long as its not crushed lol!
caren

Yes! Our WalMart carries them also (the trick is to look in the craft department), but they are the plain kind.... If I want a white strip to write on, I have to go to Staples and pay double, LOL.

I've done hundreds of seed trades and have gotten seeds in every type of package imaginable....tea bag wrappers, bank deposit envelopes, instant oatmeal packages, the most unique was just a couple of weeks ago...a coin wrapper.
I say whatever works for you.
Alice

Sounds like fun!

I see a crazy seed package in the near future. How about some Bubble gum wrappers?? I think my oddest was a strip of tape with a bunch of seeds stuck to it nicely placed into a non padded enve. I had a good laugh!

Well, darn. I think I'm the only one from zone 4. It should be interesting to see what kind of seeds I get. Did anyone say, PLEASE make sure when you send your seeds to use bubble wrap or a bubble envelope. I just received a trade that was crushed to pieces. The newbies just don't know what happens to seeds when they go through those machines.

Critter, Herbie43 sent me pepper seeds he got from you in a trade last year. It was a thank you for helping him on the way to a container flower garden addiction. I certainly wouldn't mind older seed, especially for winter sowing.

I have both zip plastic and glycine. I prefer the plastic, but that's a good tip on the really small seeds that stick to the plastic and will keep that in mind from now on.

This newbie used to sort mail, so I get the nice clerk to hand cancel, and write it on the envelope so it probably won't go through the sorters. I might use genuine Martin mandolin string envelopes LOL, not those cheap ones

"Hand cancelled" envelopes cost an extra 13 cents postage whether they are standard size or BE, and I've found that writing "please hand cancel" and putting the extra postage on an ordinary envelope still does not guarantee it won't get put through the machines. Sorting is done so quickly that I think using a BE or at least a larger envelope is a good idea, and I think the trading primer says as much.

If your seeds are all little, you might have to pay only 52 cents (under 1 oz) postage for your outgoing BE with 20 packets, but please include 63 cents return postage (up to 2 oz, which should be sufficient?). And don't use prepaid metered labels for return postage; that's not actually legal and most POs won't accept them.

Actually, I think all of this is in the Trading Primer... if you're new to seed trading, please take a moment to read the primer. :-)

This is going to be fun!

I don't understand about the return postage. If I'm trading with someone, I usually don't send any postage. Am I suppose to if both sides are sending something? I always take my envelopes to the Post Office and they apply the postage. Is the 63 cents for when sending a self addressed stamped envelope?

This is a swap, so it's a little different. Everyone sends their BE with 20 packets to Alice, who mixes them up and puts 20 packets (from everyone else) back into your envelope. The return postage is for Alice to send your BE back to you.

So, a swap will cost you the same postage as 2 individual trades, but you'll end up with a wider assortment of seeds with 20 people participating. And it's just fun.

Does that clear it up?

And when I send seeds for SASBE, I generally ask for 52 cents in loose postage or 63 cents if I;m sending heavy seeds or many packets and think it might weigh between 1 & 2 oz.

For anyone who's new to trading or mailing seeds,here's a link to the Seed Trading Primer : http://davesgarden.com/trading/primer/

I don't envy you, Alicewho, trying not to send seeds back to the same person who sent them, LOL ! 400 packs of seeds...

I'm surprised 63 cents covers it, but I'll take your word for it, critterologist. I was looking at some envelopes from trades and sasbes, and realized I always just put in a bunch of loose stamps, probably too many. Those bubble envelopes are as light as a (big) feather

Claypa thanks for the link, never knew it exsisted.
cg

Claypa, it shouldn't be too difficult to keep everyone's seeds separate and try not to return to them any of the seeds that they sent in. It would be helpful if everyone remembered to include their member name. And to write 'WS SWAP' on the bubble envelope they send. And what is a "Martin mandolin string envelope"? Don't think I've heard of that one.

And just as Critter posted, please include loose postage, no metered mail label please. And don't forget to include an address label.

Brent....have to warn you about mail from VA to SC. I've done 3 seed trades this summer with 3 different people from VA and while my end of the trade got there in normal time, all of theirs took 21-24 days to get from VA to SC. I have no clue why but thought I'd give up a head's up on the recent mail delays.

I think it will be interesting and fun to see what kind of seeds everyone gets. I'm going to try and remember to mark the containers with the name of the seed sender as I winter sow them this year so if I have photo's of them to share next year, I'll know who to thank.
Alice

I guess I need to get cracking on preparing some seeds! I have been throwing seed heads in paper sacks to let them dry. I had not planned on trading or I would have saved more, but I should have plenty.

BTW, I don't care if your seeds have chaff. A few years ago I joined in some SASE offers. Many of the seeds were tiny little things with absolutely no chaff. I wondered how much time the person took separating seeds. When sowing seeds that I have collected I often just crumble the seed heads into the dirt. For this swap, I will try to separate out the seeds, but I don't make any promises that they will be "chaff free".

Also...thinking about the number 20. If there are 20 people and we each send 20 packs and we each get 20 packs back then we will either get 2 packs from someone or we will get one of our own packs back. Does that sound right?

And finally...it might be a good idea to add a note to the first post stating that the swap is full.

- Brent

I am going to try my best to send 20 different kinds of seeds, but if I can't I know I am not sending 20 of the same kind.

As far as the chaff goes, I try to get as much out as possible, but there are just some I can't lol I don't even try to, cause they are just to to tiny.

Is anybody else getting as excited as I am (rubbing hands together :o)

cg
dh hubby must have got cold last night, he turned our heat on.

I don't mind chaff at all and some are impossible to completely clean. And while I can't promise that you won't have any duplicates in the ones you receive, I don't think it'll will be much of a problem. If necessary, I have a huge supply of seeds to help supplement. Which means you'll probably get more than 20 in return.
Alice

:o)

Im not picky about chaff. So long as its dry Ill take the whole seed head LOL!

OK...being a newbie at this, can I just give an alibi ahead of time, just in case I make a mistake with the sends! :0)...Seriously, I have read the instructions on the threads given above, and will be diligent. Thanks to all for the additional info!

Edited for correct spacing.

This message was edited Sep 20, 2006 4:44 PM

LOL, I've just been dechaffing seeds for this swap... I'm not going for perfection either, but I'm trying to end up with a pile containing far more seeds than chaff! ;-)

Alice, I don't know if they're WSable or not since I generally start them indoors, but if you'd like any basil varieties for your own use I'd be happy to include them in the envelope....

Basil is very WSable.

One can go nearly blind separating chaff from tiny seeds. The bigger the seed, the easier it is to remove the chaff. I'm sure participants will make good judgement calls.

OK, now understand about the return postage. The next hurdle is the label. I think getting the seeds together is going to be easier than the envelope, LOL.

And just to summarize:

o Use a bubble envelope or bubble wrap to send seeds to Alice;
o Include 20 packets of seed;
o The amount of seed is whatever you feel comfortable with. If you are looking for guidelines, see the Seed Trading Primer in Extras;
o Can be all one seed type or different seed types;
o You can use anything for seed packs, but make sure they won't fall out and tape is not in a location where seeds could stick. The glycine envelopes work best for tiny seeds as opposed to plastic;
o Identify each seed pack with the contents and include your DG name (see Shirley's post on 9/15 at 4:22);
o Include 63 cents in postage not coin;
o Include a mailing label with your own address on it;
o Do not use scotch tape to seal a reused bubbleenvelope; and
o Write WS Swap on outside of the envelope sent to Alice.


Alice, I also had trouble this spring with envelopes between Minnesota and New York and Texas. I don't think it's a VA only problem and I complain about it every time I walk into the Post Office. In fact, I had a long delay just sending an envelope across town! One of the guys told me that they really hate handling the bubble envelopes. He didn't say why.

This message was edited Sep 22, 2006 11:11 AM

This message was edited Sep 22, 2006 11:13 AM

Shirley - you are sooo right... I've been working on campanula seeds tonight & they are sooo smalll!!!!! I have a set of measuring spoons that have "a pinch", "a smidge", & "a drop", and there's probably 100 seeds in a drop!

OK, I'll see if I get the basil seed harvested & dechaffed in time for this swap... but that's usually more of a "snow day" task.

Beaker, I think you covered everything, great summary! And yes, please put your DG name on the packet. It'll make it easier for Alice to sort them out, and it's also nice to know where plants/seeds come from... a lot of tags in my garden have a DG name in the bottom corner!

Yea, this swap has been getting me excited about winter sowing! I figured that I could harvest seeds from a few plants, and that maybe I would purchase a few packs in late winter. Now I am looking harder for plants to harvest and looking forward to my 20-pack Christmas present!

I have been separating seeds for the last hour or two. I made a mistake and started with some Monarda...I got a few things that might be seeds before I gave up. It got better after that and I was able to prepare 5 different types of seeds.

- Brent

Critter, thanks for the offer but I'm not doing any culinary herbs next year.

Beaker, you've got it all covered. But I wouldn't stress so much over the amount of seeds, not everyone has large amounts or even need large amounts in return, just keep it fun. And something else you may want to add to you list is that if you re-use a bubble mailer, scotch tape does not hold up well when used on them.

Snow Day? Trying to remember the last snow day we had here, it was probably about 7+ years ago.
Alice

OK... but those compact basils ('Minette', 'Window Box', 'Spicy Globe', 'Greek') are awfully cute in containers or border plantings! Half my basils were planted more for ornamental than culinary purposes, although all are fragrant & tasty!

edited to add a Thank You to Sequee for sharing seeds for 'Window Box' basil with me -- it's a winner! :-)

This message was edited Sep 20, 2006 11:28 PM

May I ditto Critter on how ornamental some "edible" plants can be with my 2 cents?

One of the prettiest combinations this summer for us has been a little path edged in alpine strawberries from Critter (one clump divided into a bunch last summer)(thank you Jill). Inside the corner "L's" of these berries, on opposite sides of the path, lemon grass fountains to about 4'. Pineapple sage backs the lemon grass to the left and African Blue basil reflects it on the other side of the path. Two bamboo uprights with a bamboo crossbar rise up from the sage and lemon grass with a solid-throat, red Scarlet O'Hara morning glory from Ron_Convolvulacea. The path steps down to beds buttressed by stone where the old well used to be, and there, in a tiny space, is quite a collection of thymes from Critter rambling over the stones among winter savory, lavender, rosemary, etc, around a tiny pool with a waterlily, a small, narrow cattail from Dravencat, and Ipomoea aquatica from Ron_Convolvulacea. To the left of that is a small, shady patio sunk into the hill with a half-whisky barrel of silvery Plectranthus argentatus, double white impatiens and the one thing that gives it zing: Coleus Magilla Perrilla from Shirley1md (thank you Shirley).

Certain herbs and vegetables can layer an ornamental association of plants with "other-when" times and styles. There's a hint of the castle's potager or cloister's herb garden that these plants can add (and with our jungle, I'm using the term "hint" very loosely).