First year at GW, I jumped on some SASBE offers; had no seeds to offer in trade, but I'd send homemade seed envelopes, which were appreciated (or so they told me). I'm not too good at seed collecting - unless they're common, easy things like zinnias or morning glories; plus one won't get that many seed from most single plants. So I don't trade much, but have done one-on-one trades with a few people on this forum, or just privately offered seeds I may have if I see someone express a desire for them. Here on the winter sowing forum, I find that if I say "Wow, that's a pretty plant!", I'll get an email offering me seed for it if I want. Folks here are really generous. Sometimes I feel like a bit of a piker, but I figure the day will come when I can really reciprocate. Meanwhile, I still lurk and drool over at the Seed exchange ... PV

Oooohhh, I haven't had one of those brownies in a long time...may need to try them again :) I remember a looonnnggg time ago in my hippie days growing a large crop of that special "lettuce" in an old car that broke down. Used to clean out some seeds from that lettuce and some must have fallen on the floor. The car broke down and was parked out in the back lot...months later there was lots of green stuff growing! It made the perfect greenhouse. Wow we had an awesome party that night and the next and the next.... Too bad the lettuce I have growing in the basement is not the special kind. I wouldn't want the fuzz to come down on me LOL. Kim Here is a link that might be useful: Check out my blog!

Occasionally trades go wrong, but that's very rare. If it happens you handle it in private emails with one or two letters (no public cussin' or "naming names" is allowed on the seed exchange). Eventually you get your seeds. If you don't then "so what".....it's just seeds...not sport cars or mortgages. It isn't worth getting aggravated over. Don't ever take a failed trade personally. More than likely the seeds got lost in the mail, a responsible trader will offer to replace them and send another set to you. Sometimes, sadly, a trade doesn't arrive because the trader on the other side may suddenly be having a brutal time with life and that awful distraction can be enough to drive a trade out of one's head....the responsibility of the trade could be insignificant to the agonizing matters at hand. So if you do ever have a trade that doesn't work out please be very-VERY kind to the other trader when you write that the seeds haven't arrived yet. Send one reminder email...wait a couple of weeks before sending another one if it's needed, then be just as kind as you were in the first one. After that DO NOT send another reminder. Just let it slide if the seeds never arrive. The vast majority of traders are extremely generous and in just a month of trading you'll have more seeds than you know what to do with.

Seed trading is a wonderful hobby. It's an excellent way to acquire new garden seeds at a very economical cost, and friendships between traders are always rewarding. Seed trading can help you fill your seed box quickly with many different seeds, and your garden will be more beautiful than you can imagine because of all the new and exciting varieties you germinate and grow from those seeds. How do I start trading? You need to post that you have seeds available to trade. In your post you list your seeds or you ask people to look at your trade list on your GardenWeb member page. You may also add your "wish list" to your post, or add any special information that you would like your traders to know when they trade with you. How do I do it? By trading your own seeds for the seeds of another gardener. You offer a list of seeds to each other to choose from, you select what you want to trade for from the other gardener's list. The other gardener will make selections from your list. You both agree on the trade, then exchange mailing addresses. You mail your packs of seeds in protective wrapping. Use bubblewrap to encase the seed packets and place that in an envelope, or you use a padded mailer. The padding helps prevent the seeds from being crushed while in the mail. When the seed arrive you email the other trader to let them know that their seeds arrived and then your trade is complete. That's how you trade seeds....it's easy, it's fun, and it's a wonderful hobby. Trudi