Sorry to ask a newbie question but have never participated in one of these before. Is there a link or old thread that briefly covers the "logistics" of this and what is required of participants?

Thanks,
Larry

Larry.
You can get an overview for several previous swaps including previous iterations of this one by going to Tools & Apps at the top of your screen and selecting Seed Swaps from the drop down menu. Scroll down under the two currently posted swaps to the list of completed swaps which will include two previous Not From The Seed Rack Swaps and others. By clicking on any of those you can read instructions and information from the hosts of any swap, and peruse threads that were posted during the swap, which will give you an idea of the flow. The topic "Important Information and Instructions" in the 2nd annual NFTSRSS is where I tried to provide explanations of how things work, with varying degrees of success. The thread "After The Swap Discussion" in 2nd Annual "Not from the Seed Rack Seed Swap" Any seeds, all members. There is also a tutorial video created by Dave explaining the swap system here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... If anything is unclear, please ask.
Alana

@ricelg! Here's some for a couple of tickets to get you started.

Hey - thanks to you both! I really appreciate you taking the time to help How welcoming!

You're very welcome. Good luck!

OK, I'm in! Is there any restrictions as to what types of seed can be offered (such as cacti, succulents, fruit, etc)?

Not at all. The more types of seeds offered the better.

Larry,
You are adding some very nice seeds to the swap already. I admire your perspicacity.

Oh goody! I'll have to go take a look. I think I'll start adding the seeds I've collected so far. Time always flies by so fast and it will be trading time before we know it!

Me too, when I have them ready I will post them. We are swapping a couple of months earlier than the last couple of years.

poisondartfrog said:Larry,
You are adding some very nice seeds to the swap already. I admire your perspicacity.

"Perspicacity" - I've learned a new word today!

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm trying to use this as my motivation to use more about propagating in general and seeds and particular. So to my max extent I'll be trying to include seeds I've personally harvested. Right now, I've been focusing more on wildflower types as those are readily available to me and I've found that sometimes these are surprisingly challenging to get.

This is the first time that I've signed up for two swaps back to back (also doing DnD's swap). Does anyone have a good system for selecting what seeds to add to one and which to another? I'm a little bit boggled right now about which seeds to list for this swap and which to put in DnD's.

Thanks, in advance, for any help!

I tried last year but did not have time to do DnD's justice. The swap system makes it easy to participate in more than one swap here at the same time, and I may try that again someday.

I think one approach would be to look at wish lists from both swaps and see if there is a trend you could follow regarding what is more interesting to each group. I would also look at seeds offered, which will give you a clue about what people like. It would also help you decide where to place seeds. If you see that something you have is already being offered in one swap you can place yours in the other.

You could also use those lists to see if there is a niche that needs to be filled. And, you can tailor your offerings to reflect the number of packets you are interested in and place more seeds where you see more that you will be dibbing for during the swap period for each swap.

I'm an over-thinker. Sorry. If it isn't too complicated I can make it so.

I haven't tried tackling more than one swap at a time (here on NGA) either so don't have any advise other than if you have plenty of certain seeds, you could offer them in both swaps. Also, you don't have to list all of your seeds right away so if the time lapse allows between the two, you might be able to add more seeds once you see what people are wanting in each swap.. I'm quite sure I've read of several members that do both swaps, so maybe some will come forward with helpful insight.

I just wanted to say thanks to @poisondartfrog for all of her great & informative posts about this swap. You are helping both to educate and keep us excited!

Here is another newbie question. I have 4 palm sized seed pods from my yellow Cala Lilies. I never bothered to save these before since I have so many bulbs that multiply each year, but I noticed a volunteer in between my petunias in my window boxes. I realized that the seeds can produce a plant and after reading articles I can see that some gardeners may want to swap these. If the seeds are not dry in time for the swap, can I still send the green, yellow, or tan pod? I read that there could be up to fifty seeds in one pod.

First- Welcome to the addicting pastime of seed collecting!

I have had people try to send seeds that were not fully dry. Unfortunately they got fungus growing on them by the time they got to me. A big mess and I worried the other seeds in the package might get infected.

You might try bringing the whole pot into the warm house for the few remaining weeks if it is getting really chilly there.

I also find I have a lot of things that ripen fast in Sept and early Oct- just a few days makes a big difference. I have a few plants where it is a race with time in the fall, whether they will ripen seeds or just rot once it is cool and rainy. This year I don't think I will get any seeds from my Sourwood tree. It is native to the Southeast USA, and does not always get enough heat here to finish off the seeds. I am watching my Toad Lily carefully, these seeds have been popular, but might not ripen in time for the swap.
Trying to dry something extra fast, like putting it in a low humidity chamber just as soon as it has been harvested, can sometimes damage the seed. Mother Nature generally dries things slower, on the plant in the late summer/autumn heat, and drying too fast can crack the seed coat. Now this is for seeds that are dried, some moist seeds Mother Nature just drops on the ground and they never dry, or they are designed to pass through an animals digestive tract. Many nuts should not be allowed to dry out.

Mary,
I have them in a cardboard box to absorb the moisture. They are already off the plant and I will watch them until we have to send the seeds in. It is in the 70's here. At least I know now not to send and risk them rotting. I have Eastern Hemlock seeds I my swap. They grow under my Oak trees. Do you think they would grow in WA? Just an FYI.