About four days into the swap I start packing seeds into everybody's baggies. Each day after I add whatever else they bid on. By the time the swap is over, I have checked and rechecked everyone's baggie multiple times. This way I can mail everything out the next day. It also prompts me to look for seeds that I offered but can't find immediately. After my first swap I learned I can't leave it until the end.

luvsgrtdanes said:No @RickCorey you aren't the only one that stresses over getting the seeds packed up and mailed on time

Thanks, Ronnie! I only worried a moderate amount until I messed up one year in Ella's Hog Wild Piggy Swap. Now I worry enough!

bxncbx said:... After my first swap I learned I can't leave it until the end.

I'm still trying to get away with "just one pass" through every seed tub. If I do wait until trading has ended, then I can open the "Bok Choy" tub once and deal out all the Bok Choys. Then I open up one of the "Lettuces" tubs and deal out all of those. If I kept up with trading, I would have to open and sort through many tubs on each day of trading.






(That's a good argument for storing seeds in a binder or where you can "flip through them". But I keep mine sealed to protect against humidity swings, and I used to keep silica gel in every tub.)

But you're right, too: if "something comes up at the last minute", then there is a problem.

P.S. These are old photos. Since then, the "Lettuce Spinach & Chard" tub has been split into 2 lettuce tubs plus a "Spinach, Chard and Mâche" tub. And the "Beans" tub has overflowed, but I haven't split it yet. I wish I had some 4" O-rings for these tubs!

If anyone needs small baggies for seeds feel free to tree mail me I have 1.5x2 inch ziplocks I can share for postage. I have tons from where I used to sell seeds on ebay. Now I mostly just sale plants and cuttings so I'll have plenty to share. I should be able to ship 200 bags for around $3 maybe less.

Wow Rick! And I thought I had a lot of seeds! Mine are just in baggies in the refrigerator. I'm trying to get them down to one crisper drawer but it isn't working.

That's why before the swap I pull all swap seeds and put them in a box together. That way everything is already out and whatever isn't chosen can go back to the fridge at the end.

Please tell me you have an inventory of your seeds on your computer or in a notebook somewhere! Otherwise you've just got organized chaos .

>> Please tell me you have an inventory of your seeds on your computer or in a notebook somewhere!

Sorry, no can do.

>> Otherwise you've just got organized chaos

That would be 100% right. When I first started and had maybe 10% of what I do now, I THOUGHT about "inventory tracking". Much much too much work. Right now, the way to be sure I still have something that I listed once is to go to that tub and look.

(Usually each tub has sub-categories within it. One big bag for "Misc White Stem" Bok Choy, another bag for "Misc. Green Stem". Varieties that I have multiple packets of usually get their own sub-baggie. Varieties that came in a commercial packet with a really GOOD photo usually get to stay in their commercial packet (but that takes up extra room).)

Rick, if you weren't 3000 miles away I'd come over there and inventory your seeds for you! I just can't imagine having all those seeds & never knowing exactly what you have, the age, germination rate and other info right at your fingertips.

I inventory every year just to make sure I actually have everything in my list since I tend to give seeds away without making a notation. I find it really relaxing. And it stops me from buying/bidding on things I already have. Although, seeing all my seeds listed should stop me from getting any more but it never does.

Maybe when you retire?

Meh, usually I love any OCD-like activity. But I'm not sure how much effort it's worth to document seeds from a swap that occurred 4-5 years ago, with seeds that might have been 2-5 years old then, and only had a common name on the packet.

Right when I'm planning what I'll sow for some season, I DO want to know what I have that's relevant. So I open the relevant tub or sub-envelope and look them over, "swiping right" the packets that I might want to plant that year. Usually then I will make a list of (say) 5 varieties I might WANT to plant, and later narrow it down to 1, 2 or 3 varieties that I have ROOM to plant!

I did try to keep an "all seeds database" for a few years. Then I could tell what I had in any one category by just looking at 1-2 pages. But it was MUCH easier to buy and trade for seeds than to track what went in, how many packets were taken out, etc. One year in Ella's Piggy Swap killed the idea of keeping THAT up-to-date!

Here is how I listed seeds while I was keeping that doc current. Single-sided, usually one big cell for each variety.






It's only in the last few years that not every new crop seed went into the"Vegetables" document.
But I do keep a directory of all seed purchases, with full info on each seed type purchased.

And anything I buy in sufficient quantity to split into more than 1-2 sub-packets gets a page in my directory of "bulk seed labels". Those are double-sided labels edited to be as concise as possible.

And it's true: after I retire, I'll buy fewer seeds but document them more obsessively.
Right now, I know what I have by looking and counting (before each seed swap).

If there was a separate column for "my total inventory" in our Swap Lists, that decremented and incremented when I put items into swaps or take them back after a swap is over, I would try to keep that "current" by also editing it when I just take a packet of seeds out to sow or give away or cackle over.

Well at least you have a system in place. Once you retire you'll have a chance to build on it. But you're delusional if you think you'll buy FEWER seeds. You'll have more time to find new websites selling ever more interesting varieties. I just ordered from one today that I heard about on this website.

A lot of people on this website are "addicted" to certain plants. I'm addicted to seeds!

Yes, me too. I came up with a 12-Step Program for the affliction, but Step Twelve was to establish a breeding and selling corporation that could compete with Monsanto.

I think setting up one's own eBay seed-store was Step 7 or 8.

O. Seed D.

Ronnie - don't stress! I made it a tight deadline on purpose this time because a lax deadline lends itself to dismissal with the thought that 'oh, it is far enough away, I've got plenty of time'... and then more people are late sending them in than with a shorter time span to send them in.

>> because a lax deadline lends itself to dismissal with the thought that 'oh, it is far enough away, I've got plenty of time'...

No fair reading my mind!

I thought 3-4 times of asking/suggesting longer packing times, and each time I realized the same thing: if I HAD 10-14 days, I would put it off until a few days before the deadline. And then forget.

Okay, everyone, I'm posting a new thread (so I can keep track easily) for a tally of how many people can do a November swap for the dates I've decided upon. Details will be listed there! The thread is called "November 2016 Seed Swap Sign-Up"

Well we need 10 more people ,, who's lurking ,, who to ask ? hmmm

I want to say another forum for tomatoes advertised their swap over at GardenWeb. If so, I'll post an advertisement for this one provided no one has a problem with it.

I've been posting it all over garden.org but only on threads I feel people would be fine with it on.

KarenHolt said:I want to say another forum for tomatoes advertised their swap over at GardenWeb. If so, I'll post an advertisement for this one provided no one has a problem with it.

Karen, do you mean another forum here on NGA? or some other website? (I haven't seen anything like that, and I thought I was pretty much everywhere where tomatoes are discussed here...)

GardenWeb is another site all together. I was a member until they changed to Houzz. maybe her asking the members there will bring them here. I sure am glad I found NGA and I'm sure there is a bunch of others that will love it also.

You are correct edible. Alot of houzz members are here but not the ones that really like to trade. Hopefully they won't mind. The tomato forum is a completely different forum from garden web and here. It is it's own thing. But I really can't see how posting a swap could be a problem. I think all these forums need more active traders.

Well, I went ahead and posted it. Maybe you'll get some bites off it.