Oh- thanks for the reminder to change my Wish List- I got rid of all the ones I got, and now I have re- starred the others.
I did something yesterday before the swap that was helpful- I printed the list, then wrote on it the order for my bidding, since I did not know if I would get everything I wanted (I did!) plus I thought I might get more tickets if people bought my seeds, but I did not know how many. Then I could quickly look at my list and bid on things in the proper order. It worked pretty well, I "sold" lots of seeds and so I got to get more. Is that how y'all do it?

Mary, I can't speak for others, but that is how I do it. I usually write down a few extra in case one of the ones I want is gone before I get to it or in case I get extra tickets to spend.

That's not how I do but will now since it's a great idea

After I see my wish list, I often change my priorities.

For example, I have quite a few spinach varieties starred now, but there are other things I'm more eager to get, now that I see how MANY I starred!

My second day, I feel about 1/2 as urgent as I do the first day.

By the third or fourth day, I have most of what I wanted a lot, and most of the rest of the "VERY eager" items are taken, so I'm one third as urgent.

By the fourth or fifth day, I'm weighing how soon I'll realistically get them into the ground, vs. leaving them in the swap for someone else to give a better home to.

I have sold 11 and bought ten , I am browsing slowly still have plenty of tickets , I am trying to go at this without being overexcited ,

Yeah , I know , wrong thread , oops

I unstar what I bought, then go back and repriortize what I want. Everything is always a 5 star that I want, then I skim all the 4 stars which are always my next choice when a 5 is gone.

Jim -- Unexcited!?!? How is that possible!? LOL

Val, note that he said he was trying not to be overexcited...he didn't say whether or not he succeeded in that, LoL!

Hey this is fun! I also "sold" a few things overnight too and just "bought" two more.

For all you who might be feeling sad that either you did not offer much, or it does not seem popular so far, I would say this. I love having you here. We are all amateurs in a club, learning and having fun as we go. It varies who is in a swap, sometimes lots of folks totally into tomatoes, or mostly annual flowers. Does not matter. I enjoy figuring out how to save seeds, and I am into trying odd perennials and I live in a mild climate, so I offer lots and so far they seem popular. I always save more than enough, usually package up 6 (one for me), so if I can pass these along to others to try I feel great. The time investment is all in collecting, threshing and packaging and labeling. Now I have a system, it only takes about one minute to divide them into the packets, and I bought a box of 2000 envelopes last year. Lets say you are new to gardening, this is a fabulous way to get seeds, let's say you are on a tight budget, for $14 you get lots of things to try. Let's say you have only a patio, this is a way to try several things that are new to you. It's all good. Even if you did not offer much, and there is no chance you might have more to offer next year or ever, I still like having you here and I hope you will do it next year too.

If you are wondering how to "sell" more seeds next time, spend a half hour looking at what went in the first day or two (use the recent events list for this). I found the most popular things I had, the first day, were commercial seeds of rather unusual things. I had put in an order to Plant World Seeds this fall, dividing up just a few seeds for an extra packet for the swap, and they went like hotcakes. The second day, it was more the things I had collected myself from unusual perennials, and a few shrubs and a tree. Last year I recall after the first few days I sold more of common things like cosmos. I did not bother saving them this year because I figured someone else would offer them. But don't worry about selling lots more seeds, you get enough tickets that you can get all kinds of things without offering the most desirable seeds. I have learned a lot from the swaps, looking things up that are offered, reading peoples comments, and I bet you have too.

Fall leaves on my Sourwood Tree:

lunchtime Val, and it is not possible to not be excited at all the seed possibilities .

Libby I think I succeeded , only my interest turns to this all the time .

I agree with Pistil. Don't worry if you don't have a lot of seeds or they don't seem all that popular. That will change with time! The more seeds you get and grow, the more variety you'll have to offer!

Unusual things always go quickest, especially if there are only 1-2 packs offered. It doesn't mean the other seeds aren't wanted necessarily. If I see that 20 packs are offered I'm not going to bid on it the first couple of nights since I'm pretty sure it will still be around on night 4 or 5.

If you really want to "sell" your seeds a picture and a description helps a lot! Even some information about how well it grew in your garden might be just the thing to make someone want your seed.

I have a tiny garden compared to most people so a lot of things others can grow take up too much space for me. It's not that I wouldn't want to grow them, I just don't have the space. So I have to stick to mostly dwarf varieties of annuals. Perennials tend to get too tall or spread too much. I have a creeping phlox that I love but is creeping way more than I want it to! So now I know to avoid a lot of creepers.

And we are definitely all learning how to save seed. I was going to try and offer some dahlia seeds from the plants I grew this year. Didn't happen because I got a whopping 6 seeds from 4 plants! I'm not sure why since the bees have been mighty busy. Either I'm thinking seeds are bad when they are good or I'm not collecting them early enough. I'm not sure which.

I have sold a few seeds for postage , Only I cannot keep up with that either most of the time , I could give a bunch of excuses , but like many , I am not thrilled with my excuses to myself ,

It sets as larger plants do better here , Or , the Type that invade , Getting what will grow together is the thing for me here ,
Most of my seeds are viable and grow , I have grown several I have seen the difference of regular purchased seeds and the Hybrid seed you can get from your own grown plants
I can't say much for the germination rates of most of mine Vegetables are okay , my flower seeds i try enough that anyone will get a few plants ,

Most of mine are usual , however , sometimes their not easily available , I have seen a lot of well liked seeds or plants disappear from the market from time to time , Makes this nice ,

I really hope all the new folks are having a good time and are happy with what they are getting. I know the first time seems a bit intimidating, but it really is all fun. Everyone is right about the seeds. I love to share my garden with everyone. The first swap, I had just as much or maybe less to offer than most of you. It was still fun and I'm so happy I hung in there for it. I do try to offer a bit more of what came directly from my garden. I'd like for you all to have a chance at something nice without having to bid on it the first couple of days. Those first couple of days are for 1 trade offers, lol. I do hope you all come back again as I really have enjoyed the offerings by everyone.

I've done the swaps where everyone sends their extras in and the host divides the packets among all the players. I love the surprise of getting a bunch of unknown varieties, but the excitement of this way is fun, too.

I did a couple Jugs of the Red Garlic (hard Garlic) , I had 2, 2x2 baggies leftover , so their added to the swap I have more in the garden besides the Jugs I planted today
I am having some fun watching and Browsing
Some seasons all things grow , others only a few . A plant says , no seeds this year , next season same plant , have a grocery bag full

Lisa,

I thought you might find this interesting. Last year I got the Fresh Look Red celosia from you in Alana's swap. I winter sowed it and this is what made it through the rains. I thought it was really stunning and really enjoyed it this year. It's still in bloom although it is ready to croak. She's had a nice long summer and given her all.

Karen, that's beautiful!

Thank you. She really was one of my more stunning flowers this year. She just kept on going no matter the heat.

I agree, Karen...
That's just GORGEOUS!

You all are so warm and welcoming. I'm a thrilled newbie.

I got my NARR prize today - seeds from Victory Seeds. I got 2 packets of Deer Resistant Wildflower Mix. Those things are stuffed! Well over an ounce each. My first thought was, "I can share these in the Jan. swap!"