Michael, why don't you join one of the RR swap groups like FOTESS, and then after your first swap or two, offer to host? That will get you a lot of what you mention, break you in gently. LOL!

Katie

Michael -- Katie had a great idea. We could always use some fresh meat in our OBF and FOTESS swaps. And I know you've been participating in several of the Round Robins lately. That's also a great way to get your name out there. Even at this point you could host a swap and probably get a good number of people to join. I'd only been a GW member about 5 months when I hosted my first RR swap for the 4th of July. Even though it's a down month for seed trading, I had a decent turn out.

One tip, Michael. Always have your players put their name on the seed packets they submit. Most traders do that, but not all. You wont get nearly as many mislabeled, poorly packaged, old and generally undesirable seeds that way that you then have to pass on to everyone. Also, if anyone has a question about how to grow what they receive they know who to contact. It will also reduce the number of packs you accidentally send back to the original sender.

This post was edited by poisondartfrog on Wed, Nov 19, 14 at 8:08

I haven't ever hosted a swap, but have done quite a few. My favorites are the WLOMWL that Patrob does now ( I know you are already in that one), and the Wintersowing Swap that SassyButterfly has done for several years I think. I like the ones where you look at want lists either for the main swap or to gift seed.

Even though the wintersowing one isn't a wish list swap per se, it sure seems like it with the excellent seeds I have gotten in the past few years!

I have had less luck with the generic swaps where I end up getting a lot of seed that I either already have or cannot grow in my zone. It can be fun to get some real surprises, but I ended up re-trading or donating way more than I kept.

I think my dream efficient swap would function like a group gift registry...no unwanted or excess seed mailed. That would take a lot of planning, probably a database and separate website to handle it all. A lot of work for sure... if even doable.

I love the idea of a butterfly/bird swap or maybe just a natives or wildlife friendly focused swap. I have been trying to add a note if a plant is a lep host plant on my trade page lately. A lot of people compile their want lists based on catalogs or what is sold in stores and may not be aware of the value of some of these wilder plants not typically sold in mainstream seed catalogs.

An idea for a second wintersowing swap would be to do it a little later or earlier than other similar swaps. Some people are ready to swap early in the fall, and some like to wait until the winter or after the holidays. You might get two separate sets of swappers, and some overlap too.

molanic, those are two of my favorite swaps as well even tho WLOMWL swap I never did till this year so I'm anticipating the results but it seemed so straightforward and easy! I can't wait for SassyButterfly to post her swap as well, I will have to ask her for tips and maybe she will give me permission to do one after/before hers so there is two of them!

Wishlist or not, It seems it turns out much better when peoples want list are involved either in the thread or the host checks everyones lists when they swap the seeds.

I also love cottage gardening so I might try that...another idea! Katie had given me more inspiration tho on a butterfly/hummingbird/wild life themed swap aimed at host plants, nectar plants and pollinators!( I even use to hate any kind of "bee" till I found out how important they are too my garden/life so now we have an agreement to work together and try to get along! Lol)

~michael
heavenlyfarm

Michael,

I once did a wish list swap with another gw member"her idea but she didn't want to host>,It was called garden genie grant me a wish. I believe it was list your top 20 wants and players would send in seeds labeled for you if they had it.

The swap was a breeze to host because the seeds were a gift so packets/envelopes of seeds just got tossed into the players return bubbler. There was no need to count packets to return the same amount.

There was a chance you could send in 100 and only get back 20. It was nice to see how many shared not knowing if they would get anything in return! It was a very quick turn around too. I think I mailed back the day after the last envelope was taken in because there wasn't any sorting/counting involved.

I thought about doing it again this winter when I'm bored out of my tree. It would give me the chance to be rid of my excess collected seeds too.

i had an idea for a swap, based on recently packing up the WLOMWL swap...thinking that perhaps someone could do a smaller version, but adding more surprises too.

being instead of ONLY things that were on want lists, you would have to come up with a set number for each person.
say 3 packets for each participant....and maybe also say people had to submit a 25 most wanted list, or basically hone their lists to be shorter and easier to read all of them at one. the WLOMWL is great, but it certainly is a project to get it all together, and the lists are huge.

so- first off to send would be anything on their wish list, but if you didnt have anything you would guess based on their general preferences and indications what they might like. everyone sends in 3 (or whatever other number) for each of the other players. best is if its directly from their want list, and second best (but still good!) are 3 things you think they would like based on their wish list.

ideally this would return packages to people that had at least half things they were actively seeking, but also adds in that wildcard....of people trying to guess what you might like.

i suppose some of the things you get wouldnt be good guesses, but i think many people would guess well if they read the lists and tried to think of how it fit together and the general sort of thing you are looking for.

this would probably be more interesting to people who are less fussy about what they get back....and like a surprise element. one of my favorite things about round robins is how many times i have gotten something and its like - i didnt know till i got it that it was something i really wanted =)

i actually like the surprise element of group swaps...i suppose in the want list swap i try to get a certain wildcard element by adding something general like "your favorite edible" and "tea herbs" cause then i can look forward to something i didnt even know i wanted =)
tho i have also gotten things that i know i wont plant, then you have to rehome them, but thats ok...i like to give away seeds to people, and community gardens or worst case you offer a SASE.
but it might be cool, ah, somethings to think about anyway. maybe there is a swap like this already, but i havent seen it.

Wasn't it last year that Michelle talked about doing a "What's Left on my HAVE List" swap? Did that come to fruition? (and did I join in?!) LOL
WLOMWL swap kinda has that base covered, though because you can go look at others' HAVE list if they choose to update it.

Yep, I'm all in for a pollinator/hummer/wildlife gardening swap. Cuz you know me... ;)

Katie

ishareflowers, That is a great swap it sounds like!! An awesome idea!

leilahamaya, It is an awesome swap but with everyones long list by the end, my computer was freezing up as I'd scroll through it! Lol It's hard finding a balance, I think you find a lot more neater things when participants leave a little to the imagination like "favorite flower" or "hollyhocks" like without specific varieties and I've gotten some varieties that I never heard of before but loved!!!

and anyone else interested in pollinators/hummers/wildlife swap??? I should start writing stuff done for this swap I guess LOL!! so many cool ideas, I need to get them down before their gone
~Michael
heavenlyfarm

Michael and leilah, do you two use the control f feature to search the composite wish list thread? I just hit the control f buttons,type in the name of a seed I am looking to see if anyone is after and it pulls it up for you. If there are more than 1 person looking, youjust hit the next button. I find it makes it a whole lot easier than scrolling through the whole thing.

Lisa

yes i definitely used the ctrl f search feature, and also did a lot of ctrl c and ctrl v to paste.

i am certainly not complaining about the WLOMWL swap, its awesome as is....was just pointing out i had that i had that idea while working on it.
sort of like a mini version of the WLOMWL....but with a little more random element of people giving you some similar things as well as some direct from your want list. it would also be easier to host, as everyone would send in the same amount. it might also be easier for newbies ??? or those who dont have really specific rare seeds

ah well maybe its too much like the WLOMWL swap. whats left on my have list sounds interesting too.

i am not exactly all about pollinators/wildlife food, although i really love feral edibles, many of which double as wildlife food/pollinators.

ishareflowers, I tried that but my computer would only let me search the current page and wouldn't go to the next page so it was useless for me...but I did enjoy that swap! I can't wait to see what treasures it gives me!!!!! :) :) Def one I will participate in for years to come!

and I looked at the grant me a wish genie thread, it looked like an awesome swap! Any plans to do it again sometime?
~Michael

Leil, I knew what you meant! I was just checking to see that you knew about the control f. I didn't know the first year.

Michael, I am toying with it again this winter...Do you want to do it?

Lisa

Lisa, Would that be okay with you?? I would love to host it if possible, it seems simple and easy to do as a first swap!! I am thinking January for signups? I don't wanna interfere or have too many swaps going with Sassy's(Wendy) Swap coming up and the Secret Santa Swap.

I am really hoping to host a winter sowing swap tho! I plan on doing it for years to come and was a miracle way for me to start seeds this year! I am hoping Wendy gets back to me about doing my own next year along with hers.

~michael

micheal - i could be wrong here, but for me if i pressed ctrl f and i wasnt clicked on the actual page completely loaded, it would bring up the regular ctrl f search feature(you can use that on any webpage anywhere). it shows up on the bottom of the page, and will only do one page at a time (the page you are actively looking at).

if you had then pressed crtl f again, it should bring you to the search feature thats a part of google docs. that search box showed up on the right hand corner towards the top of the page.

This post was edited by leilahamaya on Mon, Nov 24, 14 at 15:35

Michael,

Why don't you go ahead and do a Winter Sowing swap after the holidays, maybe starting in January, since you have a keen interest in that? You have probably been in enough swaps to do a good job, especially since you say you are organized. I would join your swap, and I'm sure lots of others would too. If you want, you could limit the number of participants for your first time hosting.

I'm definitely interested in joining, as well.

Hi Michael,
yes, do a winter sowing swap!! I would sign-up!!

hope everyone has a great thanksgiving. There is a lot to be thankful even though some days its so hard to be thankful.

I would also sign up for a winter sowing swap unless a large variety and amount of seed is required that I don't have yet since I'm pretty new.

Michael, have at it Kiddo!

Lisa

Thank you everyone and Lisa!!
I guess I will do a winter sowing one then at the very end of december with signups till sometime in January? and then maybe the genie swap after in Spring? Idk I will see how the first one goes :) Your gonna love it!!!
~Michael
heavenlyfarm

P.S. Still waiting on Wendy tho too see about her winterswap tho before I make official plans!! :)

Great news Michael!! I know you will do a great job!!

HEY!!!

Would everybody still be interested in the winter sowing swap?? I have not had any contact with Wendy for two weeks and it is getting late for a winter sowing swap.....I hate to let this opportunity slip by, esp with any newbies this year. Signups would be till the 21st(?) and I'd hope to have them returned in the beginning of February....which is still a little late but let me know if anyone still would like to see it posted!!!

~Michael
heavenlyfarm

Go for it. Otherwise, it will be too late for folks in the south, or for seeds that require up to 90 days of cold stratification.

If you host one, I'll sign up.