Welcome! Welcome to WinterSwap 2012 !!
Let's get the basics out of the way so we can get to the seeds!
The rules are long and detailed in order to avoid any confusion for our newbies. For the seasoned veterans you can scan for the basics and feel free to post if you have any questions or suggestions.
Rule#1 ~ Have FUN with this swap!!
Rule#2 ~ Post here if you wish to join. Tell us your name and how long you have been wintersowing. Then send me an email (found on my GW member page) with 'WinterSwap' in the subject line. Send me your gardenweb ID, your name and mailing address. I will respond with a copy of the rules and my mailing address. Please post here if you do not receive an email from me and I will do the same if I have not received one from you.
Rule#3 ~ Sign-ups will be allowed until November 20th. Packages MUST be mailed to me no later than November 27th. I will have the packages back in the mail to you for arrival by December 22nd, this year's Winter Solstice.
Rule#4 ~ Please update your Gardenweb trade pages. Update those wish lists and your seeds available for trade. *IF* you wish people to contact you for side trades, please say that in your post here.
Rule#5 ~ Please mail your packets in a bubble mailer no smaller than 6x9. Please include a mailing label with your return address on it. Please include a minimum of 6-8 stamps for the return trip. If you request a delivery confirmation on your return package, please include an additional 2 stamps and a note stating you want one. You will most likely be receiving more back than what you submit, especially if you have side swaps. Please keep that additional weight in mind and include even more stamps if you feel it is necessary. Any postage left will be returned to you.
Rule#6 ~ Seed varieties should be limited to flowers, bushes/shrubbery (azaleas, spirea, beauty berry, etc.) or fruit bearing trees and plants. As far as edibles go, let's stick to fruit seeds and tomatoes as those seem to do the best with the winter sowing technique and the tomatoes seemed to be a crowd favorite last year.
Rule#7 ~ You may send in up to 40 packets of flowers, bushes/shrubbery, and/or fruit seeds. You may also send in up to 10 packs of tomato seeds. To clarify, send in UP TO 40 packs of flower/bush/fruit seeds and UP TO 10 packs of tomato seeds for a TOTAL MAXIMUM amount of 50 packs of seed per player.
Rule#8 ~ Please send in no more than 3 packs of seed per named variety. To clarify - you may send in 3 packs of 'Crazy' Daisy or if you have 3 DIFFERENT types of daisies in your stash, you may send in 3 packs PER variety. NO 'Unknown' Mixes are allowed. Please do not send in packs labeled 'Cleome Mix' or 'Morning Glory Mix' or 'Wildflower Mix'. Let's try to WOW each other at least a little bit with our contributions. If YOU would be pleased to receive it, chances are someone else will be too. This is not a clean-your-seed-box-out kind of swap.. (there will be an opportunity for that below). It's meant to be a means to swap some great varieties of all sorts so that we can all share our gardens with one another.
Rule#9 ~ Your packets should include the following information: (and if they don't, I will send you back 50 packs of Black Eyed Susan seeds. ) (JUST KIDDING!!!..but I do have a LOT to share..lol !!)
You packets should include:
--Your Gardenweb ID (if you don't mind!)Might be helpful to those of us that might want to contact a seed trader for more information on the particular plant.
--Seed Variety name. Botanical name too if you happen to know it. Any known info re: height, shade or p/shade or full sun. Color of flower might be nice.
--YEAR seed was harvested. No seeds older than 2011 please!
--One of the following three codes:
--(C) for Commercial Seed
--(T) for seed obtained by Trade
--(G) for seed grown in your own Garden
Rule#10 ~ Please send in a 'SENT' list with all the varieties listed that you have sent in for the swap. This will also help me to keep from returning your own seed back to you.
Rule#11 ~ Please also send in a 'WISH' list of up to 20 items and up to 10 specific tomato varieties that you want the MOST. Please be specific. If you want only blue flowers.. please state that. If you want only vines.. state that. If you want shade only plants.. state that. But please understand that I can only fill your wishes from the variety of seeds that are sent in for the swap. If no one sends in a specific variety, you may not receive it. So give me a broad list from which to grant your wishes. I will use this to try to fill some of your ultimate wishes and I will also be using your regular wish list on your GW page. If you do not wish to receive tomatoes in your package, PLEASE note this on your wish list page!
Rule#12 ~ 'Side swaps' are allowed and even encouraged. BE SURE to check one another's posts on here to BE SURE it is ok to contact someone directly regarding a trade. If a player has not stated that they are ok to be contacted for trades PLEASE do not contact them without at least posting a question here on the swap thread first. ALL side swaps should be packaged in a baggie plainly marked with the recipient's Gardenweb ID on the outside of the baggie. Any side swap baggies will be put directly into the receiver's mailer. I will not be opening any of the side swap baggies. I am just acting as the mailer for you. :) I will leave it up to each of you to keep up with your own side swap trades as I will not be monitoring that process.
Rule#13 ~ 'Gifts' and 'Extras'. Here is where you will have an opportunity to clean out that seed box. You are welcome to go thru everyone's individual wish lists and 'gift' seeds to an individual person. I'm sure we would all be thrilled to have those 'gifts', but I am not making it a mandatory requirement. Again, any 'gifted' seeds should be put into a baggie with the recipient's gardenweb ID marked plainly on the front of it. If you do not have the time or the desire to go that route you are welcome to put any 'Extras' you have into a larger baggie and just mark it plainly on the outside as 'Extras'. **If you send in a huge baggie of thousands of, let's say.. Bread Seed Poppy seeds, please also send some empty individual packets that I can use to break down the large amounts into swap size packets. I don't mind doing the extra work of breaking down the larger quantities but I really can't afford to buy hundreds of extra baggies to carry out that process.** Any 'Extras' will be used to supplement the newbie envelopes, some will be offered up as a 'last call' before I mail out, and many will be sent to the newbies via a thread request or possibly even the Newbie Project that bakemom so graciously hosts and/or to Trudi's Wintersown.org to share with future new winter sowers.
**DISCLAIMER** Please know that I will do all I humanly can to fill as many of your wishes both on your 'wish' list and your regular gardenweb page. BUT this all depends on YOU, the participants and the types of seeds that you send in. The more common seeds and 'fillers' are definitely a necessary need in our gardens but let's try to really please each other and send in some crowd favorites as well. And newbies, don't be overwhelmed. If you only have 10 to 15 types of seed to send in, go for it! I can personally guarantee you will receive more packs than you sent in just for your participation!
Everyone will receive no less than the amount of seed packets mailed in and, most likely, many more!
Again, if you have questions, please post here or put them in your emails to me. I will be responding to emails every night.
Now, let's start digging in those seed boxes and harvesting those seeds from our gardens and let's have some FUN!
~Wendy / Sassyb. / AKA your personal WS seed enabler! :)
chefconnie
docmom_gw
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