Ok..I know I'm going to get jumped all over on this, but, with the plastic baggies, the seed count is obvious. I have received some trades with paper envelopes which didn't live up to the "Faq" recommendations for trades.

Most people are more than generous, but sometimes, with blind trades, aka 'round robins', you may end up with an envelope of chaff.

Can't really complain to the host of the RR, but, in my 5 years of trades and RR's..I have to say I prefer receiving seeds in ziplocks.

Any comments?

You can end up with baggies of chaff too, wendy.
The problem is not with the envelopes; it's with the traders.

I have received my share of chaff in baggies. I just chalked it up as part of the experience since other traders more than make up for it.
I actually love receiving seeds in folded paper. It shows that they are from someone who is of the same inclination as mine, i.e. frugal and into recycling. :-D

Yeah, monte, baggies & toner cost money. Nowadays, every penny counts.

So you would say that being able to see the seed would be a plus??

Oh, your gonna' like this.

BTW I love the little envelopes. You've done 99% of the work (takin the pics and so on) you should post that over on the Instructables site.

A little too reminisant of some other little envelopes I was familier with a long time ago but there very pretty regardless.

Off topic aside re: Instuctables

The posts I put up there (the seed sower and metal foil labels) come up as the #1 (number freakin' 1!) reference when you Google search them.

That blows me away.

I have a small envie I print on. I know it uses toner and tape to close. I just like being able to put my name and the name of the seeds on the label. I also have some plain ones printed I can write on. I print in low quality and add a photo of the flower I am sending.

I have sent seeds in plastic baggies before or when I did not have any paper ones printed.

I guess the plastic is nice to see the seeds right away but I have not bought them yet. I have used snack size ziplock bags though.

I love the foldable one. I could use some seed magazines for the paper, neat....

If anyone wants my seed template let me know via email. I have it in a MS word Docunment.
Karen

Wintersowing-Seed Trade Packaging from Straws

The following is a technique relating to Wintersowing.

For those of you who havent heard of it, Wintersowing is a method of starting seeds for your garden.

No need for complicated light setups or heat mats or any of the bother that starting seeds indoors using traditional methods is usually associated with.

No need to buy expensive seed starting flats.

You simply sow your seed in easily prepared, "found", recycled containers and set them out in the yard in the dead of winter.

They freeze, they thaw, get snowed and rained on and, come Spring, grow.

Sounds crazy but it works. Just like it does in nature.

See http://www.Wintersown.org or the Wintersowing forums at http://www.Gardenweb.com for details on what types of seeds can be sown in this way.

The method is also popular as it is a great method for recycling discarded plastic items into useful things.

You can look at my other Instructables post for info on how to prepare these to be used.

If there is one thing that Wintersowers love as much as collecting seeds its trading them.

Sow something, grow something, come fall, harvest the seed heads and trade them with others so you can grow something new.

Very cool way to gather a diverse number of plants you may not otherwise have access to.

So, you have harvested a bumper crop of seed heads from some special plant, put some away for yourself but still have tons left.

What is the most economical method of dividing them up and packaging them to be traded?

To do this efficiently you need to divide and package the seed in some way and label it so you know whats what.

Many folks use tiny ziplock bags but these may be difficult to find. And there is still some cost involved.

Others print out pretty full color folding templates to make seed packages much like the commercial companies use. Nice but printer ink is expensive and you still need to take the time to cut out and fold the envelopes.

Got no time for that.

Others just do little origami folded affairs but again, no time for that.

So what to do?

Plastic drinking straws (you can "find" these at all kinds of places you know) and pre printed cheap labels.

{{gwi:27584}}

Your Tools

{{gwi:27585}}

Radish

{{gwi:27587}}

Edible Amaranth

Well you need some kind of label. Most word processing programs have the templates for standard addres labels built into them.

You can open up the program and either input your info one cell at a time or, if you have a lot of one type of seed to trade simply print out an entire page of one label.

Just print out on plain paper and cut the labels apart. A paper cutter is nice but scissors work just fine also.

Plain text, draft mode is fine for this so its economical. If you want to go further with color graphics or other embellishments your free to go nuts.

OK, you have the seed and have printed up the labels. How do we divide and package.

Take one end of the straw and fold over about an inch. Staple it closed.

{{gwi:27589}}

First Fold

Slip the straw thru the seed to pick some up. You can easily meter out how much each has visually.

{{gwi:27591}}

Slip and Load

Cut the straw down if need be, fold over the other end and attach a pre-prepared label sealing everything up with another staple.

{{gwi:27593}}

Folded and Labeled

Now you have all your seed packaged and labeled and ready to go out for trade.

{{gwi:27587}}

Easy peazy.

Enjoy

Monte

Monte..I agree with all that you mentioned..but all those seed catalogs you're getting in the mail..BR sent me easy to follow instructions to follow on making the seed envelopes from the colorful seed catalogs..especially Anne's..which are beautiful. Not remembering I had already ordered a catalog from her, I requested another one so with the extra one, I used it to make the seed packets; hers catalog is perfect for that..such beautiful pages. Has anybody experimented making the seed envelopes with Glad Press and seal or wax paper or foil? Somebody sent me some seeds packaged in a sweetner packet..sealed with tape. Perfect size. What about those pieces of printer pages you print off and the print takes up only half of the page. I use the rest for my 5x7 clipboard to write notes and keep it on my nightstand. Let's see some other ideas.

I think the straws are a great idea, as well as the folded sheets from garden catalogs. I think I might try both as large seeds wouldn't work in the straws. Where's Judy at, she did something great with scrap paper. I'll have to tell her about this thread! :)

Monte I like the straw thing!

I love the traded and free seeds I get..not a huge fan of the left over sweetener packets and folded envies tho. The info on them is hard to read. And if I do not use it all in one sitting I have to find a way to re close them.

The trade thing is daunting for me too..I use the brown coin envelopes to store my own collected seed. cheap under 5 bucks at the dollar store for about 1000 of em. But the straw thing ..that could be useful in sowing seeds....(as cool as the SSSS is I do not have an electric toothbrush )

I agree with all that you mentioned..but all those seed catalogs you're getting in the mail....

FYI..if you wanted to you could stop them... just cal the company and ask to be removed. I do not get any it's all on the web any how.

Packing seeds is definitely a YMMV kind of thing.

That thing with the straws is giving me fits! Anybody with arthritis or carpal tunnel problems or bi-focals that need an expensive upgrade (an has anxiety about spending bunches of money right now) is going to be challenged by that.

And BTW, I dont want to think about how Im going to get the seeds OUT of that straw without flinging them all over the kitchen!!!! ROFL!!!! And speaking of "YMMV" ZZZOMG, please disclose if you're using that straw thing because I would not want to receive them.

I dont buy the baggies, but if I have a pile of them from round robins or something, I will reuse them.

The origami envy's work for me, I dont make them perfect or anything a little more casual sometimes you can just tuck in the flaps and sometimes you actually need a bit of tape for lumpy bumpy big seeds.

Junk mail envy's are good to reuse and sometimes I can include the window part of the window envy to make them visible.

And for the record, I have gotten ziploc baggies full of chaff also. :)

arthritis or carpal tunnel problems ... IDK I have Carpal tunnel and envision the act of squeezing the straw to control the flow would be very do able. It's all YMMV

I guess I am folded paper-phobic lol... it is not a skill I have learned... i bless the name of whom ever invented gift bags KWIM!

But free seeds in oragmai is better than no seeds at all...

Well, folks, what does YMMV or KWIM stand for? I am lost here.

Monte, how do you get on Instructables? I like yours over there. I am having fun checking others too. :-)

I like the straw idea too, but I have not bought any straws in years. With a kid in college and hubby on SS, we have been very careful with our spending.

P,

YMMW + Your mileage may vary

and

KNIW, know what I mean.

So, like this,

When it comes to seed packing, YMMV, KNIM?

:)
and zomg= means "really big OMG"

:)

the straws are very neat...I would not have thought of that.

I like getting the seed catelogs cause I drool over the flowers :) but i seem to get a lot latelty.

Karen

"as large seeds wouldn't work in the straws."

Straws come in many sizes.

I happened to have some standard sized ones in the cupboard so that what I used for the demo pictures.

You can "find" (wink, wink-nudge,nudge)straws in larger diameters at 7-11 type places (for Slushies).

Any place that has Bubble Tea would have some perfect ones.

Sucking up those tapioca pearls would be daunting without the right tool.

"spending bunches of money "
"how Im going to get the seeds OUT "
"flinging them all over the kitchen!!!! "

No money spent. See "finding" reference above.

Getting them out is just snip the end of the straw and, though I hadn't thought of it, tapping the seed out of the straw would be pretty easy.

I doubt any flinging would occur unless you are WAY too enthusiastic about sowing seeds

Building on an idea.

Thats the spirit.

Keep pluckin' those feathers.

Monte
"Listen to all, plucking a feather from every passing goose, but, follow no one absolutely."

I'm liking the straw idea, Monte. The expense is about the same when compared to the 1" x 3" plastic bags though. Walmart sells 100 of the baggies for 97 cents, and a package of 100 straws is between $1 - $2. I can't exactly walk out of the 7-11 with 100 straws in good conscience, LOL.

Personally, I would rather receive seeds in a straw, than those origami deals that a lot of folks seem to favor. Talk about flinging seeds everywhere! When I open them up, it is difficult for me not to spill them, and I can never get the packets back together again. Plus, I'm one of those that likes to be able to see how much I have of something at a glance, without having to open every packet as I'm going through my seed box.

JM2C (just my two cents)

Bonnie

"Monte, how do you get on Instructables?"

Easy as can be. You do a simple registration (name e-mail addy and so on).

On the upper right page next to the SEARCH box is a SUBMIT button.

Click it and it takes you to a Getting Ready page of guidelines.

At the bottom of that page is a "Let's get Started" button.

The site is laid out very intuitively.

You have an area to upload images.

They are cached on the site in your library.

Moving images from your library into a post (Instructable) is just drag and drop.

All the steps are laid out as dialoge boxes and every step is saved as you go along.

Every aspect can be edited and modified at will even after you publish it.

So any aditional ideas or modifications you want to add are a snap.

Once you get the images uploaded a post can be done in 5 minutes.

The guys who developed the concept are big brains from MIT and are very cutting edge info sharing types.

Info for all, freely shared and distributed.

Good Stuff

Monte

Definitely YMMV, I suppose I should disclose on my trade page that I use the origamis.

:)
D

I'm a wee bit anal retentive. Ever see my collection of wintersown containers? They're all perfectly lined up and rarely do they get shuffled around. And yes, they are in alphabetical order based on when they were sown. SO...for me, I like those little plastic baggies. I don't mind spending a buck or two to trade seeds. And what I like most about them, they're all the same size. They all have the ability to be labeled exactly the same. And ... they all fit in the same size boxes. The first year I did this, I spent my time and money during the winter repackaging all the seeds in clear ziplocks. I want to know what to look for that fall when I go out to collect my own seeds to trade. For me, it's not so much an issue of wanting to recycle, or whatever. It's about convenience.

I used to be OCD, but now I have CDO. Same affliction, but the letters are arranged alphabetically, like they should be.

I have tried several methods but I too like the plastic baggies the best. It is nice to be able to see how many seeds I have of something instead of either shaking an envelope and guessing, or opening it up just to look. That way, I know if I have enough, or need more. I do love how creative everyone is! When I receive seeds from someone else, I always transfer them to a little ziplock if they are not already in one. I'm not picky about how other people pack them though, since I am not paying for them.

WinterSown.Org a large file of color seed packets, they are pdfs and print out at four to a page. They're nice if you're not doing multitudes of packets. If you're doing multitudes I would go with the mini-ziplocs which you can get at a craft store, I haven't seen them at any dollar stores (yet) in my neighborhood. I do order 2x3 mini zips online, a thousand to a case, and I order 15 cases each time--I do that a few times a year. There's very little difference in shipping between 10K and 15K so I go with the 15,000 and save myself a few bucks because I order less often. Mine are shipped from a supplier in Brooklyn and so I get them within 48 hours of faxing my order.

"I used to be OCD, but now I have CDO. Same affliction, but the letters are arranged alphabetically, like they should be."

I like that.

It was pointed out to me that packaging the seed in the straws makes them look like crack vials.

Hmmmmm?

Well ... my DH does say I need a 12 step program, LOL.

Hahahaha...crack vials! That's so funny cuz I thought the same thing! But, yet.....creative!

Interesting that you say the straws look like crack vials...

I collected seeds for the first time this fall, and went shopping for the small plastic envies. When I asked at the craft store, the guy said they are usually out of stock because the drug dealers buy them all up.

~CA

I posted this on your other thread over on the seed exchange, but want to post it here as well.

I gave this method a try and the results are below.

Sakura, my daughter is a HS teacher and she told me that the kids do use both straws and the small zippy bags for the drugs.
she looked at this thread as said she has seen straws that look just like this confiscated by the cops from kids full of various types of drugs.

but either way, here is the results of my test on sunday of this idea.

Monte,
I really hate to burst the bubble on this one, but the straw idea looks good in theory, but in actual practice it's not great at all.

I'm a seasoned seed trader, BEAP offer for over 7 years now. I do at least 50-100 trades in a year and send out close to 1,000 BEAP packets of seeds a year, not including donated seed packets on GW.
So I have lots and lots of experience in various ways of packing seeds and this one is not a good idea.

I figured with the amount of seeds I have in all kinds of sizes, I would see how it works out and then post the info of my experiment.

From 10AM -12NOON on Sunday, I packed up 20 different types of seeds in various sizes in 3 different sizes of straws.
Followed your instructions to the letter and actually stapled blank labels on to each of them.
I actually did 60 of these so that each type of seed was in all 3 sizes of straws, if they would fit.

Seeds used where

1. columbine
2. lettuce
3. raddish
4. chinese forget me nots
5. basil
6. parsley
7. hibiscus
8. dahlia
9. scabiosa
10. malva zebrina
12. dianthus siberian blues
13. balloon plant
14. cosmos
15. foxglove
16. morning glory
16. daylily
17. tomato
18. rose campion
19. nicandra
20. queen annes lace

Several types or cosmos seeds that have very large seeds, wouldn't get into the straw without breaking.

But I did get some cosmos in the straws.

Once in the straws and closed up, I placed the seeds in various amounts in several different bubble envelopes. Then to simulate some harsh conditions that they bubblies might get in transit though the postal system, I taped the straws to paper as if they where going to be mailed and then placed them under several quite heavy books and left them there for about 5 hours.

Then the true test began.

I removed the bubbles from under the books and opened them one by one.

It was tough to get the straws removed from being held down by the tape, and I used Scotch magic tape to tape them to paper. Many of the labels came off as I removed the from the tape. So the labels had to be taped back onto each straw.

Once all the straws where out of the bubblies, 1 by 1, I attempted to empty the seeds from the straw as if they where going to be sown in containers.

Every one of the straws had seeds stuck to the inside of them or seeds just wouldn't come out at all.
Squeezing the straw to sprinkle the seeds didn't work at all either.

The only way to get the remaining seeds out of the straws was to attempt to cut them open to scrape them out, which was too much of a pain, or flush them out with water with a bowl under each straw.

I've got to say this, if I got seeds this way in a trade or BEAP offer and had to go through this kind of mess to get the seeds, I would be one unhappy recipient of the seeds and would be informing the member that this was not the way to pack up seeds.

Oh, another thing. Being that I have tendon damage in both arms and nerve problems in both arms, hands, fingers, wrist, by the time I was through with this method, I was popping tylenol for pain.
Someone with carpal tunnel would not be able to do this.

As a side note, in the same time it took me to do this packing, 2 hours, I could have packed up about 150 packets of seeds by doing what I do.

I have printed out seed packets that I make myself, fold them and close with tape, fill out the name of the seeds, year collected number of seeds in packet, put the seeds in, tape them closed and circle height, sun needs, annual, perennial or biennial that is all printed on the packet and seal it closed.

I count out large seeds and just put in the packet, small seeds get measured with a 1/8 tsp, wrapped in tissue paper and placed inside.

I don't like the ziploc baggies personally. If seeds aren't dry enough when placed in them, they get moldy and rot, and have had the experience of receiving seeds in them late in the summer that have started to germinate from the moisture.

I don't like the origami folded either. Have yet to be able to open the packets and not get the seeds fly out of them and get lost in the process.

Monte, you need to go back to the drawing board on this one. IMHO and experience in seed trading and WS. this method doesn't work.

Fran

Mmmmm.So, tell me what you really think.

Actually I dont have any bubble to break as Im not trying to evangelize any one practice or another.

The things I post are simply random thoughts that pop up as Im trying to decide what may work best for me.

If you like do things differently more power to you.

You say you followed my instructions "to the letter".

What you may be missing is that nothing should be followed to the letter.

In WS or life for that matter IMHO.

All human endeavors are learning processes that will and should evolve as knowledge is gained.

You changed the conditions by using tape. Would that be an absolute? Was it even mentioned? Would some other kind of tape be a better choice? (if it were needed at all)

You said the seeds stuck in the straws. Were they 100% dry going in? Were the straws 100% dry?

Any moisture in the seed would cause problems no matter what method you use to package them.

Constant, steady, heavy pressure on the packets for extended periods of time?

I dont believe that this is, in any way, an accurate recreation of real world conditions trades may encounter as they traveled thru the postal system.

Some seeds are too large? Those particular seeds need to be dealt with in a different manner. Not a deal breaker from my point of view.

Sorry your hands are not healthy (you type very well BTW) but if this method or any method for that matter causes you discomfort you should not use it.

As far as time, cutting, and folding, and taping and writing and sealing seems it would be a little more time consuming than using a stapler.

Efficiency is simply a factor of repetition and familiarity with something.

I really have no desire to debate methodologies. If something I post or suggest is not for you fine.

Flat out stating it is not a good idea or doesnt work and is an outright failure that needs to be rethought is an opinion and your welcome to it.

It makes no difference to me.

But then again what do I know.

Monte the Goose

"Listen to all, plucking a feather from every passing goose, but, follow no one absolutely."

Hi quiltmommy, wendy and evertbody else I've sent seed packs to. I like the clear zip lock baggies and all of these sound good but I'll stay with my paper packs and sending them to everybody. Yes printer ink is expensive. For $24.00 and $10,00 for the paper and $3,00 for the glue I can do 1260 packs. Yes it takes a lot of time but guess I've got more of that than I do money. I enjoy doing it and I really enjoy giving them away. WHY? Because it makes other people happy. So if you're trading with me or just want the seed packs, don't look for the straws or ziplock baggies, it will be paper, colorful packs from me. Have a GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!! Judy

Fran, your test turned out to show exactly what I thought when I read this method. I imagined taking these straws out to my yard to sow seeds and not being able to get them out because of the static electricity that would build up, the same way it does in those platic ziploc baggies. Then I realized I would have to take out my staple remover and fiddle with that to get the straws open. Just that action raisses the probablility of spillage. Then try re-sealing the package if (as is usual) you don't use all the seed!! I also imagine them getting lost or misplaced is you're called away while seeding. I don't use the baggies because I try to reduce my use of plastic, and getting small seeds out of those baggies is difficult and wasteful because you can't get them all out. The idea of wasting ink from your printer is also a non-issue because if you read the instructions, all printers, particularly ink-jet types, should be used to print full colour pages weekly to keep them in working order. If you don't use the ink, it dries up and wrecks your print-head. Even with the laser printers, weekly full page colour print is recommended, so you may as well print seed envelopes. I have some templates on which I can put a pic. of the plant, and directions on the back. I print them out an use a glue stick to glue them. I make small envelopes for tiny seeds like poppies out of waxed paper and insert them in the larger envelopes. I have a template for a coin envelope and I use it for making envelopes from all sorts of paper - you can get an envelope by opening all your bills along the short edge. Christmas card envelopes make great green and red ones. Trading seeds is a favour, and I think if I am going to do so, it is an insult to the recipient not to package the seeds as nicely as I can. A little effort should be pleasing to the giver and the recipient. If you are going to give a gift, wrap it nicely. I also have carpal tunnel problems and I manage to do it.

pitimpinai, tough name to remember there. I love your origami method, so cheerful and good way to use old seed catalogs.

While it's more fussing that I'd care to do for trades, I might try to do that for gifts, maybe some people would even appreciate some seeds.

So I guess I'll have to save that. And thank you! Wish my printer wasn't broken.

pitimpinai, on your last photo there, the one with the blue violas, do you know what company that catalog came from?

I'm in love with them, thought I'd found them with Ultima Morpho Pansies but now I wonder. Anyway, I found a source and ordered some, but in case there's a glitch or failure, it would be good to know another source.

I cut up catalogs while watching television. Then I fold the squares on the train back and forth from work. The best way to spend time instead of dozing off. :-D

Aliska, that looks like a page from Thompson & Morgan.
Thanks, doris, for clearing that up for me. :-)

You say you followed my instructions "to the letter".

What you may be missing is that nothing should be followed to the letter.

In WS or life for that matter IMHO.

The purpose of following the instructions you posted was to see how you method worked. Following them "to the letter", is what anyone else would have done to give it a try the first time.

After trying the method the first time following the instructions you posted, would be the time to make any changes that would improve the method as a whole or for an individual person.

In this particular method of packing up seeds, there is nothing to improve on as it isn't one that is going to work, IMHO and experience.

"You changed the conditions by using tape. Would that be an absolute? Was it even mentioned? Would some other kind of tape be a better choice? (if it were needed at all)"

Yes, I added the tape that was not mentioned. and yes it is an absolute to need the tape. For bubble envelopes to go through the post office at the large envelope rate, there are certain requirements to meet. One of them is for them to be uniform in thickness and slightly bendable.
The straws, once placed in the bubble envelope moved around. If there where more than 3 in the envelope, they moved around when the envelope was moved into different positions, bunched up at one end and the bubble envelope was no longer uniform in thickness. Mailing it this way, without the tape would end up having the bubble envelope cost more, go as parcel rate and if you tried to send it as first class, there wouldn't be enough postage on the envelope.
The tape used, scotch magic tape, was and is the best tape to use to hold down anything and the easiest to remove from anything.

"You said the seeds stuck in the straws. Were they 100% dry going in? Were the straws 100% dry?

Any moisture in the seed would cause problems no matter what method you use to package them."

Oh yes, my seeds are as dry as you can get and have been stored in paper coin envelopes made from scrap paper for months. Tiny seeds couldn't be any dryer either and they are stored in plastic prescription medicine bottles from the local pharmacy. None of the seeds stick to the inside of the bottles.

The seeds are stored inside a house with forced hot air heat, can't get any dryer than that, and heat that has been running since mid October daily.

The straws couldn't have been any dryer either. In newly purchased boxes that where never opened till Sunday and been in the house, in the dry heat for almost 3 months.

The issue of the seeds stuck in the straws is not an issue of how dry the seeds are or not, or how dry the straws are or not. The issue with the straws is the same as with the ziplock baggies, static electricity that holds onto and all but cements the small and tiny seeds to them. The don't come out without shredding the baggie or flushing he seeds out of the straws. OR, you just give up and toss some of the seeds out.
"Constant, steady, heavy pressure on the packets for extended periods of time?

I dont believe that this is, in any way, an accurate recreation of real world conditions trades may encounter as they traveled thru the postal system."

This was a perfect recreation of the abuse that our mail gets going through the postal system. From what my letter carrier has described to me at various points in time, our flat mail, first class mail, bubble envelopes get tossed around as if they where balls, have heavy packages placed on top of them and get tortured through the postal system before being given to the local letter carrier for delivery.

This is one of the many reasons that bubble envelopes need to be used to ensure the safest way of transporting seeds from one location to another.

If I had young children in my home which I don't, my children are all grown adults in their mid twenties an early thirties, I would have had them playing catch with the bubble envelopes for an hour to simulate the abuse they would receive going through the postal system.

As far as time, cutting, and folding, and taping and writing and sealing seems it would be a little more time consuming than using a stapler.

Though I don't find it time consuming, it is much easier than using the pressure of staples and worrying about the seeds getting stuck in the straws, caused by static electricity, which is the same thing that happens when using the ziplock baggies, especially when putting small and tiny seeds in them.

I do my best to reduce my plastic consumption as well. The gallon ziploc bags I use to cover my containers for WS, all get dried in the sun, packed up and reused till they can't be reused again. Usually at least 2 WS seasons and sometimes more. The same with the glad press and seal that I use for WS as well.

Printer paper is a non issue in my house as well, the printer is well used and going at least 3 times a week for various things and hubby's work.

I print out at least 800 packets in less than 2 hours during the summer months and know what my gardens will produce in seeds, so the cutting, folding, labeling is done long before the seeds are collected.

And yes, if the printer is not used once a week, you damage the printer heads, clog them up and need new ones. May as well be printing out seed packets to keep the printer heads running.

Fran

I have a new idea. I make the homemade envelopes, but recently when I was worried about potential moisture (I dug some seeds out of the snow for somebody) I shipped them in coffee filters folded up like envelopes. Coffee filters are so cheap it's ridiculous. They are very breathable. The only thing I'm going to watch out for is the fact that they seemed to not make as crisp a pleat at the fold lines as regular paper, which could become an issue with tiny tiny seeds. But if you're OCD, they're cheap and very seed friendly, and you can fold them all the same size because they start out the same size. I loved the comfort of knowing my seeds could breathe a bit.

"I used to be OCD, but now I have CDO. Same affliction, but the letters are arranged alphabetically, like they should be." HA HA HA!! I have a seriously OCD friend who lives in hot and humid New Orleans. You can imagine that after Katrina there were a few more "critters" to take care of because they took advantage of all the wonderful (in their mind) junk left behind. She was vacationing on our "girls weekend," and her husband called to tell her he saw a mouse in the kitchen. Not what you say tell OCD folks when they're too far away to take action. She kept repeating, "I will not think abut this I will not think about this I will not think about this I will..." Maybe she took some extra meds.

deanna

A few points,

I would have to agree that using a staple remover would be tedious but its not something I would consider in the first place.

If I were to find static electricity a problem, with a baggie or a straw, Id simply cut both ends off and slit the straw fully open to get the seed out.

Or slice three sides of the baggie.

A small manicure scissor or even an X-Acto knife would work.

Fresh eyes looking at a problem from a new perspective.

Taking traded seed packets out to the garden, whatever the packaging, may cause you to lose or misplace them.

I doubt this is common practice as most folks, around here at least, are sowing into containers, that being done on a bench or table.

As far as printer ink. My printer (printers-I have 3) are not sitting around unused waiting for me to print out seed packs.

With 3 kids at home doing school work and a wife who does some of her work from home they are in no danger of drying up.

But ink is a consumable and an expensive consumable for me. Economizing on consumables is paramount.

Pretty packaging is nice, but if someone gives me a $5 bottle of wine wrapped up in a $10 satin bag Id be inclined to wish they had given me a $15 bottle of wine in the paper bag.

YMMV

Sadly, this thread, as Ive seen in the past, seems to be heading towards nitpicking.

Fixed viewpoints that will not be swayed.

Fine by me, life goes on.

I got no time for it so this is my last word on the topic.

Peace out,

Monte

Thanks, pitimpinai.

I got to thinking. That's dangerous. I have some tools for making cord rosaries with special knots. It has a little trough in it, smaller than a straw, would be good for counting and managing smaller seeds. And PLANTING THEM MORE PRECISELY. Woo hoo.

It has also proven helpful in transplanting seedlings from my shallow trays to grow on individually in cell packs or whatever.

Well, I see they are plastic now. Very cheap. Mine are metal with a square wooden handle. Rosary pliers come in handy sometimes, too, for bending wire neatly, don't think they'd necessarily be helpful in gardening.

{{gwi:354159}}

There is no photo for the pliers, kind of like needlenose and $19. I made several hundred of them, both the cord ones and some wire ones with Czech beads, but don't make rosaries any more.

They also have great nylon cord in several colors, use my green often for gardening when I don't use the landscape tape.

Probably a waste of my time (and yours) to post all this as you could slice down a narrower straw. Good idea, the straw.

You cross posted while is was writing.

"I got to thinking. That's dangerous.'

I agree, dangerous buisness. LOL

This straw stuff may have already supplanted my S.S.S.S.

I got to thinking (there it is again) if you cut a straw on an angle, fold over and staple one end to seal it, it would make a handy, zero cost, sowing tool.

Slip up some seed and tap-tap-tap down the row you go.

Some straws, Slushie straws specificly, even have a spoon shaped end on them.

"Ever stop to think and forget to start again?"

Monte the Pooh

WS, and all that stems from it, is a series of variable and adaptable methods. What works for someone may need tweaking by another. And to that, so what, big deal.

Tweak an idea to fit your style or find something else, but don't complain that you must make an alteration of someone else's methods to fit your needs. Everyone has their styles tailored their own aches and pains.

Personally, I don't do bubble envelopes and think they're a huge waste of money and natural resources. I do send seeds padded in new bubble wrap inside a brochure that lines a plain envelope. I don't send out a thousand a year, it's more like six thousand a year.
But I do not crab over people using bubble envelopes for their own trades because it fits their own style. I don't crab over people doing anything their own way with WS because I set it up specifically to be variable. It would have been a heck of a lot easier and faster to write do it this way with this, this and this, not that, that or that. But I didn't do that. I didn't take the easy route for myself. It was harder for me to make it easier for you.

Variation rules the day in WS and all that goes with it. If anyone has a problem understanding that they haven't fully embraced WS ideology--which is to do it your way with what you have on hand.

I just would like to add that though Monte doesn't post here often he is a major WSer and has been for years and years, he's been with me from the beginning--when I was getting beat up on the forums for talking about WS, Monte was there helping to fend off the worst of them. Monte is rather ingenious, he comes up with some very interesting ways. Adapt them or not, but they are clever.

We all have added into this glorious thing called Winter Sowing. This forum is a sanctuary from the parochial/territorial posters that dominate many of the other forums at GW or across the web. I rarely interfere but when I find the knowledgable and enthusiastic tenor of the forum disrupted I will act.

T

PS, when having static electricity problems with loading seeds into plastic spare yourself the grief. Take a cling-free (or similar) sheet for the dryer and wipe down the inside of the bowl that holds the seeds, wipe your hands, wipe your spoon. Keep the cling-free close by are rewipe as needed. Use a cling-free and bye-bye cling!

Hugs T,

Luv U Much

"Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions"

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Monte the Elastic

I commented on this post in the Seed Exchange forum monte, but wanted to comment here as well because this thread has received so much attention.

I think your idea is wonderful, inventive, and I appreciate all the time and effort you spent in writing out the details and taking photographs to share this with us. You didn't have to do that, yet you did, expecting nothing in return except maybe some well deserved appreciation for the efforts you made. I appreciate your enthusiasm, your sense of humor, and your thoughtfulness.

I really am baffled at some of the nitpicking that seems to go on. I have interacted with an overwhelming number of generous, thoughtful, kind people here on Garden Web...isn't that what draws us all to return here? I think we all came here to have fun and share our love of gardening with each other. I promise you if you send me a pack of seeds in a straw, an envelope, a zip lock baggie, a coin envelope, a bubble mailer, or a tin can I will throw them in dirt and water them just the same.

Slip up some seed and tap-tap-tap down the row you go.

You're more dangerous than I am lol. That might work even better except I don't currently have a stapler. Not to worry, duct tape or improvise something to the rescue.

I'm not thinking too straight at the moment, not good at multi-tasking and done enough mischief for awhile.

I just wanted to say that I absolutely love the creative ideas that people come up with a.k.a. monte.

I also absolutely love the fact that people are willing to try these ideas out, and post what the end results were for the rest of us to see. I didn't think about static electricity that would happen in the straw.

This post got me to thinking....if you think a straw would work, but there is static electricity......what about rolling a piece of paper into a straw shape, taping up the ends or whatever etc. etc. That might solve that issue?!?

Just another idea (from someone who is SOOOO not creative)

"what about rolling a piece of paper into a straw shape, taping up the ends or whatever etc. etc."

Yup, may even be easier than folding fussy little origami shapes.

I like it.

Cut a piece of paper, roll into a tube, fold over one end,staple.

Add seed, flatten out tube, fold over other end, staple.

You could probably find one of the Avery label templates in an appropriate size to print out the seed info so it shows on the outside of the tube/packet after it was rolled.

Also you could print out all kinds of info on the inner surface of the roll.

Opening it to retrieve the seed would be a simple snip to both ends and the tube would unfurl revealing the treasures within.

No static issue.

Options abound.

Oh, and quilt. You haven't gotten my bill yet.

I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn't like it.
Samuel Goldwyn (1882 - 1974)

monte - What makes you think I pay my bills? ;) After all I just came in from scavenging through the muck and mud for seeds, my front yard is full of milk jugs, and I'm contemplating recycling plastic straws here...

the same way it does in those platic ziploc baggies

I can see I missed a lot of this and just as well. Never put certain seeds in a baggie especially the cheaper flimsier ones which I use a lot for my "other" life. Now Monte told me how I can get them out. So I don't have to wait for a brainstorm.

And I guess I shouldn't have sent seeds in a padded bubbly envelope. I thought I was doing a good thing and was more worried about the machines irradiating the envelopes because of that anthrax business.

Oh well. If they were seeds I wanted I'd be grateful to get them and do what it took to shake them loose. And if somebody sent me chaff by mistake, I think I could overlook that, too. I might be disappointed, but I have a lot like that where there appear to be a few seeds mixed in with mostly chaff, but better a few than none. I just planted some the chaff along with the seeds. What can that hurt? Nature must do that, too. Nope. The seeds probably drop out and the chaff blows away in the wind.

I sure don't want people mad at me for trading seeds the wrong way. If I have just a few deals going, I just pay for it myself and don't expect anything in trade. I have too many seeds as it is.

If I got too many going, I'd have to reconsider. But I don't think I have that kind of patience to trade so many.

quilt mommy said, "I really am baffled at some of the nitpicking that seems to go on. I have interacted with an overwhelming number of generous, thoughtful, kind people here on Garden Web...isn't that what draws us all to return here? I think we all came here to have fun and share our love of gardening with each other. I promise you if you send me a pack of seeds in a straw, an envelope, a zip lock baggie, a coin envelope, a bubble mailer, or a tin can I will throw them in dirt and water them just the same."

My sentiment exactly. Thank you.
Monte has always been gracious in sharing his ideas and I am eternally grateful. And sharing is the key word. We are here to share ideas and seeds and plants. Let the garden and friendship grow. :-)

{{gwi:241351}}

This thread is a great example of different strokes for different folks.

I store and mail seeds in little plastic ziplocs or paper coin envelops. These were not expensive to buy at the local 5 & 10, relative to paying the mortgage, utility, and food bills. My seeds are stored in a drawer in the fridge, so paper envelops have an advantage because they breathe and will not harbor moisture in the seeds. On the other hand, I like being able to see the seeds thru the plastic baggie too.

One time in a trade, I received tons of Digitalis seeds in a plastic test tube thing, with a little plastic top. Those teeny seeds tended to stick to the side and the test tube shape didn't "fit" with the other envelops, so I put them in a little ziploc instead. Despite the odd container, I think of those seeds fondly because they germinated really well and made some nice plants, and there were plenty of extra seeds to send out in SASBEs.

Who in the world but Monte would know that there's such a thing as rosary making pliers? What did you use for beads, Monte? Job's tears seeds that you grew?

Karen

"What makes you think I pay my bills? ;)"

Drat, Well there goes my new boat.

While it's true that the Nuns charged with my early schooling were very effective I may have been absent on the day they taught Rosary Manufacture and Repair 101.

What are Rosary pliers???

And do I need them?

What a great thread and since I've come out of my lurkdom here and have a fair amount of experience in packing seeds to trade/share, and have received seeds in, in a multitude of ways, I'll just add my 2 cents.

I see there are certainly multiple ways and some consider one way to be the best, while others consider it to have cons.
I don't think any one way is considerably better than another. As far as economical, the ones using pages from catalogs, or printer paper (new or used) are probably by far the most economical to make. What works well for one, might not work for another. What is economical (or considered to be) for one, might not be economical to another.

Getting the seeds out of its packaging is yet another part of the equation.
Resealing, if need be, is another part of the equation.
There is patience (which I have little of) and time as well as convenience to be considered.

I have and use the small zip lock baggies. They are found to be what works best for me. They are a little more than 2/3 cent each when I ordered 3000 of the the discounted Blue Line ones Here. Maybe Trudi has an even cheaper source, of ordering in bulk without having to order a million.

This winter, I've pondered the problem of static electricity with certain seeds or with particularly tiny seeds like sedums and butterfly bushes. What I opted to do on those two are to wrap the seeds in a 4" square of tissue, folded and labeled, and then inserted in the zip baggie.

Nice instructions and pics pitimpinai and monte. Thanks for sharing! I'm sure that many will benefit from them both.

Now...you know my preferred way to pack the seeds that I send out and the cost, we'll move on to how I like to receive seeds packed. Like quilt said above, " I promise you if you send me a pack of seeds in a straw, an envelope, a zip lock baggie, a coin envelope, a bubble mailer, or a tin can I will throw them in dirt and water them just the same. "
Whatever one chooses to send them in is fine by me. I do kind of like the zip baggies for bigger seeds, and either reuse or recycle them along with other plastic bags...yes I am OCD (or is it CDO?) when it comes to recycling.
The brightly colored ones made from recycled catalogs always brighten my day when I see them.
If the seeds are properly dried, I think that any kind of packaging is fine and not detrimental.

#What is most economical for one person might not be to another person, variables being the purchase of zippies, coin envelopes, straws, printer paper, printer ink, stick on labeling of some sort.
#What one prefers to pack in is indubitably not preferred by all, also for numerous reasons.
As important as seed packaging is, I think that the labeling is of just as much or more importance, but that is maybe food for thought for another time and thread.

Below is a pic of several of the packs of wonderful seeds I received in the 2009 WLOMWL swap. Lots of different packaging, and labeling. Something I had not seen before were glassine baggies and what looked like folded glassine. Both suited me fine/great because of what they contained.

{{gwi:354160}}

Happy gardening, collecting, sharing/trading, and dreaming of your 2010 gardens!

Sue...rbb

as Terenne said, "This thread is a great example of different strokes for different folks.
I so agree.

Oh...if you're still with me, my vote for the most economical ones would have to be those made from recycled paper.

{{gwi:27158}}

EEK...have I had too much coffee again?

Sue...rbb and loquacious as usual.

(kcqrna and monte, it was aliska12000 above that spoke of the rosary pliers in her post showing her potential seed sowing tools.)