How about posting a WANTED on the Exchange pages or populating your Trade Page? I have been very pleased with the responses for trading what I have extra for something another GW member has that I would like.

However, I buy most of the common veggie seeds in bulk at the Southern States Ag Supply or the small farmer's seed store in Louisburg. Special veggie seeds and some flower seeds I buy from Territorial Seed, Pinetree Seeds, Johnny's Seeds, Totally Tomatoes, and Vermont Bean Seed (Seymour's). I do compare quantity to price for the same type (amazing when you do that - some places charge 3 times more for one thing and half as much for others comparatively).

I mostly like trading seeds with GW members - a LOT - because for the really special ones, a half-dozen seeds fills the bill instead of a whole huge bed of one thing, or worse yet, unused seed!

I'll bet you'd get a lot of responses if you offered a cutting of one of your roses for some seeds - for what it would cost you for a padded envelope and one or two stamps you might get a whole lot of traders with a whole lot of seeds.

Nancy the nancedar

i really like pinetree garden seeds for veggie & flowers seeds. their prices have gone up some through the yrs, but they still offer very good value compared to a lot of the other firms and i've never had germination issues with their stock, unlike parks and seymour's select seeds. i also get plenty of seeds through swapping, at lowe's & home depot & the local nurseries. i like some of the more unusual and old fashioned things that select seeds (not the same as seymour's) offers.

if you want thyme for culinary uses, you're probably better off buying a plant as the flavor varies a lot with seedlings. that holds true for most perennial herbs. there's another thread about creeping thyme- you may want to read it, too. lavendars are very tricky in this area and there was a therad this fall about the ones that perform best. for me, no hands down, spanish lavendar outperforms everything. i've started lavendar from seed before and it's slow. you might be better off with some plants or cuttings from a friend. i know my spanish layers fairly well & seeds around just a bit. best of luck! tam

If you can wait for spring and come to the spring swap (Raleigh or High Point) I can bring you some potted thyme. I have gobs of it, just remind me.

I'm a lazy gardener so my plan of attack is to check out all the nearby seed sources before I pay postage on anything from a catalog. Lately I've noticed that if we have a week or so of warm weather that Home Depot and Lowe's will break out the seed racks way early (bless them) but none of the garden centers seem to have theirs out.

Even though this year we didn't have a seed swap box traveling about we did get together for a basic swap in November (wasn't it?). I cannot praise the plant swaps and seed swaps enough. Go to the exchange subforum here on Carolina Gardening and post your wants and see what happens.

P.S. - whomever put the 'Pink Malva' seeds in the seed swap box in 2005, they've sprouted and are planning on world domination.

The Lowe's in Greensboro had their seed racks out yesterday--first I've seen for this year

I just ordered some seeds from HardyPlants.com They had some things I wanted that I normally can't find at the local seed places or on the exchange board, like the white Malva moschata. Good prices and the guy I talked to on the phone was very helpful.

I like hardyplants.com. They have a big selection, the prices are reasonable, and every seed packet comes with detailed germination instructions. I've been really pleased with my orders from them.

If you haven't already ordered, I would avoid burpee. I have been getting them for a few years and never really been impressed with their seeds. When I lived in PA they seemed to grow better. Last year I bought a few from lowes and home depot and they did much better. This year I got all of them from Lowes. They just put one out by me. No more 25 mile drives for wood. I have only had one thing that really did well from burpee and it is the sweet baby girl tomatoes. They are the little grape/cherry tomatoes. Really sweet and they produce forever. I have them come up in a bed that I hadn't planted them for a couple years now.

Rootdigger,
Where in High Point is there a spring plant swap? Is it advertised, or do you have to be a member of some group?