Megan, To list something as "Has," one should have enough for at least four full samples. A full sample of seeds is 25 seeds. A full sample of sweet potato slips is 3-4 slips. I more often try to send a small sweet potato, and let the person sprout their own, and get more that way. I do get more than 4 requests for some things. Been receiving several requests a day, for a couple weeks now, and joked with my wife, yesterday, "Wow! Here's a request which doesn't ask for Red Wine Velvet Sweet Potato!" (Slight exageration) I believe four samples is the guideline for offering as "Has." Less should be offered as Limited Quantity. If you have something really rare, and in need of propagation you label it as "Must Reoffer." That cuts way down on the requests. I respect all the opinions expressed above. Each is making some good points. Dawn, I am completely uninformed about whatever Amy Goldman may or may not have done. Nor do I know why George DeVault left. Actually, I don't read the other yearbooks very much; just the winter yearbook. There are some good articles in them all. I just get busy and don't get around to it." Perhaps they have mentioned something in one of these. While we're on the subject, I'd also like to add another disclaimer. The SSE has been a little, ... well, I don't know just how to describe it,... liberal, or "left leaning," as an organization; and that, for as long as I've been a member. That is not my personal leaning/persuasion. I just live and let live. But as a member, I hope no one every things I simply believe everything the organization puts out ;) George

I have been a member of Seed Savers Exchange since 1999. The organization was formed to preserve varieties that might otherwise disappear. It should not be viewed as a seed catalog. Heritage Farm grows out and preserves thousands of varieties of fruits and vegetables. Members grow out varieties that they offer through the Yearbook which comes out in February each year ( not quarterly) . This year there are 20,443 total listings and 12.920 unique varieties. Members request seeds from other members directly and pay for them with their order. There are two kinds of members-listed--meaning you have seeds offered in the yearbook -and unlisted which means you are not offering seeds. For small seeds ( like peppers, tomatoes, etc. the fee is $2 per sample of 25 seeds for listed members and $3 for unlisted members.There are also categories of listings--HAS means any member can order the seeds, LQ means the member has a limited quantity and only listed members can order them, MR- refers to seeds in danger of being lost and means the recipient agrees to re-offer the seeds through the exchange and these are also available only to listed members. There are probably more varieties of tomatoes offered than anything else but there are a fair number of peppers. Each page as about 30 varieties on it. There are four categories. This year there are about 12 pages of "Hot" or hot C. annuum, 3 pages of Sweet bell, about 7 of Sweet non-bell, and about 5 pages of "other species" of hot peppers. They range from the common to the unusual. I have a very large collection of peppers at this point but am still able to find many I don't have and a couple of real interest--for instance one listed as Aji-var. Rocotillo which is a C. chinense and supposedly the one Jean Andrews talks about. I have grow the C. baccatum version but have not been able to find this one which the source found in a Mexican grocery store. Another was Nioi offered by the Heirloom Seed Saving project of a high school here in Maine. This pepper grows wild and was collected on the N. Mariana Island of Tinian. As you can tell I am a believer in this organization. This year I offered 19 peppers but have offered more in the past, including tomatoes. I also belong to the Flower and Herb Exchange which is an affiliated organization for those preserving flowers and herbs. John Here is a link that might be useful: Seed Savers Exchange

I am super sorry. I have no idea what has happened to your package- it didn't even have that far to go, it seems. I am unsure what I can do to fix the issue but will do whatever it takes. I worked pretty hard on the swap and don't feel like I did anything in my control to cause your disappointment but I will do whatever I can to make it up to you. I can go purchase some seeds to send to you? Or send you the ones that I got out of the swap that I have not yet began sprouting? I also got a couple of packets of native american seeds I can send you? Let me know what you think is fair and again, I greatly apologize. I did try to do my best to make everyone happy with their loot.

For milehigh and erlyberd mile high, you mention Idaho Hillbilly and I'd ask if this is the same as Hillbilly itself for starters or something else entirely. There are varieties where a name has been attached to a variety, that's true with many of the Mortgage Lifters and Brandywines,which just indicates who grew it at one time. As to how many seeds you'd need to be able to list a variety,that really depends on whether you're the ONLY one listing it and it appeals to others or whether you're listing varieties that already have several folks listing them. I'd have on hand probably around 500 seeds for a variety that's brand new and less for one already listed. I can't tell you the number of plants you'd need b'c it depends on what the variety is, how seedy it is and that determines the number of fruits you'd use off how many plants to get enough seeds to process by fermentation or whatever. A couple of more comments. I see the YEarbook as a place to obtain the more rare tomato varieties and have suggested that it might be a good idea for folks to have some tomato growing experience with the more well known varieties first. And that pertains to knowing how to rogue out plants that are not true to the variety. No commercial seed company has a perfect record when it comes to offering OP seed that's always true seed, and that's also true of Listed SSE members. Some bag blossoms others don't. And how important that is in terms of possible cross pollination depends on a lot of factors as to where a person gardens, what the pollinators are in the area, when they're active and on and on. Second, there's no need to list at all although if you have something unique you might want to consider it. If you look in the front of your SSE YEarbook you'll see that about 90% of the SSE members are NOT listed members, and many of those members become members b'c they want to support the mission of SSE in terms of preservation of OP varieties. Erlyberd, I think what I just wrote speaks to your comment as to why pay for a membership just to pay for seeds from others. First, the membership monies are an important source of income to SSE in terms of staff, growouts, isolation stuff, maintaining the permanent collection and so much more. Second, there is no obligation at all to requests seeds or tubers or scions or anything else from the listings in the Yearbook. Third, as I said above, there are those who want to join just b'c they have strong feelings about preservation of OP varieties and the Yearbook, to me, is the core of those preservation acitivities. A good number of companies that specialize in OP tomato varieties are owned by SSE members and we wouldn't have the many seed companies we have today if it weren't for SSE b'c that's where most of those seed companies got their initial starts for their companies. Carolyn