I am going to follow Skybirds lead from the spring swap and NOT offer dibs on plants.

I wasn't able to attend this year's spring swap. Did you list what you were bringing or was it all surprise?

I can promise irises! They're all that powder blue purple shade that is very common, so they're not really all that special, except that they bloomed for a very long time in comparison to the one maroon one in the yard which only bloomed a few days.
I'm not sure what else I'll have, but I'll post something, once I figure out exactly what that will be!
As I recall, the fall swaps may be a great time to swap some seeds, and I'll surely have some in that department as well.
I'm also happy to take any requests of what anyone saw in my yard at the spring swap. I have confirmed that the monstrous bush growing at the corner of my deck is an elderberry, and having started a few from mere twigs this spring, I'd be happy to take some starts if anyone wants to try a fall start, although they may be best for spring. I'm so excited to have so much elderberry around--I use the stuff for everything! I also may have some extra alpine strawberry plants that I may try to split out. These little babies are runnerless and make very small berries; sadly, I haven't gotten a single one this year due to some boring insect that eats the berry from the inside out right before it ripens. But I still have lots of them coming up--just yesterday I saw some more babies!

This post was edited by mayberrygardener on Mon, Aug 25, 14 at 12:08

I will have seeds of: carrots, parsnips and beets. Plus access to raspberries, blood grass, sedum Autumn Joy, lovage, rhubarb and many other things to take cutting of.

It is amazing how fee mosquitoes we have now compared to just a few weeks ago. Even the flies are not at many. So in 4 weeks they should be very little problem.

I am interested in this swap. Please keep me posted as to details. I'll have a few things to bring since I started new gardens only 2 years ago. Thanks!

Milehigirl,

Yes, we will list what we're bringing. There were times when we had really big swaps, 30 or more people. When peeps started posting what they were bringing, people would do dibs on certain things they really wanted to avoid the chance of not getting that plant during the swaps.

The issue with that is it creates a lot of keeping track for the people bringing the dibs and if you only have a couple of something they were already spoken for before the swap. It got kind of out of control and is not really in keeping with the spirit of the swap, IMO. Skybird and Luckybottom are just letting us know they don't want to do dibs on the plants they're bringing. If others want to do dibs, they can.

Having said that, I think the newbies can vouch for there being plenty of plants to go around. I've never been to a swap where anyone left without at least some of the plants they wanted.

And a reminder, even if you don't have any plants to swap, you are still welcome to come and join us. Swaps are a celebration, a chance for us on the forum to mingle, share some good food and talk plants.Swap material doesn't have to be plants. Get creative! Bring tulip bulbs, seeds, gardening books, pots, anything gardening related to swap.

Rather than try to explain the swap process, I'll post this, then come back with a link to the swap guidelines as they've been well written in the past by Skybird.

For now, please private message Luckybottom that you are coming. To do that, click on Luckybottom's (My Page), next to her name, then send her an email. She collects our email addresses, so she can do one email to all of us later with directions to her place. That email usually gets sent out about a week before the swap. It's important for the host to know how many people are coming so we have enough chairs, etc.

We'll do a few separate threads, one will be titled What are you bringing, What do you want, for plants. This is where dibs may or may not come into play. Post what you are bringing, ask for something you want and see if someone has it and would be willing to bring it for you

We'll do a separate post for Swap food, as this is a potluck with everyone bringing a dish to share. For non-cooks or time-challenged peeps, you can offer to bring utinsils, paper plates, etc. instead.

I'm getting too long winded here! I"ll close and be back with the guidelines.

Just under a month to go!

Barb

For everyone, here are all the BASIC SWAP FAQ'S!

This is a previous post from Skybird that I found and edited. Luckybottom is our host, so she may tweak the guidelines as she wants.

Anything that has anything to do with gardening is welcome at the swap! Plants, of course, but also seeds, cut herbs, fresh veggies, pots, books/magazines, tools, garden art.......... Anything garden related that you don't want or need anymore!
And then there's the pot luck part of the swap! Your dish can be absolutely anything! Hot dishes, cold dishes, appetizers/finger foods, salads, sweets, anything you think others would enjoy! Homemade dishes, if you have time, are always good and very much appreciated! Please plan to bring a serving spoon if it will be needed for your dish, and also please make some provision for it to be covered, a lid if it's that type of dish, or plastic wrap, or whatever.
Here's the basic timeline:

~ When you arrive, there will be a table with a sign in sheet and name badges. Everybody needs to sign in and make a name badge for themselves and any significant others or guests.
~ We start out with the eating, it gives us energy to do the swapping!

~ Then, when we get to the swapping part, we draw numbers for the first TWO rounds of picking what we want. With number in hand, we go around and have everybody briefly describe what they brought so people know what's there and so everyone can be poised to jump, to get what they want if nobody else selects it first! After the two rounds of picking the two things we want the most, we open it up to a free-for-all, where everyone just goes around and grabs whatever they want of what's left! (Wear your helmet!)
So that's how it works! Not really too complicated!

Here's some basic info about the plants you bring:

~ Please be sure each of the plants you bring is labeled one way or another! It doesn't need to be anything fancy! . Anything that will work to ensure the person getting the plant will know what they have when they get home.
~ Whether it's divisions or seedlings or whole plants you'll be bringing, please try to get them into their pots by at least a couple weeks before the swap so they have time to "settle in" and start to root out a little bit. Most plants don't do at all well in "garden soil," so if at all possible, use some sort of a store bought potting mix.
~ And please plan to thoroughly water the plants you're bringing the DAY BEFORE the swap so they'll have time to drain well enough to be easy to transport, yet be wet enough to not be wilting at the swap or while people are taking them home! We had wilting problems at the first couple swaps, we're learning!
And then there's that one Swap Law that everybody needs to know about!

Nobody needs to have any plants to be welcome at the swap! If you're new to gardening and don't have anything yet, if you just moved to a new house and don't have anything to give away yet, or if you just don't have anything for any reason at all, that's ok! There are always plenty of plants to go around, and we get together as much to swap gardening talk and friendship as to swap plants, so come regardless of how much you do or don't have to bring! (And, yes, you do get to pick plants in the swap part even if you weren't able to bring any!)

How open is this swap going to be? I'm new to this forum, and I can't claim to have a habit of posting here, but I do have a lot of plants to dole out (and of course my friends have been overloaded with the most common ones over the years).

madamecp,

You are most welcome to join us! Quite a bit of info. shared above. Please send luckybottom an email to let her know you're coming.

I'll start a new thread on what plants we're bringing. Follow my lead and post a follow up on what plants you're bringing when you know. Will start one for food as the date gets closer. Just check the forum a few times over the next few weeks for updates. If we miss covering something, just ask.

Barb

Hi Bonnie,

Count me in as well as my two sisters, Camille and Lucy. Looking forward to it.

I haven't much to offer in terms of exotic and exiting varietals, but count me in. I'll see what I can dig up between now and then.

I plan to bring my wife along as well. We are swap newbies and look forward to meeting you.

Thanks for hosting.
Dan

UPDATE: due to a family event, we are not going to be able to attend. I am really bummed to have to miss out, but family coming to town trumps.

Please accept my apologies for adding my name to the 'able to make it' list and backing out. We will be thinking of the swap.

Dan

This post was edited by bugdoctor on Sun, Sep 14, 14 at 22:42

Hey everyone - the 27th is already way overbooked, I actually have several things I've already had to turn down because of the other four things happening that day!
Fall swap is my favorite, I am very sad to miss it but will be checking in on the forums more often so I don't have to miss all of YOU. :)
Happy Swapping!
Amester

Bugdoctor and Amester,

We will miss you! We'll hope to see you at the spring swap next year!

Just a quick reminder that if you're planning on coming to send Luckybottom an email. Then, please take a minute to post on the What are your bringing, What do you want thread.

10 days to go!

Barb

Here are the confirmed from email:

treebarb - 2
popmama - 1
vlselz - 1
flowerridge - 2
polygonum tinctorium - 2 or 3
kyralee - 3
gjmancin - 3

If your name is not listed that means I have not received your email, so please send again.

How does a noon start sound? Pot luck, then swap. I have: chairs, plates, cups, flatware, napkins, water, coffee, and name tags for this size of group.

Got some frost so things are looking a little worse for the weather. Still have tons producing. Hoping all can come out and enjoy the country life with us.

Hi Bonnie. I've had every intention of coming to your lovely place for the swap, but it will be a last minute decision I'm afraid. Putting in some OT at work, and other things, have kept me from getting prepared with plants to bring and just in general planning the time to come. I do know what I'll bring for food to share, though - LOL. Cheese and toppings (have some habanero, tomato and peach-plum jams), and crackers.

I still have your address, so know where to come. I got terribly lost the one time I was out there - due to my not having gps. I did the "old fashioned" way of printing out google maps (amazing that THAT is old fashioned now!), but it got confusing (seems like there was one road that I was supposed to go straight on, but turned out it was blocked). My husband won't be coming, but he may have a mobile hot spot device that I can use so I can have an interactive map telling me how to go, but not sure. Maybe you could put up some balloons, or papers with "RMG" on them, and put out on a few locations on the roads nearest your house to help us be sure we're going the right direction? Just a thought - maybe I'm the only one that doesn't use the mobile mapping apps!

Thanks for hosting! If I don't make it, I'm sure it will be a great time for those that can :)

Marj

Marj, I was so sad to hear you had made some wrong turns on your way to our place years ago and was happy you called and i could get you back on track before the swap began.

I will email detailed direction, with my phone number, to all that have confirmed that they are coming early next week. Please, email back, or call, if you are not clear on exactly how to get here

Whoops, I'll have to send an email. Hubby and I will definitely be there--it's a bye week for the Sooners, so he won't be carrying on about missing a game LOL
As mentioned earlier, we'll have those powder-blue irises, and if anyone wants, we have lots of tomatoes that we're happy to share, and I'm just kinda "done" putting things up for the season, or, rather will be after I pickle the batch of peppers that we picked today. Pretty weak sauce, huh? Not much to offer--it turns up that the things that have come up around the new house this year are weeds and English Ivy, which I may never be able to fully eradicate. Please let me know if you want some bindweed, I've got lots of that to spare! LOL

I have one black-eyed Susan, a sedum Autumn Joy, a few baby hostas, some hollyhock seeds from a hollyhock I got at last year's swap, and I'll try to find a few other things.

I don't have room for much else in my yard, but I really want to see the baby horses!

Misty, I don't use a GPS! I still do it the OLD way (after all, I'M Olde!), with real live maps--and I look things up on google maps and then drag the little "guy" onto the roads so I can see what the intersections look like where I need to turn! Can't deal with machines talking to me, and if I had a GPS I suspect I'd either smash it or throw it out the window about the third or fourth time it started talking to me!

After I look it all up on google maps I print out the directions with all the "landmarks!" [And I print it big enough that I can read it easily while I'm driving--without my glasses!] Sometimes I print a google map just in case something "goes wrong," but usually I just do good/detailed directions. The directions from Kersey to Bonnie are pretty simple and straight forward.

I don't want to post it here online, but if you'd like I'll email you the "end" of my direction sheet--the last part when you get to Kersey! I go up Rt 85 and assume you'd go up I-25 and take Rt 34 east (I wind up on Rt 34 too where it crosses Rt 85), but from where you turn onto Rt 53 where it goes north out of Kersey it would be the same. I still have a hotmail address for you, if that's right and you'd like me to email, just post here. If your address has changed, PM me, or email if you still have one of my addresses.

Skybird