Is this post stickied? At any rate, I unfortunately don't have any old germans, but I might be interested if someone did =\

I have Old German seeds from 2006 that are still viable (have seedlings growing from some of them now.) The seeds are normally kept in a sealed container in the fridge on a bed of silica gel beads.

I don't live in Canada however--is it difficult to ship across the border? If you don't find someone local, I'm up for anything that's legal. :)

There's enough for at least two trades--I would send extras since they're a few years old.

Why do you want someone in Canada ?

It's perfectly legal to send seeds to and from Canada, I do it all the time, but not plants without inspection.

However, I'm not a fan of the Canadian Postal System and sometimes the seeds never reach the intended person. Rare, but it does happen.

Below I'm linking to the Old German page at Tatiana's superb tomato data base, she's in BC in Canada, and I have to assume that mail inside Canada is better. And Tania sells seeds for this variety as you can see if you scroll down on that page. She sells seed for about 600 varieties.

She features pages for over 3,000 tomato varieties and hasn't had the time to update all the seed sources for 2012.

And why do I even suggest buying seed instead of trading as a general policy, or at least half of the seed that a person uses?

Because I feel very strongly that we should all support those seed sites who keep varieties going and in these economic times it's a plus to help out others. And also b'c in general, and not referring to the person here who has the seeds, the highest incidence of wrong/crossed seed comes from traded seed. I used to do a wrong varieties thread here at GW a few years back, and that's how I know, along with info from other message sites where I participate.

I've grown Old German and it's really no different than about 2-300 other typical gold/red named bicolor varieties. Of course I have my faves but Old German is quite good if it's happy in a particular season b'c most bicolors are very much influenced by weather; sweet and lucious one year, the same variety the next year possibly bland and mealy.

Hope that helps.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Old German

you do not follow these rules stated in the link. When this became law GW changed their "Seed Exchange" forum to only be available to US registered members and Canadian members were to use Canadian Garden Exchange.

Carolyn I appreciate your information but it is out of date. There are also fines if you trade envelope is intercepted at the border for ALL parties involved in the trade.

At any rate I don't want to discuss this further. It is up to both parties to do your homework.

Here is a link that might be useful: US Dept Agriculture Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service

What's the canadian equivalent to this? i think it would be more relevant as (i thought) this discussion was about sending seeds to/in canada =)

-Rathos

Carolyn I appreciate your information but it is out of date. There are also fines if you trade envelope is intercepted at the border for ALL parties involved in the trade.

*****
My information is not out of date, actually, b'c there are the legal restrictions which are no longer enforced as opposed to the reality of the current situation.

In addition one of the members at another place where I post is a customs official under now Homeland Security on this side of the Canadian border and is very helpful indeed.

The current rules and regs for getting seeds from outside the US are explained in detail in the front of each SSE YEarbook since there are so many listed SSE members who live outside of the US.

For instance, for several years the US has required a phytosanitary certificate for all seeds sent into the US and this was first introduced quite a few years ago to prevent noxious weeds being imported. I can tell you that it not only is NOT being enforced, but there was a hue an cry went out b/c those certificates cost $56 and seeds have to be examined by an approved lab and here and elsewhere those labs are few and far between and in many non-US countries are not even available.

So then the USDA offered what's called a free Small Lots of Seed Permit, which is directed more for hobby growers, up to 50 seeds of 50 different varieties and the permit is good for three years. And the link is given to aphis/USDA, etc.

But the reality of the situation has led to folks at many sites online where there are Seed Echange Forums offering and receiving seeds from many many countries with no problems at all. Many years ago I do know of a few folks whose seeds were quarantined here in the US but that was over maybe 10 years ago.

I could list for you the seed companies in Canada, for instance, who sell seeds to anyone anywhere, including the US with no problems. I know well the owners of two of them, and so that's the reality of the situation.

This year alone I've recieved seeds from:

Canada
UK
Hungary
Germany
Russia
Poland
Slovenia
Serbia

..... for instance, and I send seeds to them as well.

A phyto ceretificate is required for any LIVE plant material going from the US to Canada and different countries have their own customs regs as well.

For instance, one can't, or shouldn't, send tomato seeds to Australia b'c of their concern about Potato Spindle Virus which also infects tomatoes. There are NO restrictions for many other seeds that can be sent.

One can't, or shouldn't, send tomato seeds to the NEtherlands b'c their customs prohibit it b'c of all the major tomato breeding companies that reside there in terms of comcerns about importing tomato diseases.

Bejo seeds is headquaretered in the Netherlands, they are the ones who have been distributing the recent outstanding varieties of Dr. Randy Gardner, now retired from NCSU, but still breeding tomatoes. When those seeds from the Netherlands enter the US they DO have to be accompnied by a phyto certificate. Bejo has a website online.

So no, my information about sending seeds to Canada and elsewhere is not wrong, it's probably more up to date than most folks know based on what I posted above.

So onward we go.

Carolyn

I also have sent and received seeds to a lot of different countries without problems.

Hi Carolyn and everyone else!

Brrrrrrrhhhh. It's cold today.

I go by what I read at the link I posted. I don't have a copy of the US based Seed Saver Exchange Yearbook to know what is stated in the front of the catalogue. If anyone has that information would it be possible to share it? I'd love to see it.

I to trade cross border with seeds and have no problems but I have often wondered after reading the link I provided and the fact that Garden Web still has Canadian Members segregated from the general Seed Exchange (I used to post there all the time but cannot do so now) if I am putting myself at risk.

I'm all ears on any new information but for my own piece of mind I prefer to err on the side of caution that's all.

Also as for Canadian Import rules on seeds I suggest people check the government sites for import rules - don't ask me about those because I don't know.

This is a good conversation to have and Carolyn I do appreciate your spin on things.

Cheers,
Peggy

Peggy, things are the way they are here in the Seed Exchange Forum b'c that's the way it was enabled when Spike owned GW and it's never been changed by the succession of GW owners who came after him. Spike did that when the first regs about USDA restrictions were introduced about keeping noxious weeds out of the US. That has to be longer than 10 years ago. While my page shows I've been a member here since I think about 2002, that's wrong b'c what happened is a computer glitch and all info as to when folks joined was accidentally deleted. I've been here at GW for quite a few years over 10 but do most of my reading and posting at another site and come here only occasionally these days.

I don't have a scanner, but if someone here has a 2012 SSE paper Yearbook and knows how to upload a scanned page in a post, well, that might help you.

However, the other comments I made are separate from that page in the YEarbook and are directed at the current reality of the situation as I tried to point out in my post above.

Carolyn

Hi everyone,
I have seeds coming - thank you for all of the information above.

Please do not post anymore on this thread since I automatically get the responses sent to me. If anyone wants to continue a discussion on trading with Canadians/Americans etc please start a new thread so I don't get copied on it.

Cheers,
Peggy