After two years of not making it to SAPS, I have taken the semi-drastic step of starting my own plant swap.

If you are in central Texas, and free this Saturday, October 6th, I am hosting a Plant Swap out front of our community gardens in Wells Branch, North Austin, from 9am to noon.

The Community Gardens, are in the South East corner of Single Trace and Town Hill Drive, across from the Wells Branch elementary school.

We will be set up in the grassy area outside the community gardens, across from the elementary school. (I've borrowed the following helpful hints from the SAPS plant swap, specifically Patty.)

We will swap ANYTHING! Plants of all sizes, seeds, old pots, old garden tools, mulch, whatever. If you don't have any of the above, you could bring home made cookies in a ziploc to swap for stuff. Its all good! Garden Junk and Garden Art is also welcome for trading. Hoses, trellises, rusty buckets, signs, you name it ! I've been to swaps where people bring homemade soap, mosaic pots, and other great items.

The point is to have fun. Also, swapping involves lots of talking. Talking about what you have, how it grows, what light conditions it has at your place, and so on. I think its fun to talk about plants. I find many other crazy gardeners do too. :D

Don't forget to bring a snack or sack lunch. We'll need sustenance for continued swapping !

You may want to bring cardboard boxes to haul home your booty. You may end up taking home more than you bring, and it's not always easy to get it all back in your car. Packing in boxes will allow you to stack them and keep your plants safe.

Bring something to use for labeling the plants you receive. Old window blinds are excellent for this purpose ! They last forever and they're kept out of landfills.

On that note, please label your plants for others. It saves a lot of time at the swap. You don't have to tell everyone what each plant is, since they already have names on them.

While swapping, please do not take plants off another's table without asking. They may be across the room promising that same plant to someone else. Please find the owner and ask permission. Everyone's different, of course, and may bid you take whatever you like. But it's good to err on the side of caution, and ask anyway. It's a good idea for all of us to put our name on our table so that everyone knows who to find when they see a plant they'd like.

At previous swaps, people set up a card table for their plants. Often, plants under the tables are not for swapping. This is where we place the plants we're taking home.

Some plants are special or rare and the swapper may want something special in return. This is understandable. On the other hand, some of us don't always need something in return. Please consider everyone's feelings while swapping.

Last but not least, have a good time. Make new friends ! I've met really great folks at the swaps and we're still swapping many years later !

If you can, Please come by for some amount of time Saturday. I'll be there from 8.30 to 1pm likely! If not longer. You don't want me sitting there on my lonesome do you? Come join me! It'll be fun.