I've sent an email to whoever receives the emails from the email form asking for advice! :)

Alcina

Hi Alcina,

that was what I tried to do and didn't seem to get anywhere, so I thought the best thing is just to write a post... if you can manage to get something official that would be great!

Umm....hello! Is it me or is there suddenly an "exchanges" board attached to this forum!?????? Have I simply failed to notice this or has it appeared in the last hour or so???

Congratulations to whoever did it! :)

Alcina

Um...is it me or can I not actually submit anything to the exchanges board? :( Sooooo close! :)

Alcina

um... where?

Hey! you're right! you can switch from discussion to exchanges! I just tried a test message

Yay! That's what I call speedy! I emailed Spike to a) thank him for the speedy arrival of the exchange forum and b) point out the tinsy, tiny problem that only folks from th US could post!

Within half an hour he's sorted it!

THANK YOU SPIKE!

Alcina

Ok, so now I'm confused.
Do we post our lists on this thread, the one called "Seed exchange- starting now" or some where else altogether?
Are there any rules about what to offer e.g.

Only fresh seed gathered last season
No F1 hybrid seed or other seed of dodgy parentage
No un-named or uncertainly named seed
All seed must be collected by the person offering it, i.e. don't pass on surplus bought seed

My view is that all of these things should be allowed as long as it is made clear what is being offered e.g. date of collection. What do other people think? I'm game to try anything, but other, perhaps more serious growers, need to know exactly what they are getting in order not to waste valuable growing time.

Also, when we read each others lists, do we send a private message containing addresses etc, so postal transactions are all dealt with individually and privately? I don't see why this shouldn't work as long as the exchange doesn't get too big.

Also as it's an exchange, are people expecting to swap packet for packet, or can people just put in requests for what they'd like - essentially getting a freebie, if they haven't got anything to offer in return? If I have a lot of seed, I'd rather just give it away to an enthusiastic fellow gardener than leave it mouldering in the packet for years until it gets thrown away.

This will be a great motivator for seed saving this Autumn. I didn't really bother much last year.

Use the new exchange NOT my post which was a mistake.
I think all your points are very valid, maybe you should write it in our new exchange as a general outline of what to do.
I completely agree with you. I don't mind sending seeds out to an enthusiast as some seeds do deteriorate.

Valid points. I feel that so long as you label what your seeds are as correctly as possible (ie. offspring of hybrids etc) then you can offer whatever you like. Collection dates are useful, but too much information may clutter up your postings. Such details can be requested. Some people prefer that their email address etc never appears in a public place, so the only way to contact them would be to add a follow-up posting asking for information. I don't think there's any one way to do it. :)

Maybe look at the other exchange boards to see what kind of style they do.

Alcina

Yes, I think any seed at all is valid as long as you are clear about what it is. I have exchanged surplus bought seed, old seed, and seed collected from F1 hybrids. I have also received seed collected from hybrids without being told, which can be frustrating but is very common. We have to accept that many people simply don't understand the difference between species seed, hybrid seed, and seed collected from a hybrid.

You should be able to contact people using the email link on their gardenweb page. They will be sent an email containing your message and your email. You will not know their email address unless they reply.

If you keep a list of your seeds here (on your Trade List page), you don't need to repeat it each time you post. It also means it's always accessible to people wanting to swap, without you having to make new posts all the time.

People reading a list can also get an idea of what sort of thing you offer and what sort of thing you might be looking for - if someone lists two dozen different types of Aquilegia, they're probably not interested in swapping for something listed as 'pink and yellow columbines', and someone listing several types of conifer probably won't be interested in alpines (but you can never tell!).

One good point about having a UK Exchange is that we can send seeds for postage or sae, instead of just exchanging seeds.

I list whatever I have to swap and if people want more information about age of seed or how many I'm sending, they can always ask. I also ask for unobtainable seeds now and again - you can sometimes be lucky.

As you (I) can never have too many seeds, I'm going over now to post on the Exchange Forum!

Here is a link that might be useful: UK Exchange

Sorry I really don't see the point of yet another exchange forum. I have used the European one for two or three years now, and I actually like trading with people outside the UK, there is more variety this way. Also you can see where people are posting from and if you don't want to trade with someone then you don't have to.

As far as the different climate zones go, well push the boundaries a little, you may be suprised what you can actually grow. There are so many microclimates within the UK I don't see it makes a huge amount of difference to extend the boundaries.

I suggest if you want a UK only exchage then you contact Spike and see what he thinks to the idea.

Well in any case, there is now an exchange for the UK. It is not only seeds, which I agree, its interesting what you can grow. I do a lot of plants exchange as well and I find this has been useful for the UK only restriction. As posting plants outside of the Uk can be tricky. There are time and customs restrictions with regards to plants by post. So far the exchange has been created for around 48 hours and I am now busy swapping plants with others from the UK.

I agree with DeeDs1 that exchanging seeds worldwide gives you a much wider range of new plants to try, but a lot of people don't like to swap outside their own country, so I'm glad there's now somewhere they can post their exchanges without feeling they have to deal with 'foreigners'.

I'd like to see an International Exchange Forum for people all over the world to swap, but as people in the US couldn't join in, I don't see that happening.

Hi Dee Dee, it's not exclusive- you can trade on whatever board you like!
I think it helps having a UK exchange becuse you don't have to worry about language, plant import regulations aand to a certain extent climatic conditions.

I don't mind dealing with "furriners", it'd be fun. It just seems easier, and a bit cheaper, to keep it within the UK. And clearly an advantage if cuttings/ other [plant material are to be swapped.

I agree with Deedee. It's fun to exchange on the European forum. I have even found a way around the problem of sending or receiving seeds for a SAE. On one occasion I traded a large amount of Paulownia seed with a Dutch person who owns a large farmhouse in France.(He was planning to plantc a Paulownia forest!) He didn't have any seed I needed, so I swapped the Paulownia seed for some very nice continental chocolate instead!

But as dampflipper has said, having a UK exchange doesn't exclude the possiblity of a European exchange. They are complimentary. You can use one or both or neither. It's up to you.

On the US forums they have a national US/Canada exchange, and most of the Gardening in have their own local exchange as well. You get the best of both worlds!

Alcina

Sorry I still really don't see the point (or the problem).
It's easy enough to spot non UK traders on the European Exhange board. It's either in a foreign language or it state the name of the country, you just don't trade with the people outside the UK if you don't want to.

By widening the scope of the exchange it greatly increases the number of species available and I'm all for that.

It's musch more difficut for plant swap outside the UK.
At the end of the day we should respect customs and quarantine and not post any soil products in or out of the country incase it sontaminate the native environment.
At the end of the day DeeD, you really don't have to post anything on the exchange, not one is forcing you to use it.

II think you are misunderstanding me misabelle.

All I have ever said is that the European forum has been in use for a number of years and all it takes is a little time to read through and see which trades are offered from the UK and exchange with them only is that is what you wish to do.

I fully understand the implications of trading plants and seeds for that matter from outside the UK, as I trained as a botanist and now run a thriving rare plant business, so you see I may actually know a little more about this than you seem to give me credit for. Even exchanging plants within the UK can pose a risk, this is one reason why I will never exchange plants with people I don't know and can trust to have very good plant knowledge.

I find your last sentence a little 'harsh', perhaps a slighty more friendly approach would have been nicer rather than being so dismissive of an alternative point of view?

I too am I trained botanist and I get impatient with people who will exchange and swap things with soil matters and such all over the country and europe.

However, I do hope you will accept my apologies for the post. It was rather rude of me and I did regret sending it the second it was posted.

If anyone does wish to exchange plants or seeds, I strongly recommend setting up a member exchange list. Anyone on gardenweb can search this to find particular plants or seeds. You can then use the exchanges to advertise when you are offering/looking for a particular item, or just when you have a good set of items available. You might want to make it clear at the top of the list that you won't be able to exchange plants and possibly seeds across the pond, since many searchers will be from the US.

Here is a link that might be useful: Click on Edit Your Exchange Lists

Thanks misabelle, I know how easy it is to say something in haste and regret it the minute its posted, I have done it myself.

It makes me angry too when people bring plants back from abroad as well as swapping them, although this is likely to increase now that not only do legitimate growers have to pay for phytosanitary certificates but the newly introduced DEFRA inspection charge as well. It is going to make smuggling far more attractive to some people, yet again I think DEFRA have shot themselves in the foot on this one, especially when the charge is the same for a large consignment as half a dozen plants.

This is one reason I grow the majority of my plants from seed, as well as there being a far larger variety to choose from, even though I have to wait, sometimes years for them to flower so they can be correctly identified.

Yeah, totally agree.
I'm originally from Australia and quarantine is so strict we can't even bring fruits from one state to another.

I was apalled when I first came here and saw all the free swapping going on with food products and everything!
That said, I think is was my experience of waking up one morning to the sound of a pig in distress. I was living with some polish girls and their mother visited, she came by bus.... she bought a live pig..... and proceeded to slaughter it in the back shared garden of a london flat.

I know just what you mean, when I lived in Leicestershire a family were stopped (just) from building a funeral pyre and cremating grandad in the garden!
Slaughering goats in the street is quite common in some places I hear, although this may be an urban myth.

oh wow! that beats my story! :0)

The United States has a very broad seed/plant exchange in its GardenWeb site. By pulling it up on the internet, we may find some insight as to how to go about getting this one going. I have participated in the exchange several times while living in the USA, and have gotten Borage and irises in exchange for catnip plants. Cheers!

Don't we know it, SQBunn! Many of us participated in exchanges with people all over the world when we were all allowed to post on the main Exchange site, but now we're restricted to our own locality, no-one seems to bother.

It isn't that we don't know how to exchange seeds and plants (we've been doing it for years), it's just that in general it isn't worth posting to people who are growing the same things you are, which is probably the case with many of the enthusiastic UK gardeners/swappers.

Last year, I collected such an excess of seeds I couldn't swap, I sold them on eBay, which has funded the purchase of quite a few special plants.

SO IS THERE A UK EXCHANGE NOW OR WHAT?

Got onto the general exchage and its all us centric

searched for seed + uk and got this post

hello

there is a big world out there

makes little sense to have every state represented and then the rest of the world appears to have to use "the seed exchange" page