Seed exchange "surplus surplus"

[Tom Waters]

I hope this a good place to post this. I have a question about the seed exchange. I like the way SRGC manages the "surplus" seeds, allowing members to acquire additional seeds while keeping the initial distribution fair for all. But I was wondering - there must still be many seeds left after the surplus distribution goes out. What happens to them? There doesn't seem to be a "seed available from previous years" offering as some groups have. There are some plants which I wouldn't mind growing all the remaining seeds myself, given the opportunity, if no one else had an interest in them. I presume there are others who may feel the same.

Thanks in advance for anyone who can satisfy my curiosity on this point.

[Maggi Young]

Hello Tom,
 I will bring your post to the attention of the Seed Exchange Folks but meantime I may be able to cast some light on what happens .....

After the Seed exchange closes  batches of  leftover seed are sent to each local Group and the remainder goes round the various shows to be sold there.
The main problem with offering previous years' seed  is, I think, the fact that the SRGC does not have any facilities to store such seed. This restriction means that space must be rented to enable the seed distribution team to have somewhere to organise the picking and distribution of the current collection of seed between early January and February and the entire process is geared to be achieved in that time period.

[Rick R.]

NARGS also does similarly: after the surplus seed ex round, remaining seed is sent to individual Chapters that express an interest.  It's really a great thing for those just getting into seed starting.  Getting free seed that would otherwise be thrown away prompts them to just give it a try, even if they don't think they are good at it.

Perhaps many of those societies that list older seed do not have smaller chapters for distribution (?).

[ChrisB]

Not sure how it all works Tom, but Maggi has helped.  However, don't you need special certificates to get seed over there?  Wouldn't that make it difficult to send you them?  What a shame.....

[Tom Waters]

Thanks for the replies! Glad to know the extra gets circulated.