SRGC Seed Exchange No.72 2018-2019

[Maggi Young]

Yes indeed

About how many donations and requests would there be in an average year?

The Bainbridges report that :"  this year  354 donors  have sent in 7300 packets of  seed. Three fantastic donors have  provided over 100 packets each. Thank you to all donors, including the 32 new donors - welcome and thanks to you! This creates a list with  over 4200 numbers on it. 12 people helped with the seed collation, almost 70 with the seed packeting and 30 will help with the  distribution of  ( an expected) 1400 requests. We hope  you like and will benefit from the result of all these contributions! "

 Super, isn't it?

[Yann]

That's great news!!

[Maggi Young]

It is already the  2nd January 2019 -
 so - time for a reminder to  SRGC Members that orders to the  72nd Seed Exchange must be received by 15th January. 
Quickest and surest way to achieve this is by online ordering - see https://www.srgcseed.net/home.asp
 Still plenty time to register and  make your seed request - or to  go back and make sure you have completed an order begun earlier!

[Maggi Young]

Always fun to see the results of previous SRGC Seed Exchanges, flourishing for our members around the world - this time in Japan

‏
YT
 #Narcissus bulbocodium f. pallidus ex. SBL 237” from @ScottishRockGC 2014-2015 Seed Exchange opened its first flower at last 😊
Best greetings to the seed donor and all members of the Seed Team 💖
#スイセン #水仙 #daffodils #bulbs #球根 #球根植物 #花 #植物 #園芸 #ガーデニング

[Véronique Macrelle]

beautiful narcissus!
 when will the seeds be sent?

 I have to prepare my equipment!

it takes about a good week to get to my house

[Carolyn]

Veronique,
We will be setting up the seed distribution on Wed 16th. It takes us a whole day to get everything in place and ready. We will start picking orders from the 17th and it usually takes us about 9 or 10 days to complete the job. Then you need to take into account any possible delays with overseas postage.
I will take  some photos next week so that you can see what we do.
This week, I am preparing compost, pots and labels for my own order.

[Leena]

This week, I am preparing compost, pots and labels for my own order.

I was just doing the same, taking compost bag inside because it was frozen solid, and washing pots.
Usually I have received my order the last week of January.

[Véronique Macrelle]

and then I have to push, tidy my old pots (those of previous years) to make room for them in my little greenhouse.
 

[Maggi Young]

SRGC Seed Exchange seed is ready to be picked for the distribution to members around the world. Volunteers around Britain have been packeting the seed and the Seed Team will be setting up the layout on Wednesday for the orders to be picked and sent to members. This is Sue Simpson's pic of the boxes of seed ready to go to Threave for that part of the exchange.
Orders for seed are open until 15th January.

[bibliofloris]

As a new member, this is my first seed exchange, and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who makes it happen. People who share seeds of treasured plants with gardeners they’ve never met, and who put so much time and effort into making sure that the gardeners who ask for them will receive them (or a substitute they’ve chosen.) It’s magical, to think of seeds coming to me from places I’ve never been, and so full of hope for the gardeners and gardens of the future.

In my “day job” as a writer, we often talk about how we can’t pay back the knowledge and support that were given to us by those who came before us. But we can pay it forward. We can offer what we have, and see what those who are newer to writing make of it. This seed exchange is a beautiful example of that idea (as is this forum!)

I may never grow the treasures you do. But, I learned to garden from people who were not experts, but were willing to share the plants they grew, and what they had learned so far. I will do my best to keep sharing my common, garden-variety seeds and knowledge, in the hope that it, too, will help a fellow gardener.

Thank you,
Kelly (who is so grateful you’re still willing to do the extra steps that allow seeds to reach me in the USA!)

[shelagh]

Glad to see Sue's picture of all the boxes. I kept my proof of purchase just in case of a problem but it was reassuring to see it there in it's place..

[Carolyn]

Seedex update - we set everything up yesterday - the seeds are now arranged in orderly fashion for speedy picking. The order picking started this morning, with 15 or 16 volunteers helping out. We have now picked about 190 donor-orders and the first ones went off to the post office this evening. Plenty more still to do! We are keeping our fingers crossed that winter weather will not interfere with the job....

[Pennine Wanderer]

Seeds arrived safely today. Many thanks to all those who were involved in the exchange, you hard work is greatly appreciated.

[Dionysia]

The postman has also found his way to the south of England. All first choices bar one. Already listed on database and labels written. Hopefully the rain will have stopped by tomorrow and they can be sown in time for this week's forecast frost. Fantastic effort by the seed team to whom we should all be very grateful.

[ian mcdonald]

My seed has arrived today. Thanks to the seed team for their hard work.