Comments on SRGC Seed Exchange No. 66, 2012-13

[Diane Whitehead]

Maybe that's why they didn't send any to me in Canada.  Very disappointing.

I've had germinated seeds, like Nerine,  arrive from various countries and it
has never been a problem.

[Maggi Young]

Or perhaps they just ran out of them, Diane.......

[Maggi Young]

Forgot to put a post here about this.....

The SRGC seed exchange is now closed.

The Edinburgh Rock Garden Group began seed distribution on the first Saturday in January; the aim is to have all main allocation requests completed by January 21st.

Surplus seed distribution will not begin until all main orders are completed; not before Jan. 21st, so members will receive their main and surplus orders a few weeks apart. It is hoped to complete surplus distribution by the 11th February.
Queries about seed orders should be addressed to alan.hayes31@blueyonder.co.uk, but please do not enquire about the whereabouts of orders until after 11th February.

Donor’s orders will be completed first, on the basis of their donation record: donating more seed and for more years moves you up the list. Non-donors and surplus seed orders will be dealt with in order of their arrival date with Alan Hayes.

[fermi de Sousa]

Our seed allocations arrived safely yesterday!
We only managed one packet of those Hepatica seed between us (Will and me) but I'd better check them tonight and pot them up if they are germinating!!
I don't usually sow seeds till the weather cools off in March - we've due for more hot weather in the next week but I'll just have to keep the hepatica seed safe.
Cheers and thanks again Maggi for all your help
fermi

[robg]

Maybe that's why they didn't send any to me in Canada.  Very disappointing.

I've had germinated seeds, like Nerine,  arrive from various countries and it
has never been a problem.

Diane - as Maggi said the hepaticas may well have all gone before your list was picked.  I wasn't at the picking on the first day but I understand that the hepaticas went the first morning.  On the basis of the rate that lists are picked, that would have meant that they would have been distributed amongst the first 50 or so lists. 

Now I don't know what 'formula' is currently being used to sort the donor requests, but when I was running the picking some years ago the sort was some algorithm I dreamed up based on the amount of seed donated and the number of years that the donor had been donating.  The rationale was that the 'best' seed should go to those that were most likely to use it successfully, and as a reward to them for being diligent donors.  As I sad I don't know what criteria is being use now and it could well be that a different philosophy is being applied to decide what sequence the orders are picked in.

Rob

[Diane Whitehead]

Rob,

Your protocol sounds very fair.

Diane

[Lillii]

I received seeds on Friday, all equally exiting! Thank you all, donors and weekend workers! This year I will try harder to get seeds ready for exchange Have started to sow, it's such a cosy activity in freezing winter.

[bainbridges]

Hi folks

Distribution update...

All the main seed requests have now been picked, thanks to lots of help from local members.  Almost all will be in the post/mail and it's good to see lots of posts from happy folk whose seeds have arrived.  Just a few US and antipodean orders are waiting for permits or lists to be generated.

We've made a good start on picking surplus requests and the first of these will be mailed/posted at the end of the week assuming we're not totally snowed in; should finish the picking this coming weekend (fingers crossed).

We saw the disucssion on donors allocations:  we do use a calculation based on numbers of seeds donated this year, average number donated over all years, and the number of years of donation to work out who gets first pick. We have some donors who give us over 100 packets of seed each year, and who have donated well for 45 years, and they get priority.

We also try to spread out rare items, as we did with the hepaticas this year, but even then, they were gone to the first 200 or so donors (we have over 450).  We try to be careful with moist-packed and living material too, as we recognise the sensitivity of import issues in some countries.

All told though, we hope you enjoy your seeds as the seed distribution team moves towards completing our tenth seed exchange; we must have sent you all over half a million packets of seeds by now!!!  What have you done with them all?!?*

Ian and Carole B

[ChrisB]

Mine are all sown Ian/Carole.... thanks very much for your efforts!

[Maggi Young]

I've been worrying about the Seed Pickers getting cold as they work  in that potting  shed - I should have known better - they are obviously all working so hard and so fast that the heat generated can probably boil their kettle for tea!
Fantastic result to have the main allocations done so fast 

Thought of all those hundreds of thousands of packets of seed quite boggles the mind - I wonder what weight of seed and packaging that would add up to?  Maybe better not to think of such large numbers! 

Hope the weather doesn't slow the Seed Team down- well done to them all.

[Diane Whitehead]

 we do use a calculation based on numbers of seeds donated this year, average number donated over all years, and the number of years of donation to work out who gets first pick. We have some donors who give us over 100 packets of seed each year, and who have donated well for 45 years, and they get priority.

That is staggering!  Even with my small number of donations to several exchanges, I have much of the kitchen covered with collected seeds every summer. 

How does anyone manage over 100 donations?

I think that would be an interesting article.

[Sue Beatty]

I don't get on here anywhere near as much as I'd like to - maybe one day.  I do want to say thank you for the seeds - I got all my first choices but one altho I'd be happy with any of my second choices as all the seeds are great.  I think I did not too bad last year with germinating the seeds (my first year) and I'm hoping to do better this year.  I almost feel like I know what I'm doing - my husband seems suitably impressed anyway :-)  Thank you all - donors and sorters - because I know what a huge job it is and I really appreciate it.  I will try harder myself next year re sending seed in - I tried collecting but since I don't have a clue what I'm doing I was too nervous to send it - I'd hate someone to get seed from me that wasn't picked correctly.  I am going to germinate it myself and if it works I'll send in next year.   

[Maggi Young]

Sue, thanks for taking the time to send your kind words  about the Seed Exchange.

I'm going to  move your post to the Seed EX. 66 thread .........

[Robert G]

There was a package in my mailbox yesterday! I would just like to thank everyone for their hard work.  It is -19C and snowy right now so this package of seed is exactly what I needed.

Robert

[Botanica]

Hello, 

I see that many others have received her seed .

I hope you did not forget me... because I still have not seen anything in my mailboxes. 

Perhaps this week ?

Have a good day and good sowing for everybody ...

French literary quotation « Anne, ma sœur Anne, ne vois-tu rien venir ? » La Barbe bleue de Charles Perrault,