Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm interested in knowing how many members are interested in getting a good seed exchange happening here. Even for fairly commonly grown plants, a seed exchange is a good idea because often the plants take a long time to produce seed and during that time take up room in our precious systems. They then produce so much seed that there is no way an individual is going to use it all. It may not be sensible or economical for us all to save seeds for all of the plants - why not share the task and then share the seeds.

Then of course there is all the different seeds that we invariably purchase to try things out - often many of which go wasted because we don't need 200 of the same plant

Of course the other good thing about a well functioning seed exchange is that we can all swap seeds for some of the more unusual things we have also.

Anyway - as indicated above, I'm just looking to get a feeling for whether people are interested in getting a seed exchange moving - so please participate in the poll and to submit your comments as well.

Personally, in other forums in which I have participated, I have found that you can find yourself sending seed to all and sundry, rarely getting anything in return. I have sent seed to people who I have never even seen on the forum again . I think it is human nature that things which come for free are often not properly utilised (because a proper thought process has not been employed to decide whether one actually needs the thing). I often wonder how much of the seed that is given out in seed exchanges ever makes its way into the ground.

This is really aimed at the Australian members - sorry to our foreign friends.

Sorry all - did a quick edit after first adding the topic. I hadn't added the no option properly.

Sounds good, but we still need to keep in mind quarantine issues, yes? Are some things not allowd to be sent to other states for disease concerns?
Axl

Mainly issues with WA and Tasmania. There are no useful members in those states anyway

I know I've given out a lot of seeds, tubers cutting etc over the past couple of years, and I've also received some great things

So how would you see things working so that there aren't a lot of people just jumping in grabbing freebies and never returning things at all..

Do you know of any operating/semi organised seed exchanges, and how they work?

als does a bit of informal swapping of seeds

Don't know of any organised ones as such - but was thinking of some sort of credit system and also the possibility of a hub (ie people send their seed to the one place and they are sent to people from there - this would save on postage because we would get all sorts in single packs. Along with this sort of system would come planned seed saving amongst the regular reliable members. Ie, we decide who is going to save what this season, so that we are not all using room in our beds waiting for the same things to go to seed.

Want to find out what the interest is first before bothering with it too much. If there is plenty of interest, I'll put up a more detailed proposal of how things might work.

I am all for a seed swap... Sounds like a good idea
Perhaps make it that you have to give before you can get I am happy to do that too

Also - if using the hub, people would make a small contribution towards stamps and zippy bags or little envelopes or something to put the seeds in. THis could all form part of the credit system, which would also take into account returned zippy bags etc (return them to the hub for reuse when you send your seed in). We would also have a way of being able to note germination rates and stuff.

love the idea!

My spidy "MOD" sense is tingling..................will PM you both

hi vb,

i think it is a great idea, however i think there would be a lot of work involved keeping it running well. having said that i am more then willing to donate some time to help out. i am even willing to run it if i have some backing. i am currently involved with a local seed savers network so know what is involved, and have some good contacts.

i will be meeting with them next week so if anyone has any requests for seeds let me know and i will see if they have them.

let me know what you think vb.

I'll put my hand up as a show of interest

would even go as far as saying i dont mind playing a part in it as i have no life and need sumthin to do rofl.pick me pick me

BF - your experience will come in very handy. Provided we get enough interest, we can decide a bit down the track exactly how it will be run and who operates the hub or hubs. I'm not sure it will be that much work having regard to the size of our group.

One of the reasons I am keen to get this going - which I failed to mention earlier, is that we can start collectivelly saving seed from plants grown aquaponicaly (sp?). Although other seed would sometimes find its way to the exchange also, those that have come from AP grown plants would be identified as such. If we have managed to collect seed from the plant - then it must have gone okay.

Onya BK :-)