Come Join Us! 4th Annual Tomato & Pepper Seed Exchange

[hmacdona]

THIS SWAP IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW PARTICIPANTS!!!

We have 139 participating in this exchange !!!!

Hi everyone,

I am hosting another Tomato and Pepper seed swap that will include members from a few different forums. I wanted to post this a bit early so you had time to collect seeds or place an order.

Here are the guidelines we will follow for this swap (Note - they differ slightly from last year):

1) Seeds must be received by me no later than November 15th, so I recommend you mail your envelope no later than November 1. Please note that I live in Canada, so those in the US and overseas need to allow at least a couple of weeks for mailing time.

You can send "named varieties" of tomatoes or peppers (or both). Do not include mixes or seeds labeled "granny's mystery mix" or unnamed bell peppers or anything like that. I cannot, in fairness, send mixed or unknown packs of seed back to people that followed the instructions and only sent in "named varieties". If I receive anything like this from you, it will be returned to you, unless it is clearly marked as bonus seeds.

If you are sending hybrid seeds to exchange, only F1 seeds from a commercial source are acceptable. Your source for the F1 seeds must be clearly marked on your seed package/envelope. Do not send in seeds you have collected from a hybrid plant. They will not grow true to the original parent plant. If you are unsure if the seed you have collected is from a hybrid, please do your research online before mailing in your seeds.

2) A minimum of 10 seeds per packet. A maximum of 5 packets of the same seed. An overall maximum of 40 packets per person. Please stick to this limit, as it ensures enough variety for all participants. Every year I have a few participants that push well past this limit, and slip a note in saying "I hope it was ok...and by the way...I only want all rare seed varities in return"...LOL. Sorry folks, that's not going to work...it's just not fair to all participants. Bonus seeds are of course more than welcome, but I just ask that they are clearly marked as such.

Please ensure seed packets are clearly marked with the name, and whether they are heirloom, OP (Open Pollinated), or F1 hybrid seeds. If you are sending pepper seeds, it would help me a great deal with sorting if you could indicate on the packages if the peppers are sweet or hot as many individuals in the last swap had clear preferences. If seeds are from a commercial source, please note that as well.

3) If you send tomato seeds, you will receive tomato seeds in return. The same idea for peppers, unless you include a note indicating you want something different in return. You can also send in tomato seeds and ask for pepper seeds in return or visa versa, or any combination. I fully expect a large variety and volume of seed types to be able to accommodate this.

4) Please include a list of what you are sending, your wish list and if there are any seeds you do not want to receive. It is very important to take the time to write out a list of what you are sending, otherwise I have to do it for you and I do not have time for that. If you are only interested in heirloom or OP, please tell me that as well. I will try my best to accommodate your wish list, but there are no guarantees of course. The variety will be completely dependent on what is sent in. In last year's swap, we were able to fill many items on people's wish lists so please take the time to prepare one - it will be worth your while. In a follow up posting, I will list many of the highly sought after varieties from last years swap, in case this helps some individuals decide what to send in for swapping.

5) You will need to mail your seeds inside a bubble envelope with a return label inside, along with the correct amount of return postage. I will reuse your original bubble envelope to send your surprise seeds back to you. Return postage rates are as follows:

* If you live in Canada - $1.25 return postage stamps

* If you live in the US - $2.16 (CAD or US$) (includes tax)

* If you live outside Canada and US - $4.31 (CAD or US$) (includes tax)

All postage rates can be verified on the Canada Post website. For those outside of Canada, you will need to send enough funds to pay for return postage. You can either send concealed cash in the envelope or you could submit payment for postage via Paypal. Please DO NOT send stamps from your country. They will not work here in Canada

It's important that you send a regular bubble envelope and not the heavy cardboard insulated type. Weight restriction in this price category is 100g.

6) If you change your mind after registering, and no longer wish to participate, PLEASE notify me immediately so we do not delay the swap waiting for your seeds to arrive. This will also save me a great deal of time trying to follow up and track people down.

7) I will send you a private message with my mailing address once you have posted here to sign up for this swap.

Any questions. Please let me know. Let's have fun exchanging seeds !!!!

Thanks……Heather