crowdsourcing campaign from "Ugly Tomato Seeds"

Darren Abbey · January 5, 2015

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/u...f-growing#home

I'm not affiliated with this in any way. I came across it and thought that others here might want to have a look.

I only found the campaign is in its last hours, so I don't necessarily expect it to reach their funding goal. Maybe folks here will change that.

In any case, have a look, then maybe discuss the concept they're exploring.

(I wasn't sure what the best channel for this was, so I have no problem if an admin wants to move it.)

livinonfaith · January 6, 2015

In theory, it might be fun to join a "seed of the month" type thing, which is really what these guys are proposing.

But $50 a year is a lot of seed money to just play around with and have no idea if you'll get anything you really need! I can easily plant my entire garden for less than that! (of course, like most people who garden, I have a built up "stash" of seeds, as well as the ones I have saved.) And I get all kinds of interesting different things that I really, really, want!

Even if someone did have the extra cash to join something like this, wouldn't you want it to be with a group like Seed Savers, that has hundreds of different obscure seed varieties to share? That would be the only thing that could possibly draw me in, if I were able to get things that either might not be available at many places or are scattered around so that I wouldn't normally order them by themselves.

If you go to their site, these guys are only selling a few (really basic) varieties. They say something about pulling seeds from "the vault" but I would want to have an idea of how deep and full that vault is before I would invest money to see it's contents!

Also, they don't address the issue that many vegetables might grow well in one area but not another. Maybe offer a selection by growing zone? But there are all kinds of other factors, too. A lot of thought would have to be put into this to make it a success.

Darren Abbey · January 8, 2015

The apparent lack of diversity in their offerings was something I noted. I had never encountered the idea of a seed-of-the-month club, so I found it novel. I agree, I'd rather something like this from Seed-Savers where we have good evidence for a pretty deep seed vault they have to work with.

FLRedHeart · January 8, 2015

Sounds iteresting, but since we can't grow tomatoes out each month like you can read books, I would consider it a sales gimmick for T'Villians that have access to some of the finest vendors, trades, and free offerings on the planet. Someone who is not as dedicated might benefit, who is short on time and misplaces their seeds after a month.

I'd call it a gimmick since there are many with similar "subscription" which it what it is. Other claims that claim to give more support with their seeds of the month subscriptions like https://www.growjourney.com/tour/ or this one who understands their marketing well, averagepersongardening.com Seeds of the Month Club (27K likes on Facebbook), etc., but for very talented 'Villians, maybe for everything except tomatoes

.

I think the members of TV have no special interest in displacing seeds unless they think it can find a better home, or as noted order from fellow enthusiasts whether individually or part of SSE type places. With all the challenges most face growing, I wouldn't want some generic OPs every month they recommended based on what they had available. It would be like placing an order with Burpee each month based on what crop I wanted when once a year saves on postage and time.

I didn't read the link so there may be a cause that is worth supporting, but that is another thing entirely if it is the case.

Why not recommend to Mischka a variety of the Month category where for a month the thread is going on and everyone can chime in. The most enthused participant could could be a coordinator to poll for the next showcased variety. That might be fun!

January 5, 2015	#1
Darren Abbey Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 586	crowdsourcing campaign from "Ugly Tomato Seeds" https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/u...f-growing#home I'm not affiliated with this in any way. I came across it and thought that others here might want to have a look. I only found the campaign is in its last hours, so I don't necessarily expect it to reach their funding goal. Maybe folks here will change that. In any case, have a look, then maybe discuss the concept they're exploring. (I wasn't sure what the best channel for this was, so I have no problem if an admin wants to move it.) __________________ http://the-biologist-is-in.blogspot.com

January 8, 2015	#3
Darren Abbey Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 586	The apparent lack of diversity in their offerings was something I noted. I had never encountered the idea of a seed-of-the-month club, so I found it novel. I agree, I'd rather something like this from Seed-Savers where we have good evidence for a pretty deep seed vault they have to work with. __________________ http://the-biologist-is-in.blogspot.com

January 6, 2015	#2
livinonfaith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Posts: 1,332	In theory, it might be fun to join a "seed of the month" type thing, which is really what these guys are proposing. But $50 a year is a lot of seed money to just play around with and have no idea if you'll get anything you really need! I can easily plant my entire garden for less than that! (of course, like most people who garden, I have a built up "stash" of seeds, as well as the ones I have saved.) And I get all kinds of interesting different things that I really, really, want! Even if someone did have the extra cash to join something like this, wouldn't you want it to be with a group like Seed Savers, that has hundreds of different obscure seed varieties to share? That would be the only thing that could possibly draw me in, if I were able to get things that either might not be available at many places or are scattered around so that I wouldn't normally order them by themselves. If you go to their site, these guys are only selling a few (really basic) varieties. They say something about pulling seeds from "the vault" but I would want to have an idea of how deep and full that vault is before I would invest money to see it's contents! Also, they don't address the issue that many vegetables might grow well in one area but not another. Maybe offer a selection by growing zone? But there are all kinds of other factors, too. A lot of thought would have to be put into this to make it a success.

January 8, 2015	#4
FLRedHeart Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: FL 8b/9a Posts: 262	Sounds iteresting, but since we can't grow tomatoes out each month like you can read books, I would consider it a sales gimmick for T'Villians that have access to some of the finest vendors, trades, and free offerings on the planet. Someone who is not as dedicated might benefit, who is short on time and misplaces their seeds after a month. I'd call it a gimmick since there are many with similar "subscription" which it what it is. Other claims that claim to give more support with their seeds of the month subscriptions like https://www.growjourney.com/tour/ or this one who understands their marketing well, averagepersongardening.com Seeds of the Month Club (27K likes on Facebbook), etc., but for very talented 'Villians, maybe for everything except tomatoes . I think the members of TV have no special interest in displacing seeds unless they think it can find a better home, or as noted order from fellow enthusiasts whether individually or part of SSE type places. With all the challenges most face growing, I wouldn't want some generic OPs every month they recommended based on what they had available. It would be like placing an order with Burpee each month based on what crop I wanted when once a year saves on postage and time. I didn't read the link so there may be a cause that is worth supporting, but that is another thing entirely if it is the case. Why not recommend to Mischka a variety of the Month category where for a month the thread is going on and everyone can chime in. The most enthused participant could could be a coordinator to poll for the next showcased variety. That might be fun!