Floranella Seed Swap
- This swap is now closed. -
How It Works
Seed swaps are a way to share seeds with other gardeners and build your collection of seeds for your own garden at the same time. They’re a wonderful tool for cultivating diversity in our gardens, connecting with other gardeners, and they’re just plain fun!
Online seed swaps are done through a host (that’s me!) who coordinates everything, receives the packages of seeds from participants, divides them up and then sends packages of seeds back out to each participant. When you join in the fun, you commit to send in some of your own seeds and you receive a package full of seeds from the other participants in return!
Who can participate?
Persons over 18 years of age who live in the United States are eligible to participate.
How much does it cost?
$8.50 (This covers our cost to prepare your package and ship it back to you. The seeds are free.)
What kinds of seeds can I send / will I receive?
Please do not send:
- Invasive species
- Banned, illegal, or controversial species
- Genetically modified seeds (or seeds from plants that could have been cross-pollinated by a genetically modified plant in your garden)
- Unidentified seeds or old seeds (unless you’ve tested their germination rates recently and have found them viable)
How many packets of seeds will I need to prepare?
I’ll send you an email on Feb. 20 to let you know how many participants we have – this will be the number of seed packets you’ll prepare. The maximum number of packets you’ll need is 120, because I’ve capped the list at that number to keep things manageable for everyone.
How many seeds need to be in each packet?
You can include however many seeds you’d like in your packets. A good general rule is to send enough for other participants to be able to grow what you’ve sent them well. For things like beans, peppers and tomatoes, 5-10 seeds would be plenty. For something like carrots or radishes, something like 20 seeds would be more appropriate. Herb seeds would vary by the kind of herb. Use your good judgment. These are just suggestions. =)
Do all of the packets need to be the same?
No. You can send all the same if you prefer, or you can send a variety of different things.
How should I prepare the packets?
Write the specific variety name of the seed on the packet, including the botanical name if you know it. (For example, instead of just writing ‘lettuce,’ you would write ‘Tom Thumb butterhead lettuce.”)
Other information you could include:
- growing tips / suggestions (i.e. when to plant, growing conditions, etc.)
- the original source of the seeds
- your instagram handle (or other social media links) if you want other participants to be able to connect with you
Extra things to remember
Please make sure your handwriting on the outside of your package (and your packets) is legible.
Please include a note or a piece of paper inside your package with your name, mailing address, email address and instagram handle (or social media link). This is just so we can make sure to keep track of your package as it comes in and as we send packages back out.
If you’d like to share this swap with your friends or audience, please send them to: floranella.com/seedswap