Hi! I'm Shannon. So excited to find this seed sharing community!
I have been on the Houzz/GardenWeb seed trading site for several years (been in around 15 trades there).
I've also used Daves Garden; I love the Have and Want lists there (around 5 trades there).
There used to be a site called Heirloom Seed Swap (a few swaps there), and I've also used the Reddit seed swap (a few swaps as well).
I am a bit addicted to seeds. I love the possibilities that they bring. As Emerson put it, "The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." I also love how gardening and learning about seeds connects me with nature, makes me be present and get more fresh air. Not to mention all the health benefits of homegrown organic food!
Learning is one of my hobbies, and I love how with gardening and seed collecting, there will always be something new to learn!
My favorite things to grow are unusual plants, things in colors you wouldn't expect, or with unique or strange shapes. I love learning about plants and seeds from different cultures, and deeply enjoy feeling connected to the heritage passed down by seed savers, especially Native American plants.
I try to grow only open-pollinated plants, or ones I will hand pollinate to ensure that seed does not cross-pollinate.
My honey and I are hoping to buy land in the near future. We are planning to build a tiny house and have the rest of it decked out with gardens and some dwarf fruit trees. We are hoping to get at least a quarter acre. I plan to use hugelkultur and core gardening methods and am excited to be able to make my own compost! We also want to use vermiculture.
In the future (about 5 years from now), we plan to get more land for a food forest!!!
My ultimate, wildest gardening dream would be to make a chinampa/s someday!
This year, I have a smallish balcony garden and a plot in a community garden, and way more seeds than I have room to plant!
I made my own seed envelope, so several will fit in a large baby food jar (the classic shape ones that used to be more common) and use the space well, thus making them watertight inside the jars. I would be happy to share the seed envelope with anyone who would like to use it (4 fit on a standard printer page).
I have a little suitcase that fits 15 jars, I think. It is my own 'grab and go' little seed bank.
Once we have land, I want to make a seed sharing spot for during cool weather that is watertight (maybe on our porch, or next to a 'take one, leave one' little book library out front - Have you seen them? They're so cute! Some people will even use an extra mailbox.) where I can have freebies and seeds for people who want to trade.
I would love, once we are more settled, to start a seed library at a local library if there is not already one.
My favorite thing about seed sharing sites that I've experienced is the community. I love how giving and sharing people are, and it's a place where I belong! I love helping people out if there's a resource I know of that I can share. If there's information I have that may help someone, I will gladly share it.
I have a plant reference book I've made in a hardcover sketchbook where I have a page or section for each species of plant. I'll include the seed envelope or where I got it from, and it helps me keep track of plant info and how things grow. I'll have to get a new one soon as I am running out of pages!
I am very grateful to have found this community. I love seed/plant swaps in person, but they can be rare and hard to find. So online seed trading communities are where it's at!
Looking forward to getting to know each of you, and to sharing seeds!
Hugs,
Shannon
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Topic: Hi! I'm Shannon. Very excited to find a new (to me) seed sharing community! (Read 5778 times)