Input on the Everything But The Kitchen Sink swap

[Tormahto]

While it's fresh in your minds, I'd like to hear from participants how the EBTKS swap was for you.

What did you like?
Anything that you didn't like?
What to do to make it even better?

Understand that next year (as long as I'm still here and able) there will most likely be multiple boxes going out.

Depending on what participants want, there might be a box of just tomatoes, a box of just tomatoes and peppers, and of course the everything box. And, if there is enough demand (and seeds) multiple boxes of those three listed.

I will not have time for much of any input myself on this thread, for more than a month.

[habitat-gardener]

I loved the variety! An all-tomato or tomato+pepper box would not be nearly as interesting.

I loved the detailed sort within the tomato bag (though I'd put peppers and eggplants in a separate bag, rather than combining all the nightshades. Maybe "nightshades other than tomatoes"?). When I got the box, the "miscellaneous" bag inside the nightshades bag had all kinds of seeds, not just nightshades.

I loved the detailed labels on a few of the seed packs.
Each label should have the name and DATE!!!
It is also helpful to know a little more, such as (for tomatoes), early/mid/late season, color of fruit, det/dwarf/indet/micro, etc.
For flowers: height, sun/shade, color, etc.
It really helped to know more than the name, and not have to look up every single one.
On the other hand, it was exciting to find several varieties that were on my wish list. All I needed was the name+date for those!

I liked that most of the seeds were packaged so that you could take one pack, rather than bulk packs you had to repack. Assuming a similar time frame -- get the box, look through it for a day, send it off pronto -- anything that can speed along the choosing process is good.

It was really helpful to know that the box was running low on pepper seeds so that I could pack up some pepper seeds before I got the box. Periodic reports from box recipients would be very helpful for those farther down the queue.

I did not like all of the morning glory seed packs! So many!! It seemed as if every single person before me had added several of these. I ended up reorganizing the "miscellaneous" flower bag to sort out all the ipomoea/convolvulus/morning glory seeds and also made new sorting bags for several other flowers of which there seemed to be many packs/varieties.

A good rule of thumb (call it the Morning Glory rule, or the Yellow Pear Tomato rule) could be as follows: if the box already contains multiples of something you were planning to add, don't add unless you take out some. Who knows, someone else's seed might be a slightly different variant. Don't keep adding seeds if there's already an abundance of that variety. (And look up the botanical name of your seeds, so that you don't inadvertently add more of what's already overabundant in the box.)

I did not like the labels that were hard to read.
Marker on plastic fades and rubs off. It worked ok for categories, not ok for individual seed packs.
It was fun to see origami seed envelopes, but please make sure that the side you're writing on is blank, not dark or patterned. These tiny seed packs were very hard to read, and it looked like the hard pressure of the pen to write dark-on-dark labels could have even damaged the seeds.

No paper clips!! Instead, use baggies to keep multiples together.

No tree seeds! Or at least a detailed label describing why this particular crape myrtle is so special.

Rule of thumb: the bigger the plant, or the longer-lived, the more important it is to give as much detailed information about it as possible. It's rather a different decision to plant a tomato seed that matures in a season, versus planting a tree or shrub that may take a few years to produce a seed or fruit, or whatever makes it special.

Thanks, Tormato and all the participants, for making this such a fun swap.

[tyrupp]

When are you going to send out the mmmm swap seeds ?

[Stitchingmom]

I loved this swap, and I think it was so much less taxing for Tormato than the MMMM. Also, it would be simple to transfer to someone else to run, if necessary or desired.

I liked being able to get exactly what I wanted, without ending up with things I don't grow. I would stick with a tomato/cucumber/pepper box, mostly, so dividing them into smaller categories makes perfect sense to me.

[Tormahto]

I loved the variety! An all-tomato or tomato+pepper box would not be nearly as interesting.

I loved the detailed sort within the tomato bag (though I'd put peppers and eggplants in a separate bag, rather than combining all the nightshades. Maybe "nightshades other than tomatoes"?). When I got the box, the "miscellaneous" bag inside the nightshades bag had all kinds of seeds, not just nightshades.

I loved the detailed labels on a few of the seed packs.
Each label should have the name and DATE!!!
It is also helpful to know a little more, such as (for tomatoes), early/mid/late season, color of fruit, det/dwarf/indet/micro, etc.
For flowers: height, sun/shade, color, etc.
It really helped to know more than the name, and not have to look up every single one.
On the other hand, it was exciting to find several varieties that were on my wish list. All I needed was the name+date for those!

I liked that most of the seeds were packaged so that you could take one pack, rather than bulk packs you had to repack. Assuming a similar time frame -- get the box, look through it for a day, send it off pronto -- anything that can speed along the choosing process is good.

It was really helpful to know that the box was running low on pepper seeds so that I could pack up some pepper seeds before I got the box. Periodic reports from box recipients would be very helpful for those farther down the queue.

I did not like all of the morning glory seed packs! So many!! It seemed as if every single person before me had added several of these. I ended up reorganizing the "miscellaneous" flower bag to sort out all the ipomoea/convolvulus/morning glory seeds and also made new sorting bags for several other flowers of which there seemed to be many packs/varieties.

A good rule of thumb (call it the Morning Glory rule, or the Yellow Pear Tomato rule) could be as follows: if the box already contains multiples of something you were planning to add, don't add unless you take out some. Who knows, someone else's seed might be a slightly different variant. Don't keep adding seeds if there's already an abundance of that variety. (And look up the botanical name of your seeds, so that you don't inadvertently add more of what's already overabundant in the box.)

I did not like the labels that were hard to read.
Marker on plastic fades and rubs off. It worked ok for categories, not ok for individual seed packs.
It was fun to see origami seed envelopes, but please make sure that the side you're writing on is blank, not dark or patterned. These tiny seed packs were very hard to read, and it looked like the hard pressure of the pen to write dark-on-dark labels could have even damaged the seeds.

No paper clips!! Instead, use baggies to keep multiples together.

No tree seeds! Or at least a detailed label describing why this particular crape myrtle is so special.

Rule of thumb: the bigger the plant, or the longer-lived, the more important it is to give as much detailed information about it as possible. It's rather a different decision to plant a tomato seed that matures in a season, versus planting a tree or shrub that may take a few years to produce a seed or fruit, or whatever makes it special.

Thanks, Tormato and all the participants, for making this such a fun swap.

I don't know if someone started a "nightshade" large baggie.

Originally, it was about 20 large baggies of tomatoes, basically the "Categories" of the MMMM, which separated varieties into colors, sizes, shapes, plant height, etc...

There was one baggie for Hot peppers, another baggie for Sweet peppers (don't expect me to get all of the peppers in their correct baggie), and there was a separate baggie for eggplant.

The idea for the possible tomato/pepper box was that they are the two most popular traded veggies from what I've seen. And since cucumbers are also high on the trading list, there is the possibility of a tomato/pepper/cucumber/(maybe some other thing) box. We'll find out what the demand, for what to include in a box, is, late in the year.

I mention almost every year in the MMMM about thin "permanent" markers on clear plastic baggies, being almost impossible to read before it smudges.

And, I always mention no paper clips in the MMMM, too. I'll have to post these rules for the next EBTKS swap.

[Tormahto]

When are you going to send out the mmmm swap seeds ?

It's unknown until I get over the walking pneumonia.

[eyegrotom]

I did enjoy exploring thru the box. I think that if you did different varieties boxes, like one for tomato and pepper seeds. One for for beans and peas, etc. Than you could have 4 or 5 different boxes going to 4 or 5 different people at the same time. Of course it would take more planning.
People would have to send you there address as they put there name on the list for the different boxes.

[midwestfarmwife]

Can't wait to receive the box to see what's inside! I have seeds presorted and ready to go, so it should not take me long to get it back on its way. I like the idea of boxes of certain types of seeds, like a tomato and pepper box. For example, I never have luck with germinating saved bean seeds, so ended up buying fresh ones this year. We don't need sweet corn seeds since we buy in bulk to plant with our corn planter. Our son won't eat peas, so don't need those either. Those are the largest seeds and most expensive to mail also. A box just for greens would be good too, like kale, spinach, Swiss chard, etc. A box just for flower seeds is another idea. I can hardly resist flower seeds. There must be a term for some of us, myself included - seedaholics! Guess we could have worse addictions.
Years ago the Round Robin seed trades I participated in were sent out 'geographically' according to the closest routes, rather than who signed up first. That way, the box was not skipping clear across the country, which saved time on mailing - only a suggestion. It seems there was a master list of addresses sent in the box when it first went out.

[WindyWI1968]

The Everything but the Kitchen Sink Swap is the best swap I have ever participated in. It is a seed addicts dream. I think what could make it better is more unusual and foreign tomatos. More tomatos is always better lol. I did find so many things I wanted to try and put back some really good varieties. I do think more flowers would be nice as well as other vegetables but the large box isn't really that big anymore. I also think that the name of the seed, date, and who its from would be nice to include. That way we get to know whos seeds are very good germinating and can keep an eye out for that person's seeds. Also, maybe a guide to how to harvest seeds for the swap should be posted for the newbies. By dating the seeds I think it would be helpful because I treat old seeds differently than new ones to help with germination. I love a good variety of beans as I collect those, flowers and basically all seeds. I try to grow them all in a rotation. I know its a bit crazy but when I have all the seed from what I grew, I feel a good food security and really want to preserve the seed for others to use in the future. I am looking into freeze drying the seed for longevity. Tomato seeds could last 50 years that way. Also, the chocolate was a nice touch. Personally, I would like even more seed. I also wonder how much a bigger box would cost to ship. Anyway, the entire large box could be just tomatos or tomatos and peppers. I would pay 26 twice if a seperate large box was all flowers and vegetables. There are so many possibilities. I did like the variety of tomatos and my "collection" grew significantly. I try to grow more rare varieties each year. This year I am focusing on multicolored and pretty tomatos that taste good. I should have a lot to add to next years box. Maybe, a smaller box could be offered to those that can not afford it. The large white envelope can hold a lot and is very durable. It would be around 10 dollars to ship. I do think a minimum of 10 seeds in case there is bad germination and a home gardener saving seeds should plant at least 6 of each variety for better genetic biodiversity. That is what I learned anyway.

Also, Tormato, I was wondering if you could use some sweet gum tincture (some call it the tamaflu of the herbal community), Euchanasia tincture (herbalists use for increasing immunity), Lemon Balm (some say its useful for stress), and Elderberry tincture (they say it is great for colds). I am worried about you and your family. I like to make tinctures and teas out of what I grow.

[Homegrwoninillinois]

I had the box early on. It was very much a kid in a candy store situation. I had no complaints on how things were bagged or tagged. I placed items in just the way it had been received and packed it just like it came to me adding some more same brand chocolate for late add ons to the list.

I took many seeds (older ones) and am growing a large quantity of them this year to hopefully put more in next years box.

I was happy with everything all the way around and if needed am happy to assist on it moving forward next year (while you may be trying to get the MMMM for next year completed, etc)

~Sam

[Tormahto]

The Everything but the Kitchen Sink Swap is the best swap I have ever participated in. It is a seed addicts dream. I think what could make it better is more unusual and foreign tomatos. More tomatos is always better lol. I did find so many things I wanted to try and put back some really good varieties. I do think more flowers would be nice as well as other vegetables but the large box isn't really that big anymore. I also think that the name of the seed, date, and who its from would be nice to include. That way we get to know whos seeds are very good germinating and can keep an eye out for that person's seeds. Also, maybe a guide to how to harvest seeds for the swap should be posted for the newbies. By dating the seeds I think it would be helpful because I treat old seeds differently than new ones to help with germination. I love a good variety of beans as I collect those, flowers and basically all seeds. I try to grow them all in a rotation. I know its a bit crazy but when I have all the seed from what I grew, I feel a good food security and really want to preserve the seed for others to use in the future. I am looking into freeze drying the seed for longevity. Tomato seeds could last 50 years that way. Also, the chocolate was a nice touch. Personally, I would like even more seed. I also wonder how much a bigger box would cost to ship. Anyway, the entire large box could be just tomatos or tomatos and peppers. I would pay 26 twice if a seperate large box was all flowers and vegetables. There are so many possibilities. I did like the variety of tomatos and my "collection" grew significantly. I try to grow more rare varieties each year. This year I am focusing on multicolored and pretty tomatos that taste good. I should have a lot to add to next years box. Maybe, a smaller box could be offered to those that can not afford it. The large white envelope can hold a lot and is very durable. It would be around 10 dollars to ship. I do think a minimum of 10 seeds in case there is bad germination and a home gardener saving seeds should plant at least 6 of each variety for better genetic biodiversity. That is what I learned anyway.

Also, Tormato, I was wondering if you could use some sweet gum tincture (some call it the tamaflu of the herbal community), Euchanasia tincture (herbalists use for increasing immunity), Lemon Balm (some say its useful for stress), and Elderberry tincture (they say it is great for colds). I am worried about you and your family. I like to make tinctures and teas out of what I grow.

Someone sent me a recipe for eldeberries. I made the stuff many years ago, every year in the fall, and froze it for use in the winter, if I got sick. I haven't been sick for more than a decade, so I stopped making it.

I do not think that freeze drying beans or any other seeds would work, as the moisture content, if any, would be way too low.

[habitat-gardener]

….I also wonder how much a bigger box would cost to ship. Anyway, the entire large box could be just tomatos or tomatos and peppers. I would pay 26 twice if a seperate large box was all flowers and vegetables. There are so many possibilities. I did like the variety of tomatos and my "collection" grew significantly. I try to grow more rare varieties each year. This year I am focusing on multicolored and pretty tomatos that taste good. I should have a lot to add to next years box. Maybe, a smaller box could be offered to those that can not afford it. The large white envelope can hold a lot and is very durable. It would be around 10 dollars to ship….

I got a large priority mail box, packed it up, and brought it to the post office. It would have cost $46 to mail! That’s when I learned the difference between that one and the FLAT-RATE large priority mail box. So unless the post office comes up with an extra-large flat-rate box, the box we used is the maximum size.

The medium flat rate box is .34 cubic ft, about $19
Small, .044 cf, about $11
Large is the lowest price per cf.

[WindyWI1968]

The Everything but the Kitchen Sink Swap is the best swap I have ever participated in. It is a seed addicts dream. I think what could make it better is more unusual and foreign tomatos. More tomatos is always better lol. I did find so many things I wanted to try and put back some really good varieties. I do think more flowers would be nice as well as other vegetables but the large box isn't really that big anymore. I also think that the name of the seed, date, and who its from would be nice to include. That way we get to know whos seeds are very good germinating and can keep an eye out for that person's seeds. Also, maybe a guide to how to harvest seeds for the swap should be posted for the newbies. By dating the seeds I think it would be helpful because I treat old seeds differently than new ones to help with germination. I love a good variety of beans as I collect those, flowers and basically all seeds. I try to grow them all in a rotation. I know its a bit crazy but when I have all the seed from what I grew, I feel a good food security and really want to preserve the seed for others to use in the future. I am looking into freeze drying the seed for longevity. Tomato seeds could last 50 years that way. Also, the chocolate was a nice touch. Personally, I would like even more seed. I also wonder how much a bigger box would cost to ship. Anyway, the entire large box could be just tomatos or tomatos and peppers. I would pay 26 twice if a seperate large box was all flowers and vegetables. There are so many possibilities. I did like the variety of tomatos and my "collection" grew significantly. I try to grow more rare varieties each year. This year I am focusing on multicolored and pretty tomatos that taste good. I should have a lot to add to next years box. Maybe, a smaller box could be offered to those that can not afford it. The large white envelope can hold a lot and is very durable. It would be around 10 dollars to ship. I do think a minimum of 10 seeds in case there is bad germination and a home gardener saving seeds should plant at least 6 of each variety for better genetic biodiversity. That is what I learned anyway.

Also, Tormato, I was wondering if you could use some sweet gum tincture (some call it the tamaflu of the herbal community), Euchanasia tincture (herbalists use for increasing immunity), Lemon Balm (some say its useful for stress), and Elderberry tincture (they say it is great for colds). I am worried about you and your family. I like to make tinctures and teas out of what I grow.

Someone sent me a recipe for eldeberries. I made the stuff many years ago, every year in the fall, and froze it for use in the winter, if I got sick. I haven't been sick for more than a decade, so I stopped making it.

I do not think that freeze drying beans or any other seeds would work, as the moisture content, if any, would be way too low.

The seed banks freeze dry the seeds and then put them in containers without air. I did't think it would work but Craig LeHoullier says thats how they do it. The key is making sure there is no moisture so they can last 25-50 years. I will try it and see. But I won't wait that long to try to regrow them lol.
The tinctures I make are in vodka and everclear and I have extra if you want them. I am making new tinctures this year.