In reference to this thread: The thread "ATP Annual Seed and Plant Exchange Idea" in Site Talk forum

I've received a tremendous amount of ideas from various members, most notably @DogsNDaylilies who provided the initial conversation starter.

We are going to set this feature up, and it's going to happen soon. Some of the primary feature of it will be:

1) There can be multiple swaps occurring simultaneously. Any member will be able to host a swap, create it in the system and then participants will be able to join in. Start and end dates will be automatically incorporated into the feature (the host will set those dates, of course.)

2) The dates will be something like:
a) Start date: This is when people can start entering seeds into the swap.
b) Trade begins date: This is when nobody can add seeds anymore, and people will start selecting what they want from each other.
c) Trade ends date: this is when people are told what they need to send, where it goes, and all that.
d) Deadline for trade receipt: This is when your seeds must be delivered to the host.
e) Deadline for trade finalization: this is when the seeds must have been turned around by the host and sent out to the participants.

3) Members will be able to manage a primary list of seeds they are offering. The member can then "join" an existing occurring swap and select which seeds they will offer up into that swap.

Now, this is a complicated feature, and I've gone back and forth more times than I can remember as to how I'm actually going to implement this. I've decided to go ahead and get a preliminary seed list feature up and running very very soon (maybe today) so that people can start entering their seeds.

As for the rest of it, I really feel like I need to host the first swap, so that I can experience for myself exactly what a host goes through so that I can make the host tools as I go along. Ideally, this first swap will be limited to a smaller number of participants and with a short time frame, in order to make it not too overwhelming for me and so we can get this underway fast. Then with its success finished, @DogsNDaylilies can host the 2nd swap which would be much bigger and open to everyone.

I'm thinking the first swap would be limited to perhaps 20 members.

So that's my update. I'd love to hear what you all think about this direction.

For 2b, Trade begins date: This is when nobody can add seeds anymore, and people will start selecting what they want from each other. In my experience people may want to add during the swap. They may still be harvesting seed or may have ordered commercial seed that arrive during the swap.

I see no reason to disallow people from adding while the swap is occurring.

For various health reasons I can't participate in this first 'trial' effort, Dave, but I am going to follow it carefully because I will be involved other future times. I really like how you are setting it up and testing it out yourself. And it's going to be a one of a kind unique and incredible feature that will make everyone happy.

This is so exciting! Thank you so much for all of it.

Ditto to what Sharon said

I'd love to participate in the first swap! I already have 10 different types of seed packaged up & all their info is in the database. I've got both flowers & veggies so hopefully I have something others will want! I have LOTS more seed varieties I can add but it takes time so we'll see how many I can do before this all starts. Thanks so much Dave!!

I have a beta of the swap list system ready. To try it out, go here:

http://garden.org/apps/swap/

You can go to your swap list from that link, and add new plants. Should be self explanatory.

You can also import from your Plant Lists over to this swap system, too. When you're viewing your plant list, you'll see a new icon in the actions column. It looks like a swap/recycle icon. Click it and it'll copy it into your swap list and give you a place to enter all the extra information.

I'd be grateful if a few people could start entering in their items they plan to offer for swap later this season. Early next week I'll be working on the actual swapping system.

I have my list started.

Dave, on the source options, you may want to add "From trader" or a similar phrase. People frequently trade off extras when they receive more seed in a pack than they need (in a seed trade/exchange.)

Thanks for your work on this project! Very exciting!

I've started my list also! Noticed that you can only add plants from your plant list if they are marked as currently owned. Could we add previous plants also? I try to grow new plant varieties every year so even if I don't currently grow it I probably still have seeds for it. An example is my Anagallis monelli which I didn't grow this year but have lots of commercial seeds.

bxncbx said:I've started my list also! Noticed that you can only add plants from your plant list if they are marked as currently owned. Could we add previous plants also? I try to grow new plant varieties every year so even if I don't currently grow it I probably still have seeds for it. An example is my Anagallis monelli which I didn't grow this year but have lots of commercial seeds.

You can add any plant in the database. In your swap list click add plant and type in the name.

Danita said:Dave, on the source options, you may want to add "From trader" or a similar phrase.

I've added that.

bxncbx said:I've started my list also! Noticed that you can only add plants from your plant list if they are marked as currently owned.

That's added now, too.

Many experienced seed swappers have a code so folks will know if seeds are from a
-commercial seed
-from trader's own garden
-collected in the wild
-from previous trade (you have that covered )
-open pollinated
etc.
Should this information be listed next to each seed offered? or will folks have to hunt for the information elsewhere on the trader's pages?

I feel like details like all that can go into the comments section, can't they?

Next to the name of the plant, could we have a category for the year the seeds were harvested and another category for the year the seeds were commercially packaged? If this information is not available, then it could be put in the comment box.

If the trader does not know the botanical name (which is easier, imho, to look up for information unique to the plant), then it might be helpful to ask for color and height. Beyond that, using the comment box would be fine with me.

A link to the plant from anywhere on the web, if it's not in atp database, would be welcome - would that be okay in the comment box, too?

just my 2 cents

I added a few and will add some more this weekend. I made them visible but not ready for trading. Does that mean anyone can see them, even outside the context of a swap?

I'll see what I have to swap.

Bluespiral I'd say yes to all your questions.

Ideally the plant will be in our database and found when you search for it, though.

Alana, that's what it would mean. People could see you have it, but they could not select it to enter a potential trade.

I followed the link and added some (imaginary) seeds just to get the hang of it.
For now I can only see my own list. When and how will we be able to see the lists of other people?

This next part may seem like a lame question. I see that Dave wrote:
"Any member will be able to host a swap..." and then wrote that he (Dave) will host the first swap as a trial/test and that DogsNDaylilies has been selected as the person to host the second swap.
If as Dave said, any member will be able to host a swap, when and how does one obtain permission to do so?
( Don't worry; I'm not planning to be a host anytime soon but it would be nice for my brain to understand the selection method.)

I like it. I started mine but will take me a while. I like the photo option

Some options I'd like to see in the future
Different categories to list under such as annuals, veggies, perennials, vines. I think if someone is searching for a specific item they could just go to that category.