The photo option is fine, but redundant in my opinion. I don't think I will be photographing my homemade seed packets, even if I had the time. There will be the same, and probably more information in the offer than would appear on the pack, and if you click on the name of the seed offered you will see the ATP entry for that plant.

@Dave , I am so excited!!! The preliminary 'add seed' screen looks great! I know it will be molded a great deal over time as the wonderful ideas keep pouring in, but I think it is a terrific and very welcome start! Thank you!!

As for taking away the photo option...I like the photo idea, personally. I see how it could be confusing what exactly the photo is supposed to be, but I'm sure there's a way that the text could just be altered slightly to make it clearer in that case. (I also don't see why the photo couldn't be a picture of whatever the 'seller' feels is appropriate to show in order to convey what is being offered. )

I had initially hoped the idea of having hybridized seeds available would be implemented, but I don't see a great method for doing so to make it easy for others to understand at a glance. I still feel that this could be easily achieved with two text boxes (represented by the underlined areas below):


__________________________ x ______________________________ # of seeds: _______________


This would make it searchable across lists, I would hope, so that someone looking for seeds with a particular cross can find them.

I haven't had much time to play around with the seed list feature yet, I just keep poking in to ATP here and there between trick-or-treaters...but I definitely will give it more time and attention soon.

I like the idea of having the ability to add a photo (however it may be used), but I wouldn't consider it an absolute necessity.

I like the photo option for my actual photo of the flower. I wouldn't bother taking a pick of the actual seed packet.

We'll keep the photo option. I guess one could use it to show the flower itself.

Keep up the good work Dave! (Cross posted with Dave; I was typing slowly...)

I [think that the database photos should be sufficient. Plus it will also bring more traffic to the ATP database.

Unless someone is offering a spiffy colorful commercial seed pack, home grown seed packs can vary in appearance and may not be very exciting or offer much information - unless folks have expensive color printers.

Everyone may have a different idea of how they pack seeds to send out. Here is one portion of the seeds received in a swap over on Cubits. (they don't call it Piggy for nothing!!) Look at how many ways people managed to package their seeds.


Here are ways that seeds were packed from other swaps. The photos do not tell much about what the plant will look like.

But for what the plant will look like, if your plant has a match in the database, the visitor/user can simply click to view all the photos in the plant database.

some of my self seeding annuals have been in the garden for so many generations they do not have a database match and I collect seeds from the ones I like best
example I had about 10 variations of cosmos this is the one I collected seeds from


same with coreopsis, this is the one I collected from


so I would probably use the photo option for other than it's original intended purpose

The Cosmos is beautiful; similar to Common Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus 'Candy Stripe') in our database.

Dave,

I tested out a daylily cross and here's what happened...

1) I started typing in Daylily 'Cloud Baron' and it popped up with "Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Cloud Baron')" which I selected...
2) ...then I added "x 'Daylily (Hemerocallis 'So Many Stars')"....and finished filling out the rest of the information
3) When I went to view my seed list, it shows the listing as seeds for "Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Cloud Baron')" and links directly to the page for that CV. It doesn't give any indication that it's hybridized seed or what the pollen parent is.

I don't want to interfere with the ability to link things to the database entries/pictures, that's too useful of a feature, but I do think there should be a way for people to get their hybridized seeds (daylily or otherwise) in the swaps. I agree with a previous poster who commented that it would be a good idea to allow two pictures for hybridized seeds. (Links to database references won't work as well in this situation because if one or both of the pod parents are hybridized seedlings, the links to database pictures won't help the viewer.)

When you selected that plant from the list, you bound that entry to its database entry in the plants database. Any extra text you added to the name was over-written when it was saved. I'll make it so if you change the name, it'll break the link to the database and create a standalone plant.

@Dave - thank you! I'll test it out again a little later today, then.

A few things:
1) Is there already the feature that a seed listing becomes un-editable once a trade for that seed pack has been agreed upon? (That way no on accidentally, or otherwise, changes the entry for a seed pack that has already been promised to someone else.)

2) I really like that there is an icon on our plant list to add things to the swap. In theory, that makes it really easy to list things on my seed swap list.

I went to test it out and it wasn't quite as easy as I'd hoped. Maybe this is an idea for the future, but it would be great to have a search feature in our plant lists that allows you to search for a type such as 'vegetable' instead of specific family or genus. To illustrate what I'm talking about: I added 'Parris Island Cos Romaine' to my plant list to test the feature and then when I went back to search for it to add to my seed list, it took me 2-3 attempts because I didn't know that lettuce falls under 'lactuca'...and, if I wanted to later add my corn, I'd have to do a different search. Having a broader category might make this search function more practical for the seed swaps. Then again, if seed information is being stored from one swap to the next, members might simply opt to add their seeds exclusively in the trading platform (by typing it in the textbox with the suggested entries) and edit their lists solely that way.



I'm really excited to see what the platform for the actual trading of the seeds will look like! Any news on that? Is there any ability to see others' seed lists right now so we can alpha/beta test that function?

Interestingly, when I want to delete the mis-named Cloud Baron seeds, I got this message:

"Deleting an item from your seed swap list
Are you sure you want to delete the entry for "Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Cloud Baron') x Daylily (Hemerocallis 'So Many Stars')"?"

...so it's still registering my initial typed entry, even though it linked and displayed it only as Cloud Baron. Hmm..

DogsNDaylilies said:I'm really excited to see what the platform for the actual trading of the seeds will look like! Any news on that? Is there any ability to see others' seed lists right now so we can alpha/beta test that function?

I'm working on that right now, and have opened the first swap up to participants. This week people will be able to start looking at each others lists.

So far, 14 different members have added at least one plant to their swap list.

dave said:When you selected that plant from the list, you bound that entry to its database entry in the plants database. Any extra text you added to the name was over-written when it was saved. I'll make it so if you change the name, it'll break the link to the database and create a standalone plant.

This change has been made.

I'm ready!!!!! All my plants are in my swap list and except for a picture or two I don't plan in making any changes. Thanks Dave!

DogsNDaylilies said:@Dave - thank you! I'll test it out again a little later today, then.

A few things:
1) Is there already the feature that a seed listing becomes un-editable once a trade for that seed pack has been agreed upon? (That way no on accidentally, or otherwise, changes the entry for a seed pack that has already been promised to someone else.)

2) I really like that there is an icon on our plant list to add things to the swap. In theory, that makes it really easy to list things on my seed swap list.

I went to test it out and it wasn't quite as easy as I'd hoped. Maybe this is an idea for the future, but it would be great to have a search feature in our plant lists that allows you to search for a type such as 'vegetable' instead of specific family or genus. To illustrate what I'm talking about: I added 'Parris Island Cos Romaine' to my plant list to test the feature and then when I went back to search for it to add to my seed list, it took me 2-3 attempts because I didn't know that lettuce falls under 'lactuca'...and, if I wanted to later add my corn, I'd have to do a different search. Having a broader category might make this search function more practical for the seed swaps. Then again, if seed information is being stored from one swap to the next, members might simply opt to add their seeds exclusively in the trading platform (by typing it in the textbox with the suggested entries) and edit their lists solely that way.



I'm really excited to see what the platform for the actual trading of the seeds will look like! Any news on that? Is there any ability to see others' seed lists right now so we can alpha/beta test that function?

DND -- when you add a plant to your plant list you can "categorize" it -- putting lettuce and corn both in a "vegetables" category, for instance -- then you can select to just show all the entries in the vegetables category.

Edited to say thanks for pointing out the new icon for adding to the swap list from our plant last -- I hadn't discovered that yet!

I have added enough for a first swap, I think, but may adjust quantities of a few varieties upward as the swap progresses and I have time to package, if that's okay. I customarily don't list a seed as available until I have it safely packaged for trade.

Sandy, thank you, I hadn't noticed that yet! I'll try it when I get back home, I'm currently at Walmart getting some amazing deals on clearance plants!

Note that the Plant List Sandy is referencing is different from the Swap List feature that is being developed.