>> Do you post what you want? What you have to swap?
You post your HAVE list and everyone can request from that (we usually call a "request" an "oink"). It is nice if you put up most of your HAVE list early in the swap, but you can add to it as the swap goes along.
Then, during the swap, you look at everyone else's HAVE lists and request what you want. They will tell you when they run out of a particular thing.
Also, you should make up a WISH LIST with general and specific requests. People cruise those Wish Lists and dig around to see if they have something that they didn;'t list, but that someone really wants. Then they tell you it's available.
One nice thing about the Piggy Swap is that you don't have to have something wanted by each person that you want to request seeds from.
Then, you can request seeds from anyone. You might request 100 seed packets and yet only get requests for a few dozen of your packets.
That works out OK because many first-time people come back the next year with more seeds and a passion for seed-swapping or gifting. Some wind up "pimping their seeds" with photos and descriptions of their favorites to encourage people to request them.
I've seen several cases where someone donated unusual seeds one year, and several people multiplied them and re-offered them in later years. Then the first person had a crop failure and requested that same seed back several years later.
There are many generous people in the swap, and probably dozens of people who already have more seeds than they can possibly plant. Some are happy to give away dozens or hundreds of packets and bring home a few things they were looking for, for ages.
>> I do have some plants I could offer. Anyone do that?
The Hog Wild Piggy Swap hasn't traded plants. The trades all go first to Ella / Starlight, and then get sent back out to everyone, usually in flat rate priority boxes. Plants wouldn't fit, and even bulbs require a bigger box.
I got started with a few large packets of commercial seed, divided up into smaller packets.
One warning: lots of people join thinking, "Oh, I'll just request a very few seeds". Roughly the same number of people look up a few weeks later and discover that they've requested 100 or more packets. HOOKED! That happened to me several years in a row. THIS year I'm going to cut way back ... maybe ...
I may have made it sound complicated, but it isn't as complicated as I made it sound! During the "oinking" phase, you just post and c-mail a request for something, and watch for the reply that says "you got it" or "I'm already out". When you get a request, you just reply with a post and a c-mail saying yes or no. You do have to create a HAVE list in their "database" section, and it's too your advantage to create a long WISH LIST.
I hope to see you there.
