Seed Exchange Report 2008-2009 - from the Seed Team

[Maggi Young]

Scottish Rock Garden Club Seed Exchange 2008-09 – life in the fast lane
Having just finished the SRGC Seed Distribution for 2008-09, and having dealt with the usual plethora of enquiries about seeds, we thought it would be worthwhile putting together some notes about the Seed Exchange, to give you, dear readers, a flavour of the work that goes into the SRGC Seed Exchange every year.
So, this year was the 62nd year of the SRGC Seed Exchange.
There were nearly 450 donors to the seed exchange.  They made 7867 donations of different seeds which made for a seed catalogue of 4082 different items.  Special thanks to all of them; without donors there wouldn’t be a seed exchange!   Thanks to Stuart Pawley for a great job of sorting these donations, making the catalogues and sending them out to you all; a mere £1300 was spent on the postage to do this.
These donations were packed by a team of 64 different volunteers from all over the UK.  They packeted 46947 packets of seed, (we asked for 55000 packets, but there are always shortages in donations, so please donate more seed next year!) and the seed distribution team did a further 2567 packets to supplement the distribution, making a total of 49414 packets made up for the members.  The most packeted items this year were Nomocharis aperta (95 packets), Campanula raineri (91) and Meconopsis delavayi (91). Thanks to Ian Pryde and all the Seed Packeting Team for the many hours they spend turning all the donations into glassine packets for you all.
Alan Hayes received around 1500 orders for seed this year; he sorted the money and the orders for the Seed Distribution Team.  Jean Aas banks all your money and produces the Seed Exchange accounts. This year the Seed Distribution Team, organised by Carole and Ian Bainbridge, had help from 31 different members, who spent 473 hours picking and packing your seed.  They fulfilled orders from non- donors and donors at a ratio of 3 to 2. These came from  UK members and  overseas members at a ratio of 4 to 7.  We also completed several hundred orders for surplus seed, in three and a half weekends.  We spend over £1700 on postage and packing, and it feels like we licked a million stamps!  Thanks to all the Edinburgh members who helped, and thanks to the anonymous donor who sends us cake money to keep us going and happy!
With thousands orders, there are always a few that get lost in the post.  Please be patient, but if you haven’t received your seed a fortnight after everyone else says they’ve got theirs, send an e-mail and we can check.  It’s impossible to acknowledge all orders and to list hundreds donors in the catalogue, but mistakes are mercifully few and we check all queries carefully.
Thanks too, to the US, Australian and New Zealand members who send us the requested numbered lists with their orders; we know you have extra hassle to get seed home, and it’s pest writing out a list, but sending us lists saves us so much time and trouble we really appreciate it!
At the end of it, we hope we have thousands of  happy members.  There are always a few mistakes and glitches, which we try our best to correct.  We know the members who help enjoy themselves too; they’re helping to spread the interest in rock gardening around the world!
Happy sowing, and don’t forget to donate some lovely, special seed to the SRGC Exchange next year!

 from Ian and Carole Bainbridge for the Seed Exchange Teams.

Photos:  click the pix to enlarge them....
1)The ‘picking trays all set up and ready for action; Andrew Horsburgh inspecting the work

2)Setting up the seed distribution; the white boxes of seed sent by the packeters are put into the ‘picking trays’; Graham Wenham, Jean Horsburgh, Mike Hicks, Margaret Lennard and Kath Rimmer on hand and working.

3)Margaret Lennard and Kath Rimmer getting detailed instruction from Ian Pryde, Seed Packeting Manager

4)Ian Bainbridge, Seed Distribution Team, sorting orders for the USA – they all have to go through US Customs, hence the green and yellow labels

5)  Job done!  Part of the Seed Distribution Team celebrating the picking of the 1382nd order!  Left to right:  Geoff Hill, Judith Warren, Mike Hicks, Rob Graham, Carole Bainbridge, Graham Wenham, Bill Little, Watt Russell, Jean Horsburgh and Andrew Horsburgh ( and Ian Bainbridge taking the photo!)

[Brian Ellis]

An excellent job, greatly appreciated by us all.  I hope there was something a little stronger than orange juice to toast your successful completion of a mammoth job in such a short time.

Many, Many thanks to you all

[ian mcenery]

Many thanks to everyone for their hard work. Long may the seed distribution from the SRGC and the AGS continue

[maggiepie]

Fantastic job to all involved in the packing and distribution of seed, I just wish I lived close so I could join in and help, it looks like a lot of work but also a lot of fun.
I would also like to say thanks for the lucky dip surplus seeds I ordered.
I spent an afternoon looking up numbers on the list to see what I had, writing the names on the packs and then googling to see what my goodies actually were.
I do believe I ended up with some fabulous seed.

[bainbridges]

Thanks for the kind words; you don't know what was in the orange juice.  Cheers

Ian and Carole

[dominique]

Thousand thanks for all who participate at this fabulous exchange. I send them a part of my happyness and of my heart
Dominique

[ichristie]

I would also like to congratulate all the team for a superb effort. I tried the new on line ordering system and the seed was delivered within days. We all know something about seed exchange but to see the details in pictures here on the forum is fantastic, thank you all very much for such a superb effort,  cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[WimB]

Many thanks to all the people from the Seedex. You do a marvelous job.

[David Nicholson]

Fantastic job, thanks to all who participated.

[Carol Shaw]

Thanks for the kind words; you don't know what was in the orange juice.  Cheers
Ian and Carole

But we can guess  welcome to the boards you two!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thank you - thank you - thank you - thank you - thank you - etc.....
 

[art600]

My thanks to everyone who helped at all the different stages.

I participated in two seed exchanges last year and it is a lot of fun, even though a lot of hard work.

[JohnnyD]

Our first experience with the seed exchange at SRGC and it was great.

Clare & I will send more next year if we can, and hope to receive as many of our chosen seed as this year.

Thanks to everyone involved - we are hooked!

John

[Rafa]

Fantastic team! one day I wish to help in this work.

Gald to see a pictre of Mr. Geoff Hill who wrote me a nice note in the pacel I received.

Thank you very much to all.