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How to list seeds in the Member Seed Exchange
Do you have seeds that you'd like to share with other members in the annual Member Seed Exchange? Help make Seeds of Diversity the co-operative success that it has always been, by offering your seeds to other members!
Over the years, our Seed Exchange has helped thousands of Canadian gardeners share even more different varieties of flowers, vegetables, herbs, grains, and fruit, and we credit our members with rescuing many endangered seed varieties by finding, saving, and sharing them with other growers.
How it works
Our Seed Exchange is a gardener-to-gardener platform that lets any Seeds of Diversity member share seeds directly with other members. Requests, payment, and seeds are sent directly from member to member (not through Seeds of Diversity) and we don't charge any fee for members to use it.
Payment is set by each member, and different people accept payment in different ways. People also accept requests in different ways, such as over email or through traditional mail. E-transfer has become a popular payment, though some members prefer more traditional cash or stamps in exchange for seeds. Whatever your preference, if you offer seeds, you get to decide how you accept requests and payments.
Most members use our free online Seed Exchange platform, but about 1/4 of our members choose to pay for an additional printed version that looks like a big seed catalogue. The seeds and prices are the same in both versions, but there's one important difference: the printed Seed Exchange directory is a snapshot of the seeds that members offer at the beginning of each season, but the offerings actually change constantly. As members' seeds run out, they inactivate some of their listings, or other members offer seeds later in the season so they don't appear in the printed exchange. You should always check the online platform for the latest information.
How you can make the Seed Exchange really great
Beyond offering your seeds to other members, along with the thousands of offers that other members have, you can make the Seed Exchange a fun and friendly way to meet gardeners from coast to coast.
When you contact another member to request seeds, greet them from where you are and tell them why you're interested in their seeds. Remember, they're a regular gardener like you, not a seed company. They're sharing because they want to connect with you.
Likewise, if someone requests seeds from you, take the opportunity to tell them why you're sharing your seeds. They're going to spend the next season growing them, so they'll be interested in any story you might have about the variety, and hopefully they will save more seeds and pass that story along to someone else!
Mainly, be patient and be kind. We're gardeners sharing seeds, not a same-day delivery service. If you can't fill a request right away, send a simple note so the requester knows that, and if you're waiting for seeds just keep in mind that seed savers have jobs and families that come first, but their good intentions will come through!
When we connect with each other, even just with a quick note, we remember that we're alike: regular people sharing what we enjoy. That simple note can help create a trusting friendship between gardeners and between gardens.
All members should have an account but if you can't login, contact office@seeds.ca for help.
How to offer seeds
Start at https://seeds.ca/seedexchange-edit
Step #1: My Grower Info
If it's your first time offering seeds, your first step will be to fill in your grower profile. This tells other members about your garden, how to contact you, and how you want to offer your seeds.
Check your name and address and let us know if you need to change it.
Member # / Member Code : We use these in the printed edition of the Seed Exchange as a shorthand code to identify you. If the Code is blank, don't worry, we'll fill it in for you.
Email / Phone Unlisted : You can choose to show or hide your email address and/or phone number from other members. Remember that you might want them to contact you though.
Frost free days : Estimate the typical length of your season from last spring frost to first fall frost. This helps other members know whether your season is compatible.
Organic (are your seeds organically grown?) : Your seeds don't necessarily have to be certified organic. Members just want to know if you avoid chemicals in your garden.
When You Accept Seed Requests
You can accept seed requests all year round, or between specific dates. If you choose Year Round, we'll keep your seed listings until you remove them, so please don't forget.
Note that this only applies to the online platform. Members who use the print version are just advised to request seeds by the end of May of each year (if they check online, they'll see what you specify here).
How You Accept Seed Requests
Some members like to receive requests and payment through the mail, some prefer email, and some like both. You can choose what works best for you. Here are a few things to consider:
- If you accept requests and/or payment by mail, we have to show other members your address. You can keep your email address hidden if you like, though it's often helpful for people to contact you before they send mail.
- If you accept requests by email and/or e-transfer payment, we have to show other members your email address.
- If you choose "email only" we will hide your address to keep it private.
Step #2: My Seeds
Your next step is to list your seeds. This is the fun part. You can add as many seed listings as you like, and you can choose at any time which of them you want other members to see, or which you'd like to hide.
When you click "Add New Seed" you'll see these fields:
Category : Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit, Herbs, Grains, or Other
Species : With vegetables we tend to use common names like Lettuce, Eggplant, or Melon. With flowers we tend to use a mixture of common and botanical names, depending on how familiar the species are to most gardeners. The best way to name the species of your seeds is to look at the Seed Exchange and use the same names that other members use.
Variety : The cultivar or variety name, e.g. “Anna Russian”. Leave blank if the seed has no variety name, or if the name is unknown.
Botanical name (optional): This is helpful for flowers that have ambiguous common names. Not necessary for common vegetables, fruit and grains unless your seeds are an unusual species.
Description : Read through the Seed Exchange to see how other members describe their seeds and plants. Note the shape, size, colour, flavour, texture, hardiness, disease resistance, storage, anything unique about it, and especially how you like to use this variety. If you know a story about the variety, record it here, because many people use our Seed Exchange for variety research. If you know the specifics about the seeds' origin, this is a good place to record that information too because we can use your listing to document the variety's history.
Days to maturity : With vegetable and grains, estimate how many days after sowing/transplanting it takes for the produce to ripen for best eating. This is really useful for members in short-season areas, to know whether your variety can even ripen there.
Origin : Record where you got the original seeds. e.g. another member, a seed company, a local Seedy Saturday.
Quantity : If you have a low quantity of seeds, or if you want to ask requesters to re-offer seeds, indicate that here.
Who may request seeds : Most members offer all their seeds to any member of Seeds of Diversity, but some seeds are in very short supply and can only be shared with those who can re-grow and re-offer more. If you need to restrict your seeds to other members who also offer seeds, you can do that here.
Price : We recommend $3.50 for seeds and $18.00 for roots and tubers. That is the default if you leave this field blank. Members who offer seeds (like you!) get an automatic discount of $1 per item.
Beside each of your seed listings you'll see buttons called Skip and Delete.
Skip hides the listing from other members until you Un-Skip it. You can still see it, and we won't remove it. This is a handy way to remove a listing toward the end of the season if your supply runs low, but you'd like to offer the same seeds again next year.
Delete hides the listing from other members, and we'll remove it completely at the end of the season. You can Un-Delete right away, but at some point it will disappear.
Step #3: Confirm your listings
Once you've updated your grower profile, and listed your seeds, there's one more step.
On My Grower Info, there's a big red box that says Your seed listings are not active yet. When you're ready, click the button there to make your listings active.
Thanks for offering seeds in the Seed Exchange and happy gardening!
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