2012 Seed Circles - Poll

[donnakebab]

First of all can I say please forgive my ignorance. I'm confused!

If you vote say for beans and peas does that mean that you grow some, save some seeds and donate them to the circle (if so do they have to be isolated), or do you donate bean and pea seeds that you don't need, or is it both. Are there any rules and how are the seeds actually exchanged? I read something about a spreadsheet for the VSP but where is it? Is there somewhere on the website that I can find all this out?

[SarzWix]

First of all can I say please forgive my ignorance. I'm confused!

If you vote say for beans and peas does that mean that you grow some, save some seeds and donate them to the circle (if so do they have to be isolated), or do you donate bean and pea seeds that you don't need, or is it both. Are there any rules and how are the seeds actually exchanged? I read something about a spreadsheet for the VSP but where is it? Is there somewhere on the website that I can find all this out?

This poll is ONLY about the SEED CIRCLES - where you save from seeds and share it with other people in the circle. This isn't about any other swaps or parcels...to decide what circles we want to specifically save for in 2012.

As Zaz says ^ this is just about growing some stuff, saving the seed from it, and sharing it out with whichever 'Seed Saving Circle' you're a part of.

[zazen999]

First of all can I say please forgive my ignorance. I'm confused!

If you vote say for beans and peas does that mean that you grow some, save some seeds and donate them to the circle (if so do they have to be isolated), or do you donate bean and pea seeds that you don't need, or is it both. Are there any rules and how are the seeds actually exchanged? I read something about a spreadsheet for the VSP but where is it? Is there somewhere on the website that I can find all this out?

Our circles usually are: 16 ish people all save 1 or 2 varieties each; bag them up into 15 bags and send them into the Circle Organiser; and in return receive back one of each of the seeds that everyone else has grown.

Because of the number of speciality circles; the numbers do drop so that's why we are trying to find out the most popular circle ideas so that we can run circles that are going to have enough numbers to make it worth running.

As Planetologist suggests; we could all just save 1, 2 or 3 - a huge great big circle; and perhaps choose what we want back; so if we saved [I'm thinking this through to try and work out how it could work] 2 peas and beans and 1 herb and sent it in - the person could perhaps get back up to 3 x 15 packs back [so 45] of their choosing. We could do this by email once everyone's seeds were in. As long as everyone understood that not every seed may have enough to go round all the people that want it...

The spreadsheet for the VSP is in the first post on the Virtual Seed Parcel thread, which is in the seed swap section and is stickied at the top.

[dirtgirl]

Another vote for the herb and edible flowers circle, and if you'd seen my back end, you'd know that was a BIG vote

[zazen999]

Ahem. Dirtgirl, could you shift over - you are sitting on my poll results.

Thanks.

[donnakebab]

OK I get it now. Voted for the big one as I'm thinking if you committed to say peas and beans it might not be a good year for them in your area so you may end up dropping out, but other crops might do well and therefore provide more seeds to save.

Does that make sense?

[zazen999]

Absolute sense. I haven't voted myself yet - I'm still deliberating...

[Scarlet]

I think I rushed the gun! I should have sat on my hands and voted at the end.
I really like Plantologists idea of saving your seed and sending in whatever you managed to save and receiving the same number back. The variety of the seeds received would be enough to fill the garden.
I love the idea of the specialist circles but I couldn't possibly try out 20 varieties of chillies, though some varieties I've never come across elsewhere and would love to give them a go. That said, I would have a good go with tomatoes and it is good for others to run the circles - spread the load of work etc...oh, i'm losing it
I'm just going around in circles...

[zazen999]

If anyone wants 'afterthought votes' adding on, let me know.

[Davyburns]

Its also nice that different people run them, it must spread the load abit?

I wondered about running more this year, more specialist ones?

Just some thoughts

I dont mind Running seed circle No 6 (Tomatoes) again this year

[zazen999]

I dont mind Running seed circle No 6 (Tomatoes) again this year

I think we need to get enough people in the circles to make it worth while doing first - but if you get enough votes then you're hired!

The main thing is to try and make it easier and cost effective and worth doing; considering a 30% drop out rate which seems to be the norm; ideally we need about 25 people to say yes at the start so that 16 ish complete.

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Can I change my vote? I've been swithering and have change my mind to voting for the Big Circle.

[jackyspratty]

I have loved being in the two general seed swaps Ive done. I lke the idea of a tomato or a pea and bean too, but the general one suits my needs more. I like never quite knowing what you will get at the end! It also helps with running a school garden as it means i can donate any not needed by me to that. This year I got loads I really wanted, celeriac, fennel, parsnips, toms etc etc. I like the range it gives you, and theres always something new I havent tried yet which I like.

I like the idea of a tom or pea specific too but havent put my toes in yet! I would in retrospect vote for them too along with the concurbite too, but know if I could commit to joining them all! I like the flexibilty of the general one, as if I say Im going to save a squash seed and it fails, I can have the option of a standby to put in! I usually try to put 2 or 3 in anyway. Yes the general one is the one for me, flexible, unpredictable, and alsways a surprise

[jackyspratty]

DOH! Maybe Im saying a big general mahoosive swap or smaller general ones? Not sure Im confusing myself now! I voted for smaller general but now ned to ponder?. As for the practicalities Im not sure and realy have no idea to be honest what is the easiet to do? I do like a range of seeds though.

[zazen999]

Can I change my vote? I've been swithering and have change my mind to voting for the Big Circle.

I can change it - what did you originally vote for?