I did message Kim that I thought I was next, we checked out the list and confirmed and I sent her my address. That was on a different thread. I’ll let you know when I get it!
1 Like
Box arrived today! My 8yr old and I are starting to dig in 
2 Likes
So I need a bit of advice. After a first perusal, I’m a tad overwhelmed! How do you decide what to keep? e.g. There are 4 English walnuts in here. Google says due to walnut blight, its risky. Do I risk it? Do you keep just a few/ selection of seeds from each bag? (who ever did the labels on the zip locks is a wonderful person! Thank you!)
I’m going try and get this off late next week, I work best with a deadline. @Ermarie
PS I just know my husband will wonder if I’ve lost more marbles… 
2 Likes
I’m afraid I can’t give you any advice on walnuts; I’m allergic to them, so I don’t grow them. Is walnut blight a seed-borne illness?
Aha! So you’re the one who lost your marbles in my garden! 
I kid you not, I keep digging marbles up. I think I’ve found six now. Maybe more. It’s getting amusing.
I made the labels on the ziploc bags! 
Whenever the box comes my way, I make sure to thoroughly tidy and organize everything, and I add new bags for new categories wherever they seem needed. Of course, I’m sure other people do that too, so the credit goes to the whole group. 
2 Likes
Looks like it’s a bacteria that is spread by wind, water, and overwinters in dormant buds. So essentially if it’s already in your area you should be aware but I don’t THINK it would be carried on the seeds. If you’re concerned, a sterilizing wash should work. No way it could be inside the nut.
2 Likes
As for how I decide what to keep . . . I usually take a little bit of everything that interests me. If I wind up deciding later that I don’t want something after all, I put it back in the box next time it comes my way!
I have a designated little box on a bookshelf where I put seeds I plan to add to the Serendipity Seed Swap next time it comes to my house, and I tend to add new stuff in there every week or so. I’ve found it’s convenient to have an easy spot to just accumulate stuff to go in. I do much the same thing for birthday and Christmas presents – I always have my eyes peeled for something a family member will like, and I have a box to put gifts into, so I’m gradually accumulating them all year round. It makes birthday and Christmas shopping so relaxed and easy!
5 Likes
Maybe now would be a good time to add my name to the bottom of the list. I’m assuming that will get the box to me in a couple months or so?
Terrific! I’ll add you!
It looks like you’re eleventh in line right now, so if you assume two weeks per person, that’s about five and a half months from now. Sometimes people are faster than that, though, which is awesome! 
1 Like
I keep delaying because I have no idea what my finances will be when it’s my turn. Could you please add me to the list as well? If I can’t afford it I’ll just pass.
Sure, sounds good! I hope it will be your turn at just the right moment for you.
Whew! I got through the box and sorted out what I want to try to grow. So many options! And some seeds were rather old, with seed packets labeled for 2021 and 2022. I added a few things from around here back in, some flowers (zinnia, calendula and marigolds) and a purple flowered bush (vitex). I labeled with what it was, year collected and location. From looking through I can see how I might do better next time with labeling, and that if I do it as I am packaging seeds for storage, how I will do more with it.
Y’all even get to see one of my birthday gifts! The other is a string trimmer, b/c I’m a gardening nerd. A cup of tea helped me get started and a fun basket to use for stuff I’d gone through. Here’s to hoping I didn’t take too much, that is always my fear, but this box is still very full!
So, @UnicornEmily, what happens now? I’ll get the address of the next in line, @Ermarie and get the package shipped, likely on Monday. I think in June 2026 I might be ready for the box again
1 Like
I got fruit trees for my birthday! Because I am also a gardening nerd. 
Congratulations on getting through the whole box! Isn’t it a joy to have so many treasures to go through? And it’s so wonderful to be able to share things, too!
Do you want to be added to the bottom of the list again right away, or would you rather wait before asking to be added? It’s completely up to you.
I’ll wait a bit, I think. But I’ll let you know.
I “got” a fruit tree for Christmas 2023, though it as a certificate, as I had to wait till March to get it.
(Laugh.) Which fruit tree was it? The ones I got for my birthday this year were little baby pawpaw trees. Probably cloned, but I have no idea what cultivar they might be.
2 Likes
It is a peach tree. I got 1 piece of fruit from it last year and this year there are 8 on there. In fact, out to check on it now! Of course, I also got 3 fig trees from the grocery store, so hoping for fruit next year from them. And lots of apple trees that are mere months old, so I’ve got a long wait for them.
Nice! Peaches are yummy. And the flowers are stunningly beautiful – the first time my first peach tree flowered, I just stood out there and stared at it in awe for a few minutes.
1 Like
How long should I wait to get the address of the next person before asking the next one in line? I sent @Ermarie a PM, or thought I did, but haven’t heard back, so maybe I did that wrong? I just tried sending her a message again…
Excellent question! Here’s what I think is the best way to proceed.
Tag the next person in line in this thread, and ask if they’re ready to receive the box. If they say yes and PM you your address within seven days, send them the box.
If they don’t, tag them in this thread again and give them a second chance to answer. If they don’t answer within 24 hours, tag the next person in line after them, and ask if they’re ready to receive it.
I highly recommend you don’t PM the person. Instead, post in this thread and tag them and ask them to PM you. There are three reasons for this.
First: It leaves a public record, which can be helpful to the person in line after the next person; a person who’s watching this thread with excitement may appreciate knowing that their turn is going to be quite soon.
Second: Some people don’t get e-mail notifications of PMs, but they do check this thread when they know their turn’s coming soon. So posting in this thread and tagging people tends to work far better for some people.
Third: If a person is willing to take the initiative to send the PM after being tagged, it seems to correlate with them being more likely to be ready to send the box on quickly. (Not a perfect correlation; it’s just an observation I’ve made over the years.)
So, post here and tag them to ask if they’re ready to receive the box. If they don’t reply within a week, give them a second chance of a 24 hour period. If they don’t reply after that, skip to the next person, and tag them in a post in this thread and ask if they’re ready to receive the box, and say to PM you with their address if they are.
In a worst case scenario, Person A might show up and be ready for the box the day after it was sent to Person B, and that’s no big deal, because I can always bump them down one name and have them receive it from Person B instead.
We’ve been doing it that way since we restarted the box (for the third time!), and the box has kept moving and hasn’t gotten lost, so I think this process is working well so far to keep things flowing smoothly. 
4 Likes
@Ermarie is still reading and was here last night.
1 Like
@Lauren If you can get @Ermarie to send me her address, that would be great! But maybe she’s not ready for the box…
@UnicornEmily I’m leaving town in less than 2 weeks, so I think I ought to ship this box sooner rather than later. @markwkidd is next in line, so giving him a heads up just in case!