pick_me

5/05/2008

Garden Bloggers Swap

I was thinking about this for about a week now. With my semester ending I'll have some more time to do the things I like to do. Even though I will be working full time and going to 2 classes in the summer I still know I will get to do more crafting and what not. This reminded me of last year when I did many crochet and knitting related swaps. I thought how fun it would be to have a garden bloggers swap. I know other bloggers make up great themes and events to post about.. I would love for the Garden Bloggers Swap to pick up as many people as other event and themes do.

For now I just want some input to see if you all out there would be interested in something like this. It would involve just signing up, making a wish list maybe filling out an about you survey and providing me with your address. Then I would mix up all the names and pair everyone up with someone and give them their partners wish list and mailing address. There would be a budget on how much can be spent. Of course there would be a deadline also. I thought this would be a great time with spring coming up in many areas and school slowing down for those of us still in it. It might not be a good time as everyone will probably have tons of gardening chores and whatever else.

Just giving out an idea. Drop by and say Yeah sure that sounds great and give me a suggestion for the budget that sounds good to you. If you know you can't do it for this month maybe something like this can happen every month so everyone will have a chance to do it when they get more money or things slow down. Or this could be a good winter event for when we are all bored out of our minds thinking about seeds, plants, and what not.

So, what do you think?

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, that sounds like FUN! I only wish I had more money. I like the idea, but what if everyone says what they have to swap that is just extra- seeds or whatnot? Then we just have to worry about postage costs. It would be nice to live in the same town as those you swap with since it would be easier to trade plants too.

Priscilla George said...

You can swap more then seeds. Like maybe garden accessories, windchimes, garden themed notebooks, garden related photography, maybe a painting.
Maybe one time we can just do a seed swap with everyone just swapping the extra seeds they have. I think it would be harder since we are from alot of different areas and I'm not sure what does well for others. It would be much easier if a seed swap could be done in the local area.
Anyways like I said there will be a budget that shouldn't be too much but if this goes well there might be many more to come so you could join some time when cash is better.

Maybe there can be a Reduce Your Stash Exchange. That could be the seed exchange or just other things you have lying around that you bought to sow, or put in your garden but never used it or all of it. Then all that would need to be purchased would be postage and maybe a box.

Andrea said...

I would love to do this! What about swapping magazines, if you're from a different country (lastest gardening magazine) and/or seeds. I would love to send plants but Im afraid they wouldn't make it acros the border. Too many rules and regulations.

Andrea said...

or a favourite gardening book! or nifty gloves that others can't get. Maybe some nice neat gardening tool that you can't get anywhere else that's small.

Priscilla George said...

Andrea-All that you mentioned are good. Yeah sending plants over the border wouldn't be good but im sure it wouldn't be a problem sending in the same state. I'm glad you like the idea hopefully more will want to trade if now maybe we can just do the swap together anyways ha.

Andrea said...

Also, comment to your watering. I bet it has to do with the water pressure for the older men watering. If you have the wrong people watering with the wrong water pressure, you're going to be running around with your head cut off while things die right under your nose. The problem with that is that you're eating the cost. And we both know there's no money in that and it makes you look bad to your bosses. Water pressure, it sounds, is like the firehose effect for you guys. Things dry out WAY faster than you anticipated, even though they've stood there for five minutes, watering the same plant. Water just bounces off like it had never even seen a drop.

Try getting them to lower their water pressure down and being on top of them. When I am stuck with someone who doesn't water properly, I check (everytime) and I bring them right back to the plants that are missed/not watered. Even if we return to the same plant five times! We're not like a retail store in the mall. Our product dies and people won't buy an empty pot!

It's management's fault if things are missed too because they didn't check, as much as it is the water persons.

We use to have a huge death rate in the greenhouse, but we put a stopper on that by checking and rechecking. Drives the watering people nuts, but they get into the habit of being checked all the time and are more conscious of what they water and what they miss.

It's hard to get someone to care about the plants when all they do is water all day, watching the world pass them by. They feel useless and people turn inwardly, thinking about life and everything that has went wrong to land them in that position in the first place. People seem to think that watering folk are the subordinates on the totem pole, but you can't have a mountain without a base!

The key thing there is to remind them that they have the most important job in the greenhouse and for others to respect it as well. Without them, we wouldnt' be moving living plants to fifty billion different places in the greenhouse, nor would we have any plants to sell to the customer period. They are important and NEED to feel that importance. That they arn't standing around and being useless. They are useful and important. Cherished, really, by us in our greenhouse because without them, we would never get anything done.

Another thing is for them NOT to think about anything negative/inthepast about what you should have done but didn't while watering. But rather, think about what lies ahead, in the future and what you have to get done later on. I pass this little advice onto watering people when I do actually find someone who can water. That way, whenthey come out of it, they arn't so depressed because theyve stood around all day thinking about the negative and being the lifeline of our green little friends.

Nancy said...

It sounds like a good idea!

Muum said...

a swap sounds great, let me know if you get this going!