The Swap! .....and some Thank You's!!

I started this blog back in January of this year. I wanted a way to extend the Master Gardener Mission of education. I also wanted this to be fun and inspiring, so that more people would get out and try things they never would have before.  I hope that I have done that for all my followers. I would like to take this time to THANK all of them, as of this writing, I am now at 30. I am also amazed at how many people have viewed my little piece of the internet. I looked at the stats before I started this post, a whopping 5441 people have viewed my blog, just since May. There are views from such places as Shri Lanka, Luxembourg, Australia and Sweden....just to name a few. I am honored that people from around the world have taken time to read my ramblings.
Today, I wanted to start getting the word out about the upcoming Fall Plant Swap. I have been doing the one in the Spring for 7 or 8 years now, last year was the first Fall one I had done. They have been so popular that I am doing it again.
What is a plant swap?
It is pretty much what it sounds like, you bring plants and you swap them. I have a little bit of a twist though.
Yes, everybody brings plants and we do swap them, BUT, how we swap them is the fun part.
All of the plants get laid out in the designated area, no rhyme or reason as to where or in any particular groupings. At the predetermined time, I yell GO and everybody chooses one plant. They then take that plant back to their vehicle or in some little spot, out of the way of all the action. When everybody returns, we do it all over again, this continues on until all the plants are gone. It sounds like there would be total chaos, but it actually goes very smoothly. Of course, the very first round, people tend to "guard' their first acquisition just before I say go....all the better to get there early to scout.
I also encourage everybody that attends to bring some kind of pot luck dish. After all the plants have been swapped, we sit around to eat, socialize and discuss the cool new plants we just got.
Hosting a plant swap of your own is really VERY easy.
Here are the key things you need to get started:
1) A place to hold it. This could be a park, school playground, or even a plant person with a very large yard and plenty of parking. Bathrooms are also a VERY big plus! Always check to see what kind of regulations or permission you might need to use whatever you may choose. If you want to do the pot luck after, it is even better if there are picnic tables.
2) Publicity. This can be the tricky part. There are many websites that can help you, Gardenweb, Plantswap.net,  Blossomswap.com are just a few that I know about. Starting your own Blog is useful. Then there is the local newspaper, library bulletin board, your local Master Gardener or Extension Agent. I tend to avoid garden centers, they may think you are competing with them. The sky is the limit as to who you can get to advertise your swap. If you know one plant person, tell them. They are sure to know somebody else and so on and so forth. Just as a side note, don't be discouraged if your first or second swap isn't what you expect. My very first swap only had 7 people show up, the last Spring Swap I had, there was 75 people and some 800 plants swapped!.
There is a fine line as to too early and too late to start publicizing. Too early and people may forget. Too late and people do not have enough time to start cuttings, seeds or such. I always start about 8 weeks out. Then an occasional e-mail or blog posting just as a little reminder.
3) Have Fun.
If there are people there that can ID plants, that is a super bonus. I have tried to get people to tag their plants, but there are many that do not even know what they are growing. I get the, "My grandmother gave it to me and she didn't know" or the "it's green and has a pink flower". This is where all my Master Gardener friends come in handy.
If you think you will want to do this again, ask for e-mail address'. If the people that show up have fun, they will gladly give it to you for a chance to do it again.
And that really is all there is to it.
The flyers that you use can be as plain or as fancy as you want. Here is a sample of what I use:

Do you have extra Tomato plants?
Plant WAY too many Marigolds?
Looking to trade for something you don’t have?
WELL THAN, COME TO A PLANT SWAP!!
In NORTH CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
September 25th, 10am set-up and browse....11am swap...immediately afterwards...LUNCH!
 This year we are having it at Park Circle in North Charleston, by the Gazebo. There are picnic tables, bathrooms and LOTS of room for kids to play and even more room for plants, parking and food.
Pretty much everybody in Charleston is familiar with Park Circle....there are numerous ways to get to it, depending on which way you are coming. If you want or need directions you can E-mail me at Cactusmusic@netzero.com, I will get it and respond ASAP.
The way we swap will be the same... the basic Free For All. I will say go, everybody will grab ONE (1) plant and take it to their hiding area. After everybody has a plant, we repeat the process. Nice and Simple!
I always get asked, what should I bring? Basically, if it grows, it goes!! Shrubs, saplings, houseplants. I also encourage folks to bring garden art, chicken wire, no longer needed tools, garden hoses, pots...if it is garden related, it will go also.
We will have plates, napkins, silverware and such, Please bring your own drinks and food for as many as you can. We like to do a Pot Luck style picnic and encourage everybody to stick around and participate. The socializing afterwards is as much fun as the swap itself, please try to give yourself enough time to stay and enjoy yourself!

I would like to invite you to my swap on September 25th, 2010 at 10am. I hope to see LOTS of you holding plant swaps of your own in the near future. Please e-mail me if you have one, I would love to see how it goes. Any questions? I would love to help answer anything you might have, to make it a little easier for you.
Here are some pictures from my last swap:

Happy Growing! (and swapping)
Darren

The Plant Swap Aftermath

I'm Back!! My apologies if you have been wondering where I have been. Work got very hairy for a couple of days, I had family in town and of course, The Plant Swap was held on April 10th.
I am very excited to announce that we did indeed pass all previous plant swap attendances. Final count was 75 people and at least 800 plants!! I really would like to THANK everybody that came. There was a lot of fun and plenty of food. I was going to take some pictures of the food table, I ended up so busy talking with people, I never did eat!

Here are some pictures from all the action.
My mother and I planning the course of action.

Me setting down some plants.

Checking out the goodies

More milling
Just before the go signal

If you have never been to a plant swap, I strongly encourage you to go to one. It is a great place to meet new gardening friends, and get some really interesting plants. The amount of information floating around is also a huge bonus. If you don't know where one is close to you, I have you covered.
Check out some of the following websites.

http://www.plantswap.net/
This site has a bunch of places right on their homepage where one is being held.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/exchind/
If you go to this site, you can check out each individual state and see if they are having one near you.

If there is none to be found, consider hosting one yourself. I wrote a past blog article pertaining to how to host one. The concept is very easy and it may sound like a lot of work, it is to some extent, but I promise it will be well worth the time. Just ask the 75 people that were at mine this past Saturday. I did not receive any complaints and received many Thank You's and pats on the back. Overall it was a very satisfying day!
Happy Growing!
Darren

Free Plants

Everybody likes free, right? Well, I can tell you how to get free plants.
Most everybody knows now that my plant swap is coming up soon. If you don't, check back through some of my blog archives...It is April 10th, here in Charleston.
With the economy the way it is, finding ways to save some money is very high on every body's list. Gardeners are no exception. There has been a lot of talk about plant swaps and seed swaps lately, I have been doing mine for 7 years now! Apparently, it's the new IN thing.
Organizing a plant swap is actually very easy. For all you folks in the North, right now would be a great time to start organizing one. You can still do one here in the South, but you better hurry if you want to include some veggies. This also works well in the Fall, I will be doing my second Fall swap later this year.
How do you get started?
First off, locate a good place to have one. A city park, somebody that has a really large yard or even a vacant parking lot. The key elements here are, easy parking, lots of room for plants, bathrooms, tables for food (more on that later) and if possible something for the kids to do.
Okay, you have the perfect spot, let's say a city park. Call the city and see if you need any kind of paperwork, most of the time you won't but better to check anyway. Find out if you need to have someone open the bathrooms or if they are always accessible. You might want to check on the parking situation. Somewhere in here you also need to pick a date and time. That way when you call the city you can ask if there is going to be any conflict. When considering the time, figure on set up, the actual swap and clean up. I have people start coming at 10am. They can bring their plants, mill around a little and look at the other plants and ask questions. The swap then starts at 11am. The way I do it, the whole swap is over in about 30 minutes (if that long). You can usually tell the city you will be long gone by 1pm.
Okay, you have the place, date and time. The next step is the big one. PUBLICITY!
I spend a total of about $2 on publicity. LOTS of time, but very little cash.
HOW you say?
First, start with websites. Gardenweb has places for swaps. Blossomswap.com and Plantswap.net are also two very good places to post. There might be others that I haven't heard about.
You can go to your local extension office. Every state has a Master Gardener program, touch base with them. Ask them to post it on their website or news bulletins. The local newspaper might have a Gardening Calendar that will post for free. Check to see if you have any small neighborhood newspapers, they might even do a story on it for you. Check with your friends and see if they belong to any Garden Clubs or Horticultural Societies, that is a great way to get the word passed around. Facebook, Myspace and any other Social Networking website is a good source for advertisement. Fliers, this is where I spend my $2. I create a flier, go to Staples and print out 25 or so. Post these at Libraries or any place that you see Yard Sale Signs. Make sure you have all the pertinent information on it, Date, Time, Place, What it is, how it works and a contact e-mail or phone number. You can also put directions on it if it is hard to find.

This is what mine looks like:

PLANT SWAP
Come swap all those extra plants you have
April 10th 2010, 10am setup
Park Circle, by the Gazebo

More Information:
Cactusmusic@netzero.com


The Specifics
10am set-up and browse....11am swap...immediately afterwards...LUNCH!
Bring ALL your extra plants, if it grows, it will go! Including Houseplants! Also any garden related items, Hoses, Garden Art, Containers, Etc.
We are having it at Park Circle in North Charleston, by the Gazebo. There are picnic tables, bathrooms and LOTS of room for kids to play and even more room for plants, parking and food.
Pretty much everybody in Charleston is familiar with Park Circle....there are numerous ways to get to it, depending on which way you are coming. If you want or need directions, e-mail me, I will get it and respond ASAP.
The way we swap will be the basic Free For All. I will say go, everybody will grab ONE (1) plant and take it to their hiding area. After everybody has a plant, we repeat the process. Nice and Simple!
We will have plates and napkins and such, Please bring your own drinks and a covered dish for as many as you can. We like to do a Pot Luck style picnic and encourage everybody to stick around and participate. The socializing afterwards is as much fun as the swap itself, please try to give yourself enough time to stay and enjoy yourself!

Very straight forward. I couldn't get the clip art to show here, but, I have a picture of a woman handing over a plant.
Okay, the place, date, time and publicity is done. How exactly does the swap work?
I am sure there are numerous ways to do these things. I do mine quick and easy. The general free for all. This will sound chaotic, but I promise it works, remember I have been doing this for 7 years.
As the plants start arriving, put them all spread out...no order, no groupings. Kind of like this:



This was just the beginning. Make sure you leave room in between plants for walking around room. Just keep spreading them around until everybody is there, right up to designated start time. Let folks wander around and look at all the goodies. Just before start time, ask if there are any questions about a specific plant. The person that brought it can probably tell you anything that is needed to know. You might be able to label some of the more exotic or lesser known plants. Having Master Gardeners around can be very useful here. I bring a magic marker and some extra labels to mark the plants that I bring home so I know what to Google when I get home.
Then, if there are no more questions, have everybody step back a pace or two. Give them ready, set, GO! Have everybody take ONE plant. That is what the milling around is for, to find the first plant they want. Have them take it to a safe place, by their vehicle or just someplace away from all the action.
After everybody has grabbed a plant, do it again. After three or four rounds, have them grab two plants. Keep on going until all the plants are gone.
Sound like Chaos? It is to some degree, but it is also a lot of fun.

You will probably get some of the following questions:
How many plants should I bring?
A) As many as you want. I always bring lots of extras and usually take home very few. I have strange tastes and there usually isn't much that I want or need.
What should I bring?
A) If it grows it goes! You will see everything from showroom plants to stuff people just pulled out of the ditch. Houseplants, Bulbs, Perennials, Shrubs, Etc. I have seen some of the most dreadful looking plants be the first to go. It all depends on what they are, ugly rare will go before gorgeous usual.
I don't have very many plants, what else can I bring?
A) Garden Art, extra hoses, pots and containers, Garden Tools, anything Garden related. I have seen Chicken wire show up and be one of the first things snatched. They were going to make a compost bin out of it.

I also have anybody that wants to stick around afterwards and eat to bring food. Think Sunday social or picnic. Covered dishes. Tell them to bring enough food for themselves and a couple of other people. We have never run out of food. Have somebody bring plates and silverware. That's usually my mothers job. Also have them bring their own drinks, though we usually bring extra bottled water. The socializing after is as much fun as the swap itself.
Another tip is to get everybody's e-mail address.....use this for next year in the publicity department.
This what you are striving for:



I know this sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but the benefits and the appreciation from all the attendees will be worth it. Mine has been steadily growing every year, word of mouth is your best publicity you can get...and it's FREE!
What might be some of the benefits? It will be amazing what your neighbor down the street is growing that you had no idea would grow where you are and the friendships that can develop because of a plant swap. Plus, you might just pick up that plant that you didn't even know you couldn't live without!
If you have any question, go ahead and ask....I am more than willing to help.....besides, if you are close enough to me, I might just show up to your swap!!
Happy Growing!
Darren

It's Getting Closer!

Today is March 1st. When I looked at the calendar today I realized there is less than 6 weeks until the Plant Swap! I know I have new folks following my blog, so I thought I would go ahead and post the Swap info again. Might also serve as a reminder to get those seeds started!

7TH ANNUAL PARK CIRCLE PLANT SWAP
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
April 10th, 10am set-up and browse....11am swap...immediately afterwards...LUNCH!
This year we are having it at Park Circle in North Charleston, by the Gazebo. There are picnic tables, bathrooms and LOTS of room for kids to play and even more room for plants, parking and food.
Pretty much everybody in Charleston is familiar with Park Circle....there are numerous ways to get to it, depending on which way you are coming. If you want or need directions you can E-mail me, Cactusmusic@netzero.com I will get it and respond ASAP.
The way we swap will be the same... the basic Free For All. I will say go, everybody will grab ONE (1) plant and take it to their hiding area. After everybody has a plant, we repeat the process. Nice and Simple!
We will have plates and napkins and such, Please bring your own drinks and food for as many as you can. We like to do a Pot Luck style picnic and encourage everybody to stick around and participate. The socializing afterwards is as much fun as the swap itself, please try to give yourself enough time to stay and enjoy yourself!
I usually get the question of "What kind of plants should I bring?" The motto is: If it grows, It goes!! Shrubs, Houseplants, Annuals, Perennials, whatever you got. I should also mention, Yard Art, Tools, Seeds, Pots, if it is garden related...BRING IT!!
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Tell your friends, neighbors and anybody else you can think of....2010 will be the best Plant Swap YET in Charleston!
Happy Growing! Get those seedlings and cuttings started!
Darren

Here are some pics from the last Fall Swap. Enjoy!