The Etiquette Of Seed Trading

I wonder if Emily Post has ever written anything on seed trading. Right now, I wouldn’t mind a few pointers on my seed trading etiquette. If there is one thing one does not want to do in polite seed trading society, it is commit a pepin faux pas.

I know the basic seed trading etiquette. You know, like actually sending seeds back to the person you said you would trade with and not sending seeds that are more than two years old, unless of course you make that perfectly clear when you were arranging the trade in the first place.

But, it is the fine details that elude me. I get the feeling to discuss it is to admit that you don’t know and to not know would just be so boo-jwa-zee or something. Uncool to say the least. Then again, perhaps I am the only neurotic person in the world who worries about such things.

Either way, I am left with some question about the proper way to trade seeds. For example:

How many seeds do you put in a packet? This is a tricky one for me. I mean, on one hand, I don’t want to appear stingy. Heaven forbid the recipient open the packet and say “What! This is all she sent?!?! What a bitch!”

On the other hand, how many seeds does a person need? What if I have other people who want to trade for that seed as well?

What is the right number of seeds? 10? 15? 20? 50?

How should you package the seeds? This almost comes down to a paper or plastic issue. Do you put the seeds in a plain envelope, or a crafty seed packet, or a little plastic baggie? Does it matter? Does anyone care beside me?

I know I personally don’t care how the seeds come to me, but I worry that other people may not like the way I package my seeds to them.

How should you pack the seeds for mailing? Is it acceptable to use a plain white envelope or should you pack them in a bubble mailer? How well do seeds stand up to the rigors of the Postal System?

What kind of stamp should you use? This one is a throwback to the days when I was an avid penpal. You never, ever used a boring stamp on a letter when you were penpalling. That would just be rude. You used the coolest stamp you could find. Does this rule apply to seed trading as well?

These are alot of questions that I do not have answers to. I need some guidance when it comes to how civilized people trade seeds.