For a die hard gardener, a plant swap is like Christmas in Spring because not only do you get to give, you get to receive as well. A plant swap is a gathering of gardeners who have too much stuff growing in their garden. The purpose of a plant swap is to trade the plants they have too much of for other people’s plants that they want.
There are quite a few established plant swaps throughout the US. A good place to find out about them is www.gardenweb.com. Many great plant swaps are posted on this board. But if you would like to host your own plant swap, it is very simple to organize.
The first thing to decide is where to have your plant swap. If you are planning a small plant swap, say under twenty people, a backyard will probably be just fine. For a larger gathering, you may want to think about having your plant swap at a local park or in a large field.
After you decide the best place to host your plant swap, you will need to decide on a date and time. It is normally better to have the swap in the afternoon, so that the attending gardeners will have time in the morning to dig up their chosen plants. Weekends are typically the best day for plant swaps as these days are free for most people.
Next, you need to decide the details. How will the plants be swapped? For smaller groups, people can just take turns picking the plants that they would like. Each person will get one turn for the number of plants that they brought. For larger groups, you can give the attendees one ticket for each plant that they bring and all of the attendees can “shop” flea market style. After they have picked the plants that they want, they can check out returning one ticket for each plant that they take.
After you have a place, time and details, spread the news. Post your plant swap on www.gardenweb.com, post flyers up in your local library and grocery stores and let all of your friends know too. Some local TV stations also have a community board where you can post your plant swap as well. Be sure to provide a phone number and an email address so that people can contact you.
Once you have gotten the word out, you just need to wait. Have the directions ready to give to people that call to inquire. Once the day arrives, you will want to have popsicle sticks and markers on hand just in case some of the attendees have forgotten to label their plants. Be sure to let each person know where to put their plants and how the plants will be swapped.
If you have planned out the details, the rest of the day should go smoothly and everyone should go home with their arms happily full of healthy new plants.