The On-Line Seed Swap
A Growing Heritage
What started in June 2024 as a small hope for 20 participants exploded into a nationwide community of over 150 gardeners. Today, we 'gather' twice a year (January and June) to ensure the survival of heritage varieties and indigenous wisdom.
The Magic in the Mail
The diversity in our swap is astounding. In past exchanges, we’ve shared over 46 varieties of beans, tomatoes with magical names like Sunrise Bumblebee and Dancing with the Rain, alongside trees, cacti, and the curious Voodoo Lily..
The Details
Deadline: Seeds must be received or dropped off by 30 June 2026.
Location: Sharon Costello, 29 Anfield, 2 Rupee Road, Struben's Valley, Roodepoort, 1710.
The Reward: Send your seeds in, and receive a curated selection of new treasures back.
The Seed Swap Protocol
Our seed swap has grown to a nationwide community of over 150 gardeners. To ensure that every person who opens their return parcel feels they’ve found true garden treasure—and to prevent the swap from being overwhelmed by bulk quantities of a single variety—we have established these standards.
These guidelines are here to keep the exchange sustainable, fair, and focused on high-quality seeds that would all love to receive.
To participate, you must complete two steps:
1. Download the June 2026 Entry Form: This is your essential packing slip and wishlist. If you don't have a printer, please neatly hand-write all the details from the form on a piece of paper.
Pay the Entry Fee: The fee is R90 per participant. This covers the materials and the extensive time my team spends sorting and fulfilling your specific wishlist.
You can either pop the cash into your parcel or EFT.
To keep our community's financial data secure, we use PayFast for all entries. Simply click the "Pay Entry Fee" button. You can pay securely using your preferred method (Instant EFT, Card, or Zapper). Once payment is complete, you will be redirected to download your Seed Swap Entry Form. Please include the transaction reference or a printout of the confirmation in your parcel.
Yes you can. I live in Struben's Valley, Roodepoort. The admin fee is R20. Message me for the address and times.
What a good idea! Each person can send their own packet and wishlist and you can combine them in one big parcel. Then it will be the return pudo cost and R20 admin fee for each additional person
The minimum to enter the swap is 20 packets. You can send 20 packets of the same variety (e.g., 20 Sunflowers) or a mix of different things.
You are guaranteed to receive back the exact same number of packets you sent in, capped at a maximum of 100 packets. For example, if you send in 45 packets, you will get 45 different packets back.
The Bonus: To celebrate the community, I always make sure everyone gets a few extra "surprise" packets in their parcel as well!
Note: While you can send in more than 100 packets, we cap the return at 100 to keep the logistics manageable for the team. Anything sent above 100 is treated as a generous donation to our community garden projects.
You can send up to 100 packets to be counted toward your return total. You are welcome to send more than 100, but please note that any packets over this limit will be treated as donations to community garden projects and won't increase the number of packets you receive back.
To keep the swap exciting, please send no more than 20 packets of any one variety. For example, if you have a huge harvest of moth beans, send 20 packets for the swap. If you send more the extras will be treated as donations. This ensures every participant receives a "treasure chest" of different plants rather than a mountain of just one thing.
Each packet must contain enough for a gardener to grow a proper crop. Common seeds sent with only 2 or 3 seeds per packet (like 2 tomato seeds) will not be counted toward your total.
Large Seeds (Beans, Peas, Pumpkin, Squash): Minimum 10 seeds.
Corn: Minimum 40 seeds (essential for a successful pollination block).
Medium Seeds (Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers): 15–20 seeds.
Very Small Seeds (Carrots, Lettuce, Herbs, Flowers): Minimum 1 teaspoon.
If you are sharing very rare, expensive, or high-value seeds (like Impala Lily, Dragon Fruit, or Voodoo Lily), the minimum quantity rules do not apply—3 to 5 seeds are perfect. The Bonus: Mark these envelopes clearly with "SPECIAL" or a GOLD STAR. These "Golden Seeds" earn you "First Choice" status on your own wishlist!
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We love to see what you’re looking for! Please limit your wishlist to 20 items. While we can't guarantee every item, we do our absolute best to tick off your Top 5, depending on what the rest of the community sends in for that swap.
“Our gardens often provide more than we can sow ourselves. This season, I want to share our collective abundance with local garden charities. If you have any extra packets beyond your swap limit—seeds you know you won’t get around to planting this year—please include them as a donation. Let’s help grow a harvest for those who need it most!”.
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"I'm Sharon. I've spent 25 years helping people remember the old ways of healing. (Read More....)
Preserving ancestral plant wisdom for the
Home Healer
