What: 2022 Fall Plant Swap
When: Saturday, October 8 (Weather alternate is 15, 2022)
Where: Damascus, MD

Registration Began: July 31, 2022 Register
Trading Begins: September 15, 2022
Trading Ends: October 7 or 15, 2022

The swap is being held in Damascus, MD

There are two threads set up for the Mid-Atlantic Gardeners 2022 Fall Plant Swap.

#1
This thread is for general chat about the swap. If you have any questions on the swap, how it is conducted, what it is, etc., please post in this thread.
2022 Fall Plant Swap - Chat

#2
This thread is for more detailed information about the swap.
2022 Fall Plant Swap - Details and Updates

If you've never been to an in-person swap, don't be shy! After all, where else can you go and hang out with a bunch of people talking about plants with enthusiasm? Of course, we can't forget about the food!


Swap Date: Saturday, October 8 or 15, 2022
Time: Noon until . . .
Who: NGA Members and their guests (scroll down thread for list of attendees)

As with past swaps, we will be using the Seed Swap tool here on the NGA site. To use the swap tool, you must first Register

Useful Links:
~-~-~-~-~-~-~

What you've bought/dibbed
What you've sold

Swap Control Panel
Swap Events Log (Adds, Deletes and Dibs)
Complete Swap List

Last Updated: 05-Oct-2022 06:05AM

Attending (User ID, From):
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~
- Donner (Our hostess)
- Francine & Marilyn (TanteFrancine)
- Frenchy (Frenchy21)
- Lisa (5601Lisa)
- Jill (Critterologist)
- Pat (ecnalg)
- Rick (RickM)
- Robin & Joyce (RobinBunch5)
- Terri (Aspenhill)


Pot Luck Lunch... Who's Bringing What:
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~
- Donner: Brie and crackers, dumplings, coffee/tea/hot chocolate
- Francine: Chinese/Indonesian pork and Mustard green soup
- Jill: Pasta, Rice
- Lisa: Sangria
- Rick: Nacho bar (maybe stuffed grape leaves)


Gift Table:
~-~-~-~-~-~
As in past swaps, we will be having a gift/door prize table. Please consider bringing something, new or gently used, for the table.

Misc Stuff... Who's Bringing What:
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~
- Donner: Paper plates
- Frenchy: 2 Chairs
- Jill: Cups, Folding table for plants
- Rick: Folding table (used to be called card or bridge table)

Notes:
Please remember to bring a chair for yourself and your companion or guest.

You will note that there are 2 possible dates for the swap: Saturday, October 8 or Saturday, October 15. These dates were selected based on previous fall swaps. Neither date is set in stone. Rather, they give us a starting point.

In the event that no one is able to host at their home, Jill (Crittterologist) has offered to find a park shelter or similar location if needed.

As always, your thoughts and discussion are highly encouraged.

It's starting to look like no one is interested in a fall plant swap.

In the past, we've had the fall swap the 1st or 2nd Saturday of October. The earliest date of October 8 is only 5 short weeks away.

Or nobody has seen the new thread yet! I just started posting around the forum to look for a host. Much as I love your place (and you know I'm not just saying that), I'm trying to encourage somebody else to step up and take a turn.

Rick has suggested Point-of-Rocks Park (not sure which one, as there seem to be 2 locations, POR Community Park and POR Community Commons Park).

Lisa mentioned Rock Creek Park. I looked online, and there is some availability in early October, but we should probably jump on a Picnic Grove asap. There are 2 time windows, morning (9 to 1:30 I think?) and 3 to 7 pm. Fee (at least on teh one I checked, not sure if this varies) is $65. There's a pavilion. Not having to rely on good weather or on bringing tents sounds good to me!

Even meeting at a park, we'd need a host to organize set-up and clean-up (not to DO everything, just to make sure the various aspects were taken care of, from nametags to paper goods to designating plant drop-off spots).

David was referring to the park on Clay Street that is just below the Railroad Station and connects to it. I was not aware of the one on Ballenger Creek Pike and don't think he was either. He will be working at the nursery since it is one of their busier times.

Point of Rocks Commons Park
https://www.recreater.com/704/...

OK, thanks! That shelter is $80 to reserve, but the reservation is good from 8 am to 8 pm. I don't think you can utilize a picnic shelter without a reservation, at least not for a group gathering -- park services isn't likely to bother a couple of people sitting and having a sandwich. You have to sign a rental agreement showing you're aware of the rules and so forth.

I know if I host at a park location, I want to be at a park near my home.

So, who is near either Rock Creek Park or Point of Rocks?

Hosting at your home/garden is also encouraged! We haven't gone the local park route before. Either way would work, I think

Tomorrow will look into Guy Mason Park in NW DC in Glover Park. Has a parking lot and in 'hood of Veep's house. LMK if I should pursue availability.

If you're offering to organize/host, then I think whatever park you pick sounds good to me! Easy to get to in terms of directions and traffic would be a plus.

If we keep any rental fee to $80 or less, $5 ish per person should cover it, and that seems reasonable to me. As we've done with the seed swap, we can put it out there that if that would keep anybody from coming, let the organizer know, and we'll work it out. (I'll chip in $10 to cover myself and somebody else.)

Maybe we should forego the Fall Swap.

For anybody who hasn't hosted, a park location is a painless way to get your feet wet! Also good for those whose location doesn't work for a swap at their home, dur to parking and other considerations.

I agree, we need somebody else to step up, or we skip the fall swap.

I know I haven't hosted in a while, but I'll be doing the midwinter seed swap and hosting in spring, so "somebody else" isn't me.

Sorry for being late to the party. I would like to host the swap. October 8th will work for me, but let's also reserve the 15th in case the 8th is a rainy day.

We have a host!

As with previous swaps, directions to the sawp will be provided that week.

That's very generous of you Donner. You've even hosted our group for Swap-less events. Looking forward to seeing everyone. I'll bring sangria.

I know I am late at replying, but I am willing to host the swap at our home if you all would like and we don't have to pay for the park. I'm open to either here or the park, Bob and I just wanted to offer up our place if you all are interested!

Have plenty of Japanese anemone to share @ Swap.

Sorry, I didn't see Donner's post, this page doesn't refresh unless you manually do it, so I don't want to step on Donner's toes, thanks for volunteering your home! In case you need a backup for any reason, you can count on mine as well, thanks.

Hi Sheela, no problem. I have been with this wonderful group for well over 10 years, and it has been my unfulfilled desire to host a swap for all the friends. I am sure you will make a wonderful hostess, and am looking forward to a future swap hosted by you.

Thank you both for offering, Donner & Sheela! Looking forward to seeing Donner's garden. :-)

Can we please consider using paper plates? Last time, half the people missed or skipped the suggestion of bringing your own non-disposable items. I threw some paper plates, plastic cups, and plasticware into the car at the last minute, fortunately, or we'd have been raiding Rick's cabinets.

Dirty plates just seem like a mess to transport back. I stuck mine in a zip-loc, which sort of canceled out the point.

Reducing what we use, sure, I'm all for that. Use the same fork for dessert, put your name on your cup so you don't end up using 3. At the last swap, people seemed split between the "what a great idea to bring our own plates!" and the "what a mess, aren't events like this what paper plates are meant for?" camps.

I can bring re-usable sturdy plasticware and 16 oz plastic solo cups. Those can be stacked up and put into a grocery bag at the end, and I will bring them home and run them through my dishwasher. Then I'll bring them to the next swap. I have a "plant swap stuff" box in my basement anyway, so that's no big deal.

Is that a reasonable compromise? Use paper plates and re-use the plastic cups and plasticware?