kawaii! ^_^

Looks like you had a good germination rate. And it's so uplifting to look at seedlings in the middle of winter, don't you think?

Yes, I do think :)...and I will grasp at ANYTHING to get through the winter...Pittsburgh: second only to Oregon in the number of dark cloudy days from November to March...grrrrrr....

It's impossible to understand, until you experience it, how difficult long spans of overcast days are. I'll take the lowest temperatures winter can muster, but I'll run away like a coward from an endlessly grey winter. And it's ironic because I adore grey days in small increments.

Shelley, you generously sent me a pack as well, but unfortunately USPS steam rolling mail sorters have not been kind to them and many got crushed in the envelope, to the point of these green crushed specks visible on the paper. I was hoping there might have been some viable ones left, but none of them germinated so far. :-( At 16 days from sowing, hope is fading fast. It's allright though. I'll gladly take the experience if that is the only thing fate offered me in this case! :-)

And I will gladly see all the seedlings growing up with others. Adorable little things! Hey, living vicariously is still living, right!?

Oh Eugene--your post crushes my heart like the post office rollers crushed those seeds...I think there are little green specks on my shirt...If I ever get another seed pod (as if) you are at the TOP of the list to get carefully padded and packed seeds...Anyhow, I'll keep posting as the babies (hopefully) keep growing...If I'm successful there's no way I can keep all of them, so there will be a bunch of little plants looking for new homes...but that's in the future...one step at a time :)

Shelley, don't sweat it - please. I still am very thankful for your generosity. Seeds do pop up occasionally here and there, so do not feel the pressure to become a grandmother again, and I do not have to be at the top of your seed list. Life is too complicated as it is. Let's keep it simple and be happy. I seriously value experience more than any of the plants I grow. That's a good positive attitude, I think, and it helps me.

So, dry clean those green specks off your shirt and never think about this negatively again, will ya? :-)

LOL Shelley. You are too funny.

I've received seeds that were sent in an envelope but placed between two small strips of bubble wrap and that seemed like a good system. But I've also received seeds that were simply padded with paper towel and they made it through fine. When I got my Aleya seeds they were just in plastic baggies and some were squished out of their shells like GT describes, while others made it through. So, I think it depends on the seed - the smaller ones are harder to crush!

Anyway, I agree with GT that a generous heart like yours shouldn't be crushed at all. :)

This post was edited by greedyghost on Thu, Dec 4, 14 at 14:37

Okay--I'll try to look at it as a learning experience too...I learned not to ship seeds in a fold of paper inside an envelope...also, thanks GG for the shipping tips...I like the bubble-wrap idea a lot...not only does it seem like it would protect the seeds best, but the snap, crackle, pop when the envelope goes through the rollers should keep those postal workers on their toes :-D

Actually, I wonder about bubble wrap... It does make for a good cushioning, but USPS has envelope thickness rules. Thick or unevenly thick envelopes are not machine-readable, and the postage is higher, I think. You could use those standard bubble wrap mailers that are uniformly thick throughout, but there, postage may be higher, and the mailers need to be bought separately, and one needs to go to the post office, perhaps... I think a fold of paper towel, toilet paper or nasal tissue inside a regular ol' first class envelope are fine. But of course, if the seeds are valuable, then all bets are off for what one would want to use. Perhaps something like this? lol

LOL...actually that looks like something I'd like to spend the winter in...just come by and spoon feed me hot soup and cocoa once in awhile and I'll come out on the first warm day of Spring...

They allow you 1/4." I have some bubble wrap here, so I measured it, and two layers = 1/4." As long as you didn't add anything but the envelope and a square of tissue to fold the seeds in, you'd pass muster. Maybe not all bubblewraps are the same size, tho, so it's good to keep in mind. I wouldn't worry about the non-uniform size restriction. That's more for weird bulges caused by hard objects like keys. A square of bubble wrap really looks no different in an envelope than a few sheets of folded paper.

Not that I am an expert on shipping seeds or anything. All my Hoyas might as well be nuns for all the sexy action they get.

lol @ startling the USPS workers.

Thanks!!!! I'll probably never get a chance to use that info., but if I have to, I'm ready...

> As long as you didn't add anything but the envelope and a square of tissue to fold the seeds in, you'd pass muster.

Oh, good to know then.