I have been looking for this. Ever since tracyvine's generosity to me, I have been wanting to pay it forward.
I have many seeds to offer a newbie.
Thanks for starting this swap, diene!

Rebekah

Hello Rebekah;
That is great, thanks. Tracy was one of the most generous and fun people on this site. She is still a friend. She will be happy to hear her generousity lives on.
Now all we need are some newbies to join.
diene

Found this on the old post and has a good tip for newbies, we need to know something about you!!
Now we have three foster parents, were are our adopties?

RE: UPDATE: Adopt a Newbie-

Posted by mao_tse_mom z5 Oh (maozamom@hotmail.com) on Thu, Oct 7, 10 at 21:45

Be sure and tell us something about yourself on your page or with your trade list. I like to send a little something extra as a surprise, but only if I know what would be appreciated.
Last winter when I gave away hosta seeds I had a request from a newbie from a neighboring town. I invited her over on two occasions and both times she took lots of plants home. She was very happy that she had taken the time to write something about herself and her garden, and I was glad to have someone take my extras.

Good afternoon! I am a "newbie" that would LOVE to be adopted! I have been doing some seed trades here & getting some REALLY cool things to grow already but..... one can NEVER have enough & man.... did I ever get bit by the gardening / seed collecting BUG!!!

I have bio info on "my page" and a link to view pics of my EMPTY flower beds I created this year & hope to FILL next year by winter sowing!

My original goal was to WS 100 jugs, then 200 & now I said 300 but I am seriously thinking I may need to do about 500!! LOL I just never knew there was sooooo many cool flowers/plants out there to grow!!

Anyways, it has been so fun looking over seed lists & "googling" pics of flowers, very relaxing. I have 4 kids that keep me very, very busy & a husband who has a very stressful & demanding job. I need to unwind at night with my seeds! :)

So, if you'll have me, I'D LOVE TO BE ADOPTED!! LOL

Jodie

I would love to send winter sowing seeds to jodie74. I've been winter sowing for five years and each year I collect seeds from most of my plants.

Don

Hi, I have been away for the last 7 years, could I be considered a newbie? Just recently retired and will have time to get serious about my gardening this coming Spring.
Thanks, ShrlieB

Welcome to Don, Jodie & ShrlieB;
ShrlieB I have no problem with you qualifying as a newbie, I checked the rate and review and nobody was cranky about you so I am assuming you did very little trading all those years ago. Welcome newbie.
Also welcome to Jodie who barely showed up and was adopted. Usually I wait and pair people based on geography but Jodie and Don seemed to find a common ground immediately and if Don has the expertise at WS and Jodie wants to embrace it, that seems like a perfect fit.
I love when this stuff works like that.
diene

Hi Diene,
I have only been a member since Aug 2010. I do not want to be adopted but I would love to adopt someone. I have more seed than I know what to do with, some I purchased and some left over from trades. I would love to share what I have with someone if I am allowed to do so since I am new myself. PLMK.

Hello Sherri;
Welcome to the group, you are the one to decide whether you want to be a newbie or adopt a newbie. Thanks for your generous offer, we will see who needs help and what they need and work from there.
Thanks,
diene

I'll just stop by every now and then to see how things are coming. I'm excited to share with a newbie!

Rebekah

I have TONS of heirloom fruit and veggie seeds to donate for newbies if there is interest.

Thanks, I will let you know if there is an interest. It appears that there are more people willing to give then those wanting to receive but that makes me feel great. We shall see what this next week brings.
Thanks to all those who have offered to help.

Diene,

I would be happy to send a newbie a large bubble envy of seeds for winter sowing...

Lisa

I would love to adopt a newbie.

Thanks to Lisa and barefoot, unfortunately we only have one newbie and she was claimed immediately. The person who activated last year's thread has not even resurfaced but we still have time.
I will let you know if I have an adoptee for you.

Can I be adopted? Even though I joined last year, I am still in the same position a year later. Because of the extreme heat here in the south, all the seeds I sowed this spring did not make it. We had 90+ days of 90 degree weather. It was hot!

Please let me know, thanks!

Hi.. I joined this forum few months ago. I've been gardening since last summer when we bought our house. I don't know if I'll qualify as a newbie. I don't need many seeds. I'll let somebody else have the chance of receiving the seeds if they need it more. I've already started, just need to keep going. If somebody else is just getting started, they'll need this more. plus $13 postage will get you a helluva lot seeds. I don't need that much. Let's see if somebody else wants to join the adoption program. Please put me on the B list for now. Thanks :)

Hello Msirie & Garden 2010,
First $13 would only be if your foster parent was sending a box of plants and could not afford the postage. At this point neither of those things have come to pass. Usually, adoption does not cost the adoptee anything but I needed to put that caveat in for anyone who was interested and had extra plants but not the extra money for postage.
Msirie, I see no reason not to allow you to be and adoptee.
Garden we seem to have lots of people interested in adopting and not too many adoptees so I will put you on the list and check back before we pair up.
Welcome to both of you, let us know a bit about what you are looking for and what your climate/yard offers.
Thanks.
diene

I have dreamed of being âÂÂadoptedâ since I became a member in January of this year. My husband and I are retired and try to raise a lot of our own vegetables. Although we have been gardening for many years it has always been very common things. I would like to try different varieties of vegetables and herbs. I would love any kind of flower expect those that are invasive.

I tried winter sowing for the first time in February. Surgery in March and again in June meant that the plants I did get were neglected to death! I have explained winter sowing to my husband and he is willing to take over if I become disabled again. I am not able to handle plants right now.

If you continue to get more donors than people wanting to be adopted please consider me.

Thank you

Margaret

First of all, thank you for adopting me. I feel special already.

Last year when I started gardening, I started a lasagne garden. I had too much grass in the mix. Grass is extremely drying especially in the summer, so needless to say anything that was planted died. I later learned that more leaves are better than grass so I had to redo the entire garden. It didn't help either that this was under a pine tree (but that's another story).

So this year, I am going to start another garden in an area that gets more sun. I'll put my new gardening skills to work in this new area.

I plan on planting anything that are at least 2-3 feet in height. I like mounding plants. I also like upright ones too.

I will continue to plant in the old area as well. Anything goes in that area.

I have a question. I would like to sow some seeds as well. I am in the south and we are still getting 80 degree days. Don't exactly know when it's going to get cold. Do you think that I still have time to sow some seeds?

Hello Msirie;
It all depends on the seeds when they should be planted. Some seeds need cold to germinate. I have attached a link to a great site that tells you more than you need to know about seeds and sowing for success.
This was an offshoot of GW, trudi was one of the original members here, do not see her around anymore but she certainly is still gardening.
To all the newbies, I need you to e-mail me your address. Do not post it here, my e-mail is onemainelady@yahoo.com which you can find also on my page.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wintersowing seeds

Just send you an email!

Hello all,

I am a newbie to the site and would love to be adopted!

I am 52, a mom, grandmom, retired nurse, artist, gardener.

I have been told I have the 'green finger'~lol~(that was a new one on me)

My beloved David and I own 1/2 of an acre here in the mountains of central Pa. We bought the land for a great price and intend to put up a log home in a few years. In the meantime, I love to garden and have so far bought and moved twenty tons of lovely dirt with my trusty wheelbarrow! The land up here is mostly clay and rock.

So far this year I have put in beds to be ready for spring, for eight apple and pear trees, eight grape vines, blueberry bushes (already in), lilacs, blackberry bushes (10 on the way). I put in raised veggie beds this year also, right now have my winter garden in. Also put in a few more flower beds and built a rock retaining wall for the bank in the front of the land.

I love flowers of all types, especially bulbs, peony, and iris.

I got a great treat after we moved to the land when I was wishing for iris, I happened to find them under bushes where they had been growing for who knows how many years. The ground there is so poor they could not flower, when I moved them to good dirt they went crazy! Haven't counted them all, but I think there is well over two hundred fans!Not sure what type they are, they are all purple and bi color purple, look like Eleanor Roosevelt, and Indian Chief. So I have many of these to trade.

I have also been saving seeds from flowers I grew from seed, and some very prolific moon and stars watermelons.

Anyway please look at my list, will have much more next year. I am very happy to trade or pay postage if someone would wish to adopt me!

Deine... not to step on your toes, but I would like to adopt fearadyn. We are in the same zone. I would like to send a package for postage.

Hello Barefoot;
You are not "stepping on my toes", this is what works nicely. I would recommend you contact fearadyn directly and make arrangements. I would ask fearadyn to let us know when she receives her goodies and share what she received. Is that acceptable?
Have Don & Jodie communicated? It seems like that would be a good move right now and I will figure the rest out later today.
I need to get this done as I am off for two weeks on Saturday.

Diene,

Hope I am not to late....just noticed this posting. I would be happy to send seeds to a new gardener. Let me know!

Annie

Just a quick note to say THANK YOU!! I am a newbie that was adopted by Don (aka dempa) he was SO VERY GENEROUS with seeds & also took time to answer some questions about winter sowing!

THANK YOU for this "adoption" program & especially THANK YOU to Don!!!

Incredbly Grateful,
Jodie

Oh Oh Oh, I just saw that I have been adopted!! Thank you so much, this is so exciting. I have never been adopted before.

Bearfootgarderner, would you like me to contact you? Or you contact me? I would be so happy to pay postage, just let me know what you what you wish to do~

Would love to be adopted if anyone needs a newbie still! :)

Interested in herbs, edible flowers, heirlooms, veggies and medicinal plants...I will work on creating my profile page! (Just joined today!)

-SM :)

I'm a newbie. I been trading hollyhocks (since thats all I had for to trade) and doing SASBE's here on GW and have been finding some great friends! I absolutely love gardening and growing from seed. My hubby and I just bought our 1st house on June 28th and moved in the end of July. I FINALLY have a yard to plant in! I have a full acre of sun, shade, and partial shade! I love that because I get to have a variety of gardens. I have really great soil here too! Really good drainage! I only plant from seeds as thats all I can afford. I have 2 children, 1 girl (4) and 1 boy (22 months) and they keep me busy! They both love getting dirty when I am building my garden beds! Anyway, I am zone 5, I live in Northern Michigan and I will also be attempting WS'ing this year. I have been to the Winter Sowing sight and asking friends lots of questions. I think I'm ready!! So if anyone needs a newbie to sponsor, I would love that. The only thing is, is it really 13.00 for shipping???

Diene,

I'll take lily as my newbie, she's the same zone AND she wants flowers....I don't do veggies so I have to pass on the zone 5 newbie that posted first.

I'll send her an email and send her a nice selection of seeds for winter sowing.

Lisa

Hello All;
Here is my plan,
dempa, ishareflowers and barefoot picked their newbies already and I have no idea where garden2010 is from so I have given adoptees a parent.
Shrlieb belongs to diene
msirie belongs to slo-garden
molly_and_me belongs to canyonwind
sherrih belongs to mao-tse-mom
smcapri belongs to columbine21

Please contact each other, I would ask the newbies to contact their "parent" and introduce themselves and a bit about what they are hoping to grow and what they really could use some advice/help with.

Parents need to nurture their new ones as best they can.

Please let the entire group know how this works as the only positive reinforcement parents get is praise.

Thanks to all who volunteered to help, this is what makes this site so much fun.
diene

By the way, any problems with this, please e-mail me privately and not on the thread.
Thanks.
diene

Diene, have a wonderful time...wherever you are headed. Molly_and _me, aka Margaret, touch base with me and tell me all about your gardening dreams....etc...etc...etc....

Annie

If I'm not to late I would love to be adopted. I was adopted by Lisa and got some great things but since I'm just starting out would love to be able to add to the collection and be able to do the same for others next year. Will send you an email. Thanks so much. Vici

I have returned from a wonderful two weeks in Sunny Florida, the weather was amazing and we were able to see lots of relatives. One sad note was that one of my cousins who had not been well that we planned to visit, passed away two days before we arrived. I was saddened not to see her again but happy she is no longer suffering.
Overall the trip was upbeat and fun and we are tired but not stressed. I hope to get my box out on Monday, has anyone else sent or received anything?
I am rather pleased that I did not miss anything but also hoping the foster parent and novice gardener have at least communicated with each other. If things are going well, let us know on this thread. If there are issues, please e-mail me privately as this is supposed to be a fun activity.
Hope everyone is ready for an extra hour of sleep tonight, I surely am!!

Hi everyone!
I would also love to be adopted. I grew up in MD surrounded by trees & flowers & edibles, & finally moved into a garden apartment here in NYC earlier this year.
I work late sometimes. So I've been trying to plant white or light colored plants and lots of fragrant things that I can enjoy in the evenings on weekdays when I sit out with my dog Olive.
I also cook a lot & so any heirloom veggies or herbs are appreciated. Actually I'm really not picky and anything that's not winter hardy in my zone has found space somewhere inside,mostly crowded along all the
southern & eastern windows.
Any advice on wintersowing would also be appreciated since I know I will be itching to garden during the next few months.
Thanks a lot! Grace

Hi,

I realize I'm past the cut off date so if I can't be adopted this time how often do you do this. I had looked for this back when I first joined GW but could not find anything recent. I was also wondering how long a person would be considered a newbie. I joined back in the spring but June brought a new grand daughter into my home so I spent my summer playing with her instead of playing in the dirt. I have never tried wintersowing but this winter I want to give that a try.

Sharon

Diene,

I sent a good sized bubble full of seeds to randi the other day...I"m not sure if she got them yet but they are on the way!

Lisa

Sorry about your cousin :"

Diene, Sorry for you loss. Prayers your way!

Lisa, I haven't got the seeds yet but hoping they will be in todays mail which will arrive here in about 2 more hours!! I have the day off so I will email you when I receive them! Thanks again!

Randi

Ohhh. I missed it. I want to be adopted also. I spent the last few days looking up the sowing requirements on the new seeds I got and didn't come on this site. I'm pretty much dreaming about how all my seeds are going to look and will look forward to participating in the next one.

Diene,

Margaret (molly_and_me) and I have been in touch several times.
Margaret, if you read this, I sent you an email via GW.

Happy Tuesday!

Annie

Annie (canyonwind) sent me re blooming irises, day lilies, daffodils and allium . They are all planted.

She also send candy, a note pad, a garden flag, peat pots, plant labels, and a jar of homemade Pecan Jam.

The seed collection she sent is fabulous. It contains things I never even thought about and now I donâÂÂt see how I can live without them. My new garden will have many new things that I have never grown before, or eaten. I am so excited to try rhubarb, fava beans, pigeon peas, several different kinds of salad greens, several different kinds of herbs, extra large dill, and unusual peppers. I have not listed everything but some of everything she sent will be planted.

Then there are the flower seeds! A dream come true. The list reads just like what I would have picked from a seed catalog.

Annie is an amazing woman. I am lucky to have her for a mentor. Thank you Diene for pairing us.

Annie, I did receive the e-mail saying you were having trouble with your e-mail account. I was beginning to worry about you. I sent an e-mail thank you note. If you canâÂÂt recover it I can resend it. DonâÂÂt worry about the winter sowing questions. I donâÂÂt need answers until early next year.

Margaret

Hello Diene, is slo-garden
a participant in this thread? I don't see her mentioned here at all. Should I still go ahead and contact her? not sure if she will know about being my adopter if I contact her. What do you think?

Hello Msirie;
I sent you an e-mail through GW which is very inconsistent so whenever we do swaps or trades we ask for a private e-mail address.
I have sent slo_garden a message but it would probably be helpful if you sent her one also or sent me your e-mail address so I can forward it to her. If you look on my page or her page, we both have private e-mail addresses listed as we know GW is not good with forwarding messages.

It looks like these three may not have been adopted yet - and we're way past the deadline of Oct 22...BUT

I'm going to start a new thread, but leave it up to veterans in general to help compile the lists. Newbies will sign up, and we'll post lists of who they are and what zone/state. Then veterans will adopt someone, and the next list will remove that person. It may not be perfect, but it can continue to run indefinitely.

ohiovalleygardener⢠5/6 (OH)
sharon5840⢠z6b Southeast MO
nuttnhunee⢠5a (unk)

*You will be the first on the new list on the new thread. Check in there.

I an a newbie from Houston,Texas and would like to be adopted.I moved to new house recently and got it into gardening as we have a big backyard.I have done some trades with some amazing members on this form.I like color and fragrant plants. i hope I am not too late to be adopted.

This Adopt is over.

Sign up at the link below instead.

Here is a link that might be useful: Adopt-A-Newbie sign ups