Trip to Italy - Varieties to Look for?

Another important thing to do if you are mailing seeds -Write the address for the final destination on the envelope and put the green and yellow label on top of it. Then when that label is removed, the inspector will know where to send the seeds.

This might have been just a west coast problem, but when I followed the instructions to send seeds from Canada into the U.S. for a society seed exchange, the seeds kept coming back to me, even though I had included an address label inside the envelope as the instructions said. Whoever was inspecting the seeds never noticed the address label. For my third try, I wrote the address on the envelope, under the yellow/green label, and the seeds finally were delivered to the society.

[cwavec]

@JosephineRose
Yes, I also went back and looked at the conditions. Found the "language"
(as follows for reference by others):

"Hand carry through personal baggage is not authorized under this permit
and all shipments utilizing this permit must enter the United States through
a USDA Plant Inspection Station via Parcel Post or Air mail".

Also, I initiated a new application and followed it through to where it
allows the choice of hand carry. I'm not sure either why this is but I
suppose it has something to do with the application being meant for a
variety of different permits.

Good idea to go with everything prepared ahead of time. A couple of
things to be wary of though:

1) Looking on through the permit you will find that the entire 4 pages
including the conditions has to be included with each shipment.

2) They also require a "seed list" and/or invoice. This was difficult for me
because I was trying so hard to get it right and the requirements are
very detailed. It could be hard for you too, especially if you don't know
ahead of time what you will be sending. They do want a lot of info
including whether your seeds are hybrid or OP (Don't remember
where I found that one).

3) Packing and labeling requirements are very specific as well. May be
a good idea to go with a handful of blank labels and some small
baggies. On my shipment all items were commercial seed packets
and I had no opportunity to add anything to them. But the regs seem
to allow for putting all the information on the seed list. I did that and
referred to each item as a "commercial packet". That worked OK.
I can send you a copy of my seed list if you like. Yours will be different
but mine is at least an example of one that came through OK.

4) Be careful to address each package exactly as shown on the green
and yellow label. If you didn't choose an inspection station they
probably assigned you one.

5) There is also "language" about onward shipment from USDA to you.
"USDA/APHIS does not defray any additional shipping costs incurred..."
This refers to the case where your original shipment is via a courier
other than the Post Office. I had to include a prepaid domestic mailer.
Elsewhere (somewhere) they indicate that if your shipment arrives as
MAIL then, once inspected, they will drop it into the US Mail at no
additional charge.

Please forgive me for going on at such length about all this.

"Fascinating"? I guess you could say so. Shrug.

[rhines81]

Just found out I'm going to Italy (and Switzerland and Germany) in late April. Just a quick trip. If I find any likeable seeds, I'll just bring them back the way I always have or maybe even try Cole's idea and bring an empty salsa jar with label and put 1 tomato and 1 pepper variety chopped up (seeds are easy enough to tell apart). After all, mixing the two is a salsa. Maybe I'll put it in a bag with some chips to eat during my flight...

[cwavec]

@JosephineRose

If you are going to do some online orders (or have someone do it
for you, might want to take into account that they could be slow.

My online orders with French companies have taken anywhere from
10 - to 20 days from placement of the order to shipment.

I don't know about the Italians.

[cwavec]

Here's the "language".

Found at:

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/our...hipping-labels

"
Hand Carry:
Permitted articles may be hand carried into the United States only if certain requirements are met. First, hand carrying

must be requested in the application

and

authorized in the permit conditions.

The permit conditions will list the specific steps that must be taken in order to hand-carry the articles into the U.S...."

In other words, you could have been applying for another type of permit
which allows hand carry.

[mekrebs]

Not trying to be a smarta$$, but here is another option: http://www.growitalian.com/

This is my favorite: http://www.growitalian.com/tomato-sa...edorta-106-94/

[cwavec]

That's not smartass at all. Welcome to the thread.
Yes, I'm familiar with that company, buy from them
occasionally and have a packet of Redorta.

Unfortunately, Dona F1 is French not Italian though they
are sold throughout the EU. I've checked the current
Seeds from Italy catalog and don't see Dona F1.

I remember in the last year or so someone talking about
doing "Seeds from France". Maybe the same people. I
have their email address so might just send them a
picture of the packet. I do wish a US retailer would
start with them.

[cwavec]

Now that reply was smartass, on my part and I apologize.

Josephine Rose is the one who started the thread, specifically
with respect to Italian seeds.

I didn't mean to hijack it but must have forgotten where I was.