Germination Information: I recommend these only for gardeners with experience handling seeds with multi-cycle germination patterns (in this case, warm-cold). Traditional advice calls for sowing them outdoors, about 1/8 inch deep, as soon as you receive them—ideally in June or July of the same year I collected them, as indicated in the description—in a pot or in a holding bed. Water as needed to keep the area evenly moist. They should germinate next spring but may take an additional year. (Note that the seed leaves [the first to emerge] look different than the rounded true leaves, which emerge a bit later.) That being said, I have some more data to add: A few years ago, I mixed the freshly collected (June 10) seeds with moist vermiculite in a resealable plastic bag and stored it in the dark at room temperature (mid 70s for the rest of the summer, then gradually cooling to the mid 60s through fall). In early December of that year, I happened to check the bag and found that all of the seeds had begun to sprout. So, that’s obviously another option for a germination protocol. I planted the sprouted seeds in pots and kept them in my cold basement until late March, then set them outside; the leaves came up within 2 weeks and made nice, sturdy seedlings that were easy to transplant. Note that this information will not appear on the seed packet you receive. Please read the description as well before ordering.
