starting seed from the garden

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Azzam Milwaukee, WI Sep 13, 2008

I have gathered some seed from my flower garden (zone 5). In nature they would drop, freeze over winter and sprout in spring. Do I have to replicate this or will the seed germinate without the freeze?

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LiliMerci North of Atlanta, GA(Zone 8a) Sep 13, 2008

It probably depends on the seeds. Some of us put our seeds in the refridgerator for similar effect.

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Sep 13, 2008

It does depend on the seeds, some require cold stratification and some don't. If you can post a list of the plants you have, hopefully someone can tell you which ones would require cold and which wouldn't.

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Azzam Milwaukee, WI Sep 13, 2008

Since some do and some do not, would it hurt the seed if I did it to all to be on the safe side? In regard to putting them into the refrigerator - for what period of time?

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Sep 13, 2008

If they're plants that are native to your area, or if they've already demonstrated in previous years that they'll self-sow in your garden, then a cold period won't hurt them even if they don't need it in order to germinate. But if they're something that's a tender perennial that you grow as an annual and it's native to somewhere that doesn't have cold winters, then the cold could potentially hurt germination. That's why it's helpful to know what you have. I'll let someone else advise you on the time in the fridge since I don't grow much of anything that needs cold stratification. There's also a technique called wintersowing that lets you start things directly outside and that way the cold's taken care of. Again not something I've ever done, but someone else around here can probably give you a better explanation of how that works.

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