I want to grow some plants from seeds but I see that they have a need for 120 days of cold stratification.
(see list of ready to germinate seeds on home page )
*See under Advanced Search, Ready to Grow
However, many of our seeds do require a bit of patience. Please determine the date that you would like the germination to take place. This is normally in the Spring or early Summer after all danger of frost is past. Then work your way backward from that date, taking into account the amount of pretreatment time that we say is required. For example, if you would like to have germination on June 1st and our seed requires 120 days of cold stratification you will need to purchase it prior to February 1st.
For Example
Black Cherry seed ( Prunus serotina) needs to experience constant damp and cold for 3–5 months in order to germinate. If you get cold winter weather about this long and don't get below -20ºF / -30ºC, you can go the easy route and plant the cherries in early fall. Sowing the seed in late summer/early fall also gives some
warm/moist after ripening time which is beneficial, especially for seed that has been in cold storage.
