Small weak stems is a sign of too little light so the supplemental light will help. You can also transplant them deeply into larger containers. The coloring is normal for most seedlings and they get over it quickly once transplanted outside. Cooler temps, which can cause the color changes, are better than warmer ones so keep in mind that it may be a very different temp near that window than in the house as a whole. Since fruit trees such as this have very different needs than the typical Growing from Seed questions you might also want to post your questions over on the Fruits & Orchards forum where they deal with fruit trees for more specific info. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit & Orchards forum

Coleus seed does not require any pretreatment. Al

Firsthouse, this is only my second year starting from seed, but I can give you my plans, given we live in the same general area: This weekend, I'm starting bok choi, broccoli, cabbage and parsley seeds for a 3/1 transplant. I give them 60 days before transplant, since once they germinate, I've got them in an unheated garden shed where the growth time is a little slower than what the books say. I'm starting my tomato seeds around 2/15 this year for a 5/15 transplant. I waited until 3/15 last year, and didn't feel my plants got big enough before my transplant date of 5/15, so I'm starting a little earlier this year. 3/1 I sow my peppers, onions and herbs. I don't put peppers out until 6/1 and they grew reeeally slow for me last year, again most likely because I'm not keeping them really toasty while they start. Peas get direct sowed in March and April. Pole beans, squash and cucumber get direct sowed around 5/1. I started in pots last year and was amazed at how fast they grew (and grew out of!) their pots. I've learned they're best put right in the beds. Like I said, I'm also fairly new to starting from seed, but I was pretty successful last year, and am making some adjustments based on what I learned. So take what you can use of the information and toss the rest. And congrats on the Christmas presents! I'm really enjoying growing from seed because I love the control I have over what I grow and when I plant it. It's also fun browsing through those catalogs in the cold months and daydreaming of my lush summer garden.

I just signed on to this forum as we ate some wonderful oranges in Spain and brought back the seeds. I know now from what I've read, that my dreams of my very own orange tree with that wonderful fruit may not be a reality....but I'm a dreamer, what can I say. We put the seeds in a damp paper towel for a week before I started researching what to do. Right now, they're drying out....I've been reading the forum, but I'm so lost....guess I'm a newbie newbie. Can someone please take the time and walk me through what needs to be done to salvage my orange seeds? I really want to give this a try. In Spain, there are orange trees everywhere, and I would love to bring a piece of that memory back to my home. Thank you so much!