Don't give up so easily. I have Fuji here in west central Ohio, and it was a star of my orchard last fall. We are still eating them from storage. Great texture, flavor and sweetness. Have had no fireblight on it since planting in 2005. Marc

A couple of questions - do you want to grow Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra) or Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava)? It's not really clear from your post but whichever it is you will want to make sure you get the right seed. Secondly the fruit are nuts rather than acorns, which is the term for the seed of oak trees. I have not grown either of these but I have grown Aesculus hippocastanum (common horse chestnut). Basically you just need to gather fresh ripe nuts ('conkers') in the autumn and plant in a pot of any standard potting compost. Don't open the outer shell - wait until it splits naturally when the nuts are fully ripe and fall from the tree. After sowing leave them outdoors over the winter protected from rodents and most will sprout in the spring. Any seed you obtain now (in March) will be beginning to get stale but may be worth a try. In zone 5 I see no point in fiddling about with peat and fridges. It seems like an unneccessary extra step. I'd just sow them as soon as you get them and put them outdoors. I don't know why your tree flowers but does not bear fruit. You might try posting this question on the Trees forum where there are some people who will be able to help you further.

Wow, Lynda, if anyone ever made a simple project sound tough, you just did! I have a much easier schedule: 1. Sow seeds in winter, except 2. Wait until close to spring (around April) for tender annuals. Those are my guidelines, and they're served me well for 3 years of wintersowing. Really, don't overthink it. It's a simple process. I think Trudi, our fearless leader, sows everything in winter, including tender annuals. (I hope I'm not wrong here now that I said that.) I think that's the basic premise. Because a few folks lost early sprouting tender seedlings to late frosts, and they passed on the tip about waiting until spring to sow them, that seems to have snowballed into a tight schedule, like the one you proposed. That's my take on it anyway. I guarantee you that that tight schedule isn't necessary. Relax and have fun with it! Karen

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but the Ohio buckeye is in my experience a messy and not very ornamental tree. I have two in the back yard, planted by the previous owner (out of state loyalty or perhaps mental defect). The pale greenish-yellow flowers are barely noticeable in spring. Leaves start developing brown patches and falling off by mid to late summer. There is no fall color to speak of. I've been thinking of cutting one of them down for several years; maybe this fall if I have the time. If you want a buckeye, I suggest another species or hybrid. Maybe the scarlet buckeye (Aesculus pavia), which at least has attractive flowers.