This is how I do it: Dry the pit for 24 hrs, then crack the seed and soak the kernel for about an hour. Then, in a sandwich bag add indoor plant potting soil and add a little bit of water---the soil should be moist but not wet. After that, place the seeds inside, and then store the bags in the fridge---you could also wrap the bags with newspaper to prevent the potting soil from spilling. Every three to four days open the bag a minute or two so the seeds would get some oxygen. If you follow this process, the seeds will germinate in less than 3 months�"they will actually root inside the bag, when this happens it means that they are ready to be planted in a pot. The seedlings should get morning sun and afternoon shade. Since the seedlings wonâÂÂt have enough time to develop they will not survive the winter, therefore, the best thing to do is to take them inside your house for the rest of winter. This is very fun project to do with the family however, the trees wonâÂÂt produce fruits identical to the parent�"true from seed; a couple years ago I planted an elberta peach seed, the seed germinated, grew into a tree then it produced fruit, but the fruit was not very good, it had a big pit with little flesh. Thus, the best thing to do is just buy a peach tree from your local Home depot. All of them are grafted (clones from the same mother tree) this guarantees that the fruit will come true to the fruit. IâÂÂm currently doing this process that I explained to you above, but this is for my breeding program. I have heirloom stone fruit seeds in the fridge; and some apricots seeds that I placed in the freezer in June have already germinated. I have some peach seeds that I hand pollinated (when they used to be flowers) with plum and apricot pollen; and plum seeds that were pollinated with peach and apricot pollen; and almond seeds (when they used to be flowers) with peach pollen.

I know just how you feel! Before we put in irrigation, my husband swore that his Native American name would be DANCES WITH HOSES. I put in the Drip Works dribbler systems in all my rose beds, so I just had to hook a hose to it and leave it on until the roses got a good deep soak. I found they were much more efficient than the soakers, and last a lot longer. But we did have to move hoses from bed to bed to do that. A good 3-4" of mulch helps hold in the moisture. When we finally put in irrigation (truly the 8th wonder of the world) they just hooked the irrigation system into the dribbler system, so I could keep watering the roses from the bottom instead of overhead. The other pre-irrigation helper was our 'tractor' sprinkler - they really are neat - you just lay out your hose around the garden where you wish to water, hook the traveling unit to the end of the hose and let it water the garden, following the track of the hose. It saved a lot of hose hauling, but I still preferred to water the rose beds at the base instead of overhead. Here is a link that might be useful: JOhn Deere Traveling Sprinkler

Scott, Although the cooler temps in the sunroom might slow down the sprouting of the slow seeds, they'll still sprout. You'll get the quickest germination of tomato seeds at 75-95 degrees but they'll sprout at substantially cooler temps. I know from experience that volunteers sprout in my garden or around the edges of my compost piles in late March through late April when the soil is still pretty cool and the nighttime temps are downright cold. Bottom heat speeds up germination but it certainly isn't necessary. I grew seedlings for probably 20 years or so before I bought a germination mat. I really only bought the mat could speed up germination and maintain a strict schedule of starting new seed flats every couple of days. After I seed a flat, it gets just a couple of days on the mat, and the seeds often are germinating well by the second day. Once the seeds are popping up, that flat comes off the mat and another one goes on it, and then I repeat that over and over and over again until all my seeds are up. Before I had a germination mat, I used to place the freshly-planted flats on top of the refrigerator. On a pretty warm day, I'll carry a freshly-planted flat outside and set it on the concrete patio in full sun so it can soak up heat from the sunlight and the patio beneath it. Once they're up, I keep all the seedlings except for the true heat lovers like peppers, at cool temps in the 50-70 degree range, usually on our screened-in back porch. Sometimes I'll let the seedlings stay outside all night once the nights are staying above 45 degrees. I carry a lot of flats in/out in late winter/early spring so the seedlings are growing at lower temps during the day, but still not exposed to below-freezing temps at night. Seedlings grown in cooler conditions stay stockier and are easier to harden off than seedlings grown on at indoor temperatures for weeks and weeks. Of course, pepper plants are always the exception because they get cranky when they are cold. Dawn

Here's a few more to add to your repertoire: HOMEMADE RICE-A-RONI 3/4 cup long grain white rice 1/2 cup broken spaghetti or angel hair pasta 1-3 Tblsp. butter 14 oz. chicken broth 1 tsp. chicken base 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes 1/2 tsp. garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste Preparation is the same as stated on the box of Rice-a-Roni. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the rice and pasta until lightly browned. Add the chicken broth, base, parsley and garlic. Add any other seasonings if you would like. Bring to a boil and cover, then reduce heat to low. Cook 15 minutes without lifting lid. After 15 minutes check to see if all liquid has been absorbed and fluff rice with a fork. If the rice is tender but it is still a little wet just let it sit on low with the lid off for a few minutes. GREEN CHILE, CHEESE, AND RICE CASSEROLE 1 cup long grain rice 2 cups boiling water 1 tsp. salt 1 Tblsp. butter 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles 1-1/3 cups sour cream Salt and pepper to taste 3/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 2 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded Cook rice according to directions in water with salt and butter. Combine rice, chiles, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese. Turn into a greased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, in a 350° F. oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and rice is heated through. Serves 6 to 8. CRUSTED ASPARAGUS (UBERKRUSTETE SPARGEL) 2 lbs. asparagus, trimmed and boiled or steamed until barely tender 3 Tblsp. butter 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Place the cooked asparagus in a buttered baking dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle with the cheese. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated 450° F. oven 10 to 15 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Serves 4 to 6. YAYA'S GREEK POTATOES 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled & cut into large chunks 2 onions, sliced 2 Tblsp. olive oil 1/3 cup vegetable broth (may use chicken broth) 1 tsp. oregano 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated 2 lemons, zest & juice Dried Parsley Sea salt & pepper Paprika powder Preheat oven to 400° F. Place the cut up potatoes and onions in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside while you make the lemon dressing. In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, zest, broth, oregano, garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil, in a slow steady stream. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and onions, and give everything a good toss. Sprinkle with additional salt (for crunch), paprika (for color), and parsley (for presentation), and put into your preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, give the potatoes a toss, then bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, tossing every 20 minutes or so.