Perhaps I'm simply fortunate to live in a zone where winter sowing is ideal but so far I've successfully grown apple trees, pear trees, ornamental dogwood trees + shrubs and a long list of perennials via winter sowing. The trees are as tall as I am after only 3 years. Winter sown shrubs & perennials all bloomed this year. In nature, I'm sure they would be subject to freezes? You don't identify your location so it's somewhat challenging to offer advice for cold stratification. The Clothier's database is reliable for most purposes and may be helpful to you. Knowing the botanical names will help you navigate the website. As the above posters have advised you, the refrigerator isn't the best alternative to what's outside your door so long as the external temperature allows a sufficient cold spell to break a seed's germination needs. FYI - winter sowing provides the closest approximation to a natural pre-chill/stratification plus it protects the seeds from wind, rain & predators, allowing the seeds an environment in which they have a significantly higher chance of germinating than they might otherwise enjoy. Best of luck to you!! Here is a link that might be useful: Tom Clothier database

The best condition for storing seeds is the opposite of what they need to germinate - that means dry, and cool. I'd take them out of your garage where humidity and temperatures must surely fluctuate. An inside closet or drawer will be more stable. Mine are usually in my desk, right now since we've moved in the last months, they are in a drawer in a guest room :) The humidity in my house is generally low, if yours is higher you might want to consider storing dry, in your refrigerator. To buy commercial seeds and be assured of fresh seeds for next year, you need to be patient and wait for this years harvest to be processed, packaged. When the catalogs and websites have their 2014 offerings listed, order. Unfortunately that's often right about the time we can be busy with things other than gardening on our minds, Dec/Jan for some...

Hi! I have a small cherry of rio grande tree but not fruiting yet. From your list, I'd like Bael fruit, Phalsa, India Gooseberry/Amla and Karandas seeds. Do you have wampee and goumi? I have papaya and bilimbi, but also: - Tamarind - Brazilian Atemoya - Cherimoya - Pinha (Brazilian Annonacea) - Fruto du Conde (Brazilian Annonacea) - Physalis (Ground Cherry) - Naranjilla/Lulo - Cas Guava - Mexican Guava - Pink Guava (green skin) - Xonocostle - Tejocote - Sweet Granadilla - Yellow Passion Fruit - Orange Tree Tomato - Caigua - Dates - Pummelo - Limequats - Spaghetti Beans - Strawberry Tree/Madroño (Arbutus Unedo) - Rose Hip - Pomegranate - Cashew - Star Fruit - Rare Squash (Cayote, Turban Squash, Budin, Valenciano/kuky) - Ornamental tree called "Ibirá-Pitá" Soon i'll get Loquat and Cabeludinha/Yellow Jaboticaba seeds from my shrubs!:) And somebody is going to send me Orange fleshed guava, white sapote and black zapote seeds! Let me know something to do this seeds exchange! Email me :) cristian_n_riv@hotmail.com Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tropicalfruits/msg0404190113678.html?5

Neither of them taste like apricot to me. The first is sour...at least the ones I have had....and very thorny. I don't currently grow it, but have had cuttings of it previously that grew for me until I tossed them out. Mammea americana is a much more interestingly flavored fruit. I have one tree growing that I grafted from the tree growing at the Kampong (David Fairchild's Home). I believe the variety is "Kay Sweeny." The flesh is like the texture of a slightly soft carrot. It has a very tropical flavor that is difficult to describe. But it is not sour...at least mine isn't. I am awaiting the next bloom cycle....all of the fruit that was on the tree during the winter, have shriveled and fallen off the tree. Harry