If they are fruits native to a region where the soil normally freezes down a few inches in the winter, just throw them in the freezer until a couple of months before you want them to grow. Then, just let them thaw, stratify and begin to sprout in the fridge. Peaches, pears, apples, American persimmon, apricots, plums, cherries, and pawpaws all grow in zones 4 or 5, where winters can go down to -25F and the ground freezes solid for a foot or more down.

I have sown white-flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) directly into the ground and lost all to chipmunks and squirrels (rats with bushy tails). The few that sprouted were eaten immediately after sprouting in the spring. This year I have winter sown into milk jugs and hope for better results. See Winter Sowing Forum: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/wtrsow/ and the winter sowing FAQ: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/wtrsow/ I previously stratified, but the instructions I read said nothing about warm stratification. I pulled off all of the pulp from the berries and soaked the seed in warm water for about 4 hours. Mix some warm water with some sifted sphagnum peat. (Shaking the peat and water in a jar is a quick way to moisten the peat. All excess moisture should be squeezed out of the peat. Too much water will rot the seed.) Mix the seed with the damp peat. I put the seed/peat mixture in a zip lock bag. (Punch a few air holes in the bag.) Place bag in refrigerator for 100 days. Check occasionally to be sure the peat is still moist. A few of the seeds were already sprouting after 100 days. I planted the seeds/seedlings in an outside transplanting area. The squirrels and chipmunks soon ate those, also. I may try to winter sow these directly into the ground, and put a quarter-inch-hardware-mesh wire cage over the top. (Something similar to a bottomless bird cage.) A few bricks on top to keep the critters from pushing/pulling it off will hopefully aid in survival of the seedlings. Here is a link that might be useful: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/wtrsow/

Many many annuals benefit from stratification! I don’t think it’s as necessary with annuals but after reading university extension articles about it, they speak a lot about better quality and QUANTITY of flowers ... The orlaya that I allowed to self seed in the fall where I live in Ontario Z4, is already sprouted w 2-3 leaves ea. In the middle of April ...and there is still snow! Mind you, they are tiny but at least have germinated -which can be issue for this prickly little seed... I don’t know if Orlaya is considered a hardy annual maybe? I have collected seed from last year stored in a cool basement that I have been stratifying in the fridge now for a couple of weeks and will also just throw some straight in the garden to measure the difference... I’m sure the latter will take the longest to get going but Orlaya definitely is a great little flower to succession plant , I never want to be without them they are so bright white and beautiful! I’m not sure, but i do think they need light to germinate as well, maybe somebody here can confirm ? Seeds left from last year’s plants were just pressed into the topsoil before I mulch with leaves for the winter ....and those are the ones that have already germinated -in a freezing cold month! So they also don’t need bottom heat to get going !...and because they are a tap root like Queen Anne’s lace, i would not bother starting them inside where I live.. (Does anyone else have problems on this site correcting/editing their comment in real time? )

I used a weak solution of Daconil last season when I put maple seeds in a plastic bag with a paper towel around them. Stayed in the fridge for 60 days when they started to germinate so I planted them in cups. I see threads about hydrogen peroxide helping seeds the germinate more quickly. But that's using a short period rinse. I'd be afraid to use H2O2 inside a plastic bag for any length of time. IME: It has an oxidizing effect on certain materials (like seed husks) so I'd be afraid it would damage the seeds if left on them for a period of time. (probably why I never tried it as a fungicide). I do use it as a fungicide on rooting media and it seems to work well for that.