When I got my seeds (mail ordered from AU through ebay), they were still pretty soft and pliable. In my case they were duct taped to a piece of cardboard, and had quite a bit of the fleshy casing still attached. I'd say you definitely want to soak them for a while to rehydrate them. I tried germinating them in peet pots, those little discs that expand when you soak them in water. That was probably a mistake because they wound up getting moldy. I dug them out and re-planted them in new peet pots, and kept them in a more ventilated area until they finally sprouted. It took a long time, maybe 3 weeks or so. If I had it to do over I would put them in a mixture of potting soil and perlite for increased drainage and aeration, and water them a lot.

Thanks for the reply.

I have Jiffy strips, http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/jiffy-strips in which I plan to germinate them. Once they germinate and have about 2" above the soil, I will put them in the pot with that piece of strip as it is. I presume that is OK, right?

With seeds, I divided them into 3 parts, one part is sitting in water for 4 hours now. Another part is in wet towel and rest are just as it is. I was planning to sow all 3 differently to check which one give me best yield.

After soaking, do I have to squeeze the flesh out or I can just sow them as it they will be?

Thanks a lot.

I think I did peel off most of the fleshy casing before I planted them. I've heard you want to keep them kind of warm in the beginning to stimulate germination, just be careful that they get enough air circulation so they don't get moldy like mine. From what I read they tend to take a long time to germinate, so I don't think waiting for them to sprout in web paper towels will work like some other seeds. The dryer the seeds are the longer it will take. I would also mix in some perlite or something with the soil you plant them in, again to prevent them from getting too dank and getting mold. Of course if you have a lot of seeds you might try different mixes and see which ones do best.

Just wanted to update. I got about 50 seeds, sent about 20 to my cousin in KY. None of my seeds germinated. She is lucky with 3.

Could you please point me to the ebay seller for these seeds. I would like to give a try to that seller.

Thanks in advance.