hi terry, i can't confirm the "awful smelling fruit" comment. mine makes quite a few seeds and i have never detected a smell, even after taking the seed from the pulp. i have read that they are dioecious but there are some who seem to challenge that. they are ready when they turn dark blue and begin to wrinkle. they do require a double-dormancy. plant them at that time and perhaps you will see some germination by the second spring. i have a couple of small trees that grew from my tree's seed( i moved them into containers from beneath the tree). i wish i had known - i just drove through your area this weekend. they are beautiful when they get big and have a wonderful fragrance. i posted a picture of my old specimen in the tree forum gallery. they develop a much better form and produce more flowers in sun but will grow in the understory.

Rita, I thought you might remember...Hehehe!! ngraham, I think it's the unusual eye pattern that causes folks to remember.. Christine, that last one is on it's way out. I really don't like it.. jkayed, the first and second are the same one. The first photo was the seedling debut and the second is the changes from last year! Avedon, the cross is Candied Popcorn Perfection X Be Thine. that was the first time I used be thine so it got the color from Be thine. It has a similiar color to a couple of others in my garden.. Thanks folks for your input!! Ellie

The accepted spacing for seeds depends entirely on the seed itself *and* the method of growing. I don't know where the practice of over-seeding began - it's been around a long time. Some people still do it, either from not realizing there is another way, or because they are concerned that some seeds won't sprout. There is an old corn-planters chant: "one for the cutworm; one for the crow; one to rot; and one to grow" which expresses the expectation of common problems and deliberately over-seeds for each problem. The present (and very sensible) method for the average seeder is to space them just far enough apart to grow - if you are starting the seeds early in seedling flats, they will be spaced just enough to grow up to 4-6 true leaves and then be transplanted. If you are direct-sowing into a garden bed, then you space far enough for each plant to have room when it's grown up. Some seeds are as fine as dust - no way can you space them appropriately which means some sprouts will be crowded together. If you are growing these in a pot or a flat, it's easiest for the sproutlings if you snip the extras out so the roots of the remaining plants are not disturbed. Sometimes there is space between the seedlings but they are still too close together; you can carefully lift the extras and plant them into another pot or flat. Very large seeds such as sunflower are usually planted directly into the ground where they are to grow -- you can plant one seed per space because you will only want one plant per space. Check the square foot gardening forum for more help on appropriate spacing for different seeds which are direct-sown into their growing beds. (I think their FAQ has a list, as well.) BTW, some "seeds" such as beets are actually a sort of cluster - put one into the ground and you're gonna get 3 to 6 plants in each space. Most folks snip the extra plants when the leaves about 2" - for use in salads!

I would strongly reccomend pre sprouting your seeds before putting them in a growing medium. To pre sprout give your seeds a warm bath for about 30 minutes to soften them up, then place them in a damp paper towel in a zip locked bag and place in a warm spot..top of the fridge. I have a heat pad but you have to be careful with those because they are hot and will cook your seed. Try wrapping the bag in a towel to moderate the temperature on top of the pad. Check your seeds daily to see if they have sprouted and to expose them to oxygen, when you see the little white tip comming out of the seed you can now place it in soil at about 1/8 inch depth. Within a day or two it will come out. I always use this method because it gives me greater control over the seeds, especially because of the different germination times required for sprouting. Many chile peppers are very stubborn. I started six varities last week, two are out of the soil three have sprouted and one is still enjoying the warmth of the zip lock bag...it's a Naga Morich. As for soil any good soil mix will do Jiffy is as good as any.