Diana Chapman wrote, We had a discussion not long ago about germinating Tropaeolum seed. It has >a reputation for being difficult, and I, myself have had difficulties in the >past. I have a very nice collection of about ten species, most of which I >grew from seed from Watson & Flores. Their seed germinated just fine - why >didn't mine? I figured that the difference could be that my seed was stored >in cool conditions. ... This year I left the seed it its containers in >the greenhouse My experience with seed from western South America has been that the best germination is achieved by storing the seed dry at room temperature over the summer. I just leave it in paper packets in a box in a back corner of the kitchen counter, then plant it in the fall. Probably the maximum temperature during storage is 80 F. I haven't tried soaking the seeds as Diana did, but I'll try it the next time on some of the large seeds such as Tropaeolum. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA