Sue - When sowing after being in the refrigerator for months (2 months or longer), most sprouted within 2 weeks. I had an occasional one sprout a month or more later, but that was rare. Most seeds sprouted together within the first 14 days I sowed them. I grow all kinds of crosses ... tets and dips. The results were pretty much the same. My germination rate was at least 80% on most crosses of 5+ seeds. Some seeds were my own crosses, some I acquired.
It works for me. The only time I did not see sprouts was with seeds that were not viable. And that was confirmed by the person on the LA who sold them to me. He had a problem with quite a few of his auctions. (I don't know what the real issue was, but many buyers got no germination from his seeds.) I let the seeds stay in the pots for 6 months before tossing the soil into the garden beds. They never sprouted, so I do believe there was a problem with those seeds.
I do water my seeds/seedlings with H2O2 added to the water. It helps prevent root rot (damping off) in the young seedlings. And I don't over-water. It's been very successful, which is why I have so many seedlings. Now from there into the beds, I tend to lose seedlings. Not right away, but usually the summer heat here does the less hardy ones in within a year or two. Those that survive do very well here in Florida. I believe it to be kind of trial and error of cultivar genes.
