Act I: Presoaking Seeds

Many sources suggest soaking most seeds before sowing.  Some suggest near boiling water temperatures, which can be met with sporadic results and kill offs.  Most seeds don't need boiling water, and I find that patience is better than trying to force them out of germination with risky temperatures. 

I prefer to heat my water to 105-109°F and to let them soak for 12 to 24hr.  I feel quite comfortable with this amount of heat and it seems to give a synchronized and high germination rate.

I usually just set them in a warm room somewhere, but it's winter and I decided to put them on a mild heating pad. Notice the thermometer beneath the pad reads about 84°F and by feel it is a lot warmer underneath than on top of the pad.  I will check the water tomorrow to see how the heating pad has affected water temperature.

-Physalis peruviana or Peruvian Goldenberry is a member of the family Solanaceae and with a hardiness zone of 10a this perennial will need some attention in my 5a/b climate.  I have heard that they can handle light freezes, but that is yet to be seen.

-Chenopodium capitatum, Beetberry, or strawberry spinach is native to many parts of North America. It has edible leaves and its red flowers look like strawberries and are used to make a dye. This annual beautiful species of the family Amaranthaceae.

-Glycyrrhiza glabra I've already started some of these licorice plants, but I love licorice root and they say on the package to harvest the second fall.  I figure if it takes that long I need to get going as many as I'm going to want of this perennial. It's a member of the family Fabaceae and is native to the Mediterranean.

-Artemisia absinthium or wormwood is a cold hardy perennial membe of the family Asteraceae. Made popular for its use in absinthe its actually a herb with many uses.  Sometimes it is planted in gardens, because it's said to repel insects. I just germinated some of these so I know they are a fast to germinate.  They were sitting in my fridge in a completely dry ziploc bag for 1 week before now. Almost all of them are floaters.  I've never been one to discard any seed that floats, except for maybe when used to look for seeds that have been bored into like with some nuts.  It's in a lot of plant seeds design to have some that will float and be carried away by water to new locations and it's good to maintain the versatility and diversity of your plants.