Hi Randall, Yes, you have to remove the red coating (sarcotesta). There are inhibitors in the coating that will prevent the seeds from germinating. What I usually do is rub the seeds against a metal mesh strainer until I see the inner white part of the seeds exposed. This treatment removes most of the sarcotesta. Sow the seeds in a well drained medium. It will take a few months for the seeds to sprout. I usually sow mine in the fall, allow the pot to sit for a few months in the cold (not freezing) and I get sprouts in the spring. Good luck sowing! If all goes well, you will get more plants than you know what to do with. Nhu On Sat, Nov 26, 2011 at 2:07 PM, Randall P. Linke <randysgarden@gmail.com>wrote: > I was just out cleaning out one of the beds and found that several pods had > recently opened. > > Does anyone have experience starting these from seed? Do they need to have > the fleshy coating removed? stratification? etc. > >