Scarification

Tucked inside these humble coir pots are some rather unique seeds.  Speckled apple gourd seeds are a wide, flat and very hard seed which are notoriously slow to germinate and slow to get growing.  In order to get the best germination possible, it's recommended that you scarify the seed, then soak it overnight, then plant it, and then hope for the best. (Encouraging, wouldn't you say?)

Scarifying seeds is pretty easy, although there is a teeny trick to getting it just right.  This video has a pretty good demonstration:

See? Just do it with love in your heart, and the seed will repay you by germinating (hopefully).

In case you were curious about what a speckled apple gourd looks like, it should look something like this while it's growing:

from loghouseplants.com

Pretty aren't they?  I think they'll be fun to have scrambling around the back fence, and once dried they'll make fun birdhouses to hang around the garden.