I opened up a Ridge Gourd seed very carefully by first soaking the seed for a few days by slowly chipping off the woody seed cover at the Micropyle end off the seed. I could then see the green seed embryo with a tiny tip that was the radicle.

1. I'm not sure, but the whole seed seemed to be enclosed in a thin and translucent cover - what is the cover called.

I also pressed down pretty hard on the horizontal axis and popped the seed cover on the vertical axis of some Bottle-Gourd seeds. The hard casing of the seed on the inner side had a translucent membrane - i'm not sure if that belonged to the embryo or the seed case?

2. When i tried to remove some more off the woody seed cover, i think a bit of this membrane came off with the cover. Assuming the seed has a membrane-covering - what function does it serve?

3. Can i remove the whole woody cover and plant the embryo in the ground? Why not?

4. Should i push the seed into the ground radicle end downwards?

5. I had soaked and sprouted some French-Bean seeds and the first set of leaves came out badly deformed - 1/4 or 1/2 a full leaf..I assumed this was because i over soaked the seeds..? I immersed them in a cup, put them in bright sunlight and waited for them to sprout. They started smelling after a bit, so i cleaned them and repeated till a radicle emerged.. it took for-ever! However, i don't understand why the first set of leaves should be damaged..surely the cotyledons should get damaged..I can see the cotyledons mid-way down the stem and they look wrinkled but normal.

I'm new to gardening - just started a few months back. Hope you can clarify.