I use my fridge, worked great on apple seeds last year, now waiting for results on this years stuff .
I do add a little moist potting soil !

Dry chill is just storage....moist chill required for stratifying.

How many seeds are tons? A scant tsp of moist sterile vermiculite in a 1x2" zip lock will easily hold 30 helleborus seeds. A yogurt cup with lid, or cool whip container will hold a lot of 1x2" bags.

There are very few seeds that need to be frozen - the temps of between 35-40 of the avg refrigerator are fine.

Very few seeds need freezing temps. Cold stratification is generallly suggested at temps b/t 40-35F (which is refridgerator temperature). As pp wrote stratification has to be done moist. You may not have to but a whole pot in the fridge. If the seeds are large enough you can place them in a ziplock bag with moist propagation media. Once the chilling hours have been me pot the seeds up and wait for germination.

The advantage winter sowing has over the refrigerator is the fluctuation of temperatures which many seeds appreciate. Al

There are a few seed that need fluctiation temperatures to germinate ie cleome. But most seeds that need cold stratification germinate just fine at a constant cold temperature. Some seeds do have dormancy requirements that involve several months of warm temps followed by cold temps and then warm temps. Sow the seed in winter and leave them outside will not speed up germination with these seed.

ONE YEAR LATER NICOLE HAS A QUESTION............

i just got several different cleome trades and i live in el cajon, california zone 9. We do get SOME frost 28-32 degrees but SOME years not much but ALWAYS some. Last year it did a few degrees colder for we lost so many hisbiscus and honeysuckle, yeah most came back but some didnt.
Very slowly once more TELL me what to do with cleome where i live.........
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH
nicole

I have only stratified echinacia -- moist in the freezer; it always works.

Nicole, seeds don't need freezing to be stratified, a gentle moist chill is all that's required and nights without frost in the low 40's are just fine.

The suggestion for time length of stratifying cleome is somewhat brief, just two weeks. You could sow outdoors, timing it for your cooler month, or you could use your refrigerator. Put the seeds in a tiny zip lock with just a tsp or so of moist sterile vermiculite, put them in your refrigerator - not freezer. Then take them out and sow vermiculite and all when you are ready to sow. Simple. :)

I understand that freezing is usually unnecessary, but what's the harm?

Albert, certainly not all seeds are so fragile, but sometimes the abrupt temperature change from 'room' to 0F of most freezers can damage a moist seed, actually shatter the embryo. Mother Nature goes about it much more gradually.....

For most seeds - you might as well say bye bye if you put them in the freezer it will destroy the embryo - the fridge is ideal as seeds are kept in around the same temp when they are in their natural environment - seeds are usually insulated from the cold by organic matter and the air and muck in between and the snow on top further insulates the seed from the elements - Its also important to research the seed you are planning on planting "SOME NOT ALL" seeds require a warm period before cold stratification this enables the seed embryo to develop to maturity - just because the fruit is ripe does not mean the seed is (seeds are a lot like babies this way - they have to come to term) this can be achieved by keeping the seed in warm moist medium in a ziplock bag - I usually warm strat until Christmas then cold strat 90-120 days - then out plant in the spring - These plants have a double dormancy that must be overcome before the germination occurs - Some seeds have a very hard seed coat they must be scarified first this is usually done by using sandpaper or a file or a grinder if the seed is very large like a kentucky coffee tree seed - once you get to the white meat just inside the seed coat stop - This is done so the seed imbibes moisture and can germinate - if a seed is soaked in water for 24 -48 hours and it swells 2-4 times in size it has imbibed and is ready to be planted out.

cheers and good luck

jeff