Stevia is a sub-tropical plant and best started indoors rather than outside. The references I've seen online mention poor germination due to bleak seed viability. So, getting viable seeds is probably the biggest hurdle to growing the plants from seed. Once you get them only surface sow and keep soil moist and cross your fingers.

I tried it last year, though technically I guess it was Spring Sowing, since I sowed it in late April. I sowed heavily, as I had read it is a poor germinator. Only ended up with two plants, but it did work, even where I live.

Bonnie

Bonnie, do you remember or have notes as to what your approx temperatures were like in late April? Thanks!

I would try winter sowing some seeds. It's a lot warmer here, the
coldest night temps are usually in the 20s. I threw the stevia
seeds in a pot outside and they come up in spring. I usually
save seeds in fall from my 3 year old plant.

Morz8, I don't keep records of the temps, but I did a little research, and found that our high temps in April are usually in the low 60's, and the low temps average around 30ú. Our average last frost is in late May, but this year there was a hailstorm in June that did quite a bit of damage.