I live in the UK, and I have been given some of your Huckleberry seeds. Can you advise me on how to grow huckleberries from seed?
I am guessing that you mean that you have seed for one of the native
Pacific Northwest huckleberries, such as the evergreen (Vaccinium
ovatum), or red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium). It would be helpful to know which species you are hoping to grow from seed.
The website of Plants for a Future has propagation information for propagating Vaccinium species in general:
Seed – sow late winter in a greenhouse in a lime-free potting mix and
only just cover the seed. Stored seed might require a period of up to 3
months cold stratification. Another report says that it is best to sow
the seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Once they are about 5cm
tall, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a
lightly shaded position in the greenhouse for at least their first
winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or
early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Here are additional links to information:
Evergreen Huckleberry, or Vaccinium ovatum
Red Huckleberry, or Vaccinium parvifolium
Apparently, growing our native huckleberries from seed is challenging, as
the information cited here, from a propagation course at the University
of Washington, indicates: “Evergreen huckleberry can be propagated
through hardwood cuttings or by seed, however seedling establishment is
rare in most Western huckleberries.”
The United States Department of Agriculture has this to say:
Seeds of most Vaccinium spp. are not dormant and require no pretreatment for germination. Seedlings first emerge in approximately 1 month and continue to emerge for long periods of time in the absence of cold stratification.
However, seedlings of most western huckleberries are rarely observed in the field. Seeds of evergreen huckleberry usually exhibit fairly good germination under laboratory conditions, but early growth is generally very slow.