Bumping up.

Hey Rodney, you might want to reread the "Special Instructions for the Exchange" that can be found at the top of the main Seed Exchange Forum page (or see the link below this post). If I had any medlar seeds, I'd be happy to send them to you (although you'd probably be much better off to grow a cultivar rather than a seedling). But, you aren't supposed to ask for seeds in exchange for postage on Gardenweb.

Here are some of the sources for cultivar medlar plants:

Burnt Ridge Nursery - good G.WD. rating - www.burntridgenursery.com

Forestfarm - very good G.WD. rating - www.forestfarm.com

Hidden Springs Nursery - excellent G.WD. rating - www.hiddenspringsnursery.com

One Green World - OK/fair G.WD. rating (be cautious with this one) - www.onegreenworld.com

Raintree Nursery - good G.WD. rating - www.raintreenursery.com

If you really do want seeds, they are available from both of these suppliers:

Sheffield's Seed - excellent G.WD. rating - sheffields.com

F. W. Schumacher - excellent G.WD. rating - www.treeshrubseeds.com

Here is a link that might be useful: Special Instructions for the Exchange

Brandon- Thanks for the links.

I read the rules for posting many months ago and knew posts that mentioned money were against the rules, but it slipped my mind that it's against the rules to ask for seeds in exchange for postage (when you see people offering seeds for postage you tend to forget that the inverse is prohibited). Therefore I have edited my original comment.

As for wanting to start from seeds, while frugality plays a role, I also very much enjoy the gamble that comes with it. It could be a fruitless endeavor (pun intended) and a complete bust. Or I could get a great tree with excellent fruit that rivals any of the named varieties.

Rodney

P.S. If nobody has seeds to trade then I'll let this post die.

As long as you realize the possibilities (and you do), growing seed in hopes of getting something good is actually an excellent idea. Many people don't have the time, resources, and patients to take the gamble. But, as you said, the gamble could really pay off. My understanding is that there is a lot of room for research and improvement when it comes to medlars.

You might want to consider seeking seed from known cultivars. Chances of getting an outstanding plant/fruit would probably significantly increase compared to starting with seeds from just a straight species plant.

I wonder if you might be able to find seeds from a nursery that sells medlars. I have no inside info, but I particularly wonder about some place like Hidden Springs. They seem like the type of people that would consider helping out a fellow fruit hobbyist. I think it's also likely that they might have other cultivars, besides the ones they offer for sale, growing at their farm and producing lots of seed. It wouldn't hurt to ask, I guess. Just explain your interest/intent, and see what they say.

One final thing I thought might help is to suggest that you find something to offer for exchange in case someone does have access to medlar seeds (maybe next year or whatever). It's easy to find something...anything...to offer. The rules just say to offer something; they don't say it has to be what someone else would be looking for. Many times, people are willing to send you stuff or offer you things for postage costs if they see an offer with something being offered that they are not interested in. I frequently end up sending stuff for postage (or even for nothing at all) when people want to trade for something I have but have nothing I am interested in. As long as they make an effort, then I usually don't worry too much about how fair the trade is.