To start growing pine trees from seed, we gather large brown (or slightly green) cones in fall. To improve odds of germination, wix them with moist peat or sand and place them in a clear plastic bag, and refrigerate them for three to seven weeks.

We grow sugar pines in a sunny or partially shaded location with draining soil and at least 20 feet of clearance from structures, utility lines and plumbing systems.

We keep the area below and around the Scotch pine free of weeds and debris and add mulch to reduce future weed growth and slow moisture loss from the soil and reapply the layer of mulch every one to two years in the spring.

We first collect mature ponderosa pinecones in late summer and place them in a burlap or other breathable fabric bag. Mature cones have a uniform brown color with no green on the cone or stem.

We collect seed in the fall when cones begin to open as they've already dropped their seeds. We bend back the needles and twist the cone off the branch, place them in a paper bag in a warm location. When the cones open, the ripe seeds fall out in the bag.