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Dave, I never post over here, nor even really read the stuff over here, either, but since this maple seed topic was up, it caught my attention. I don't know what species of maple [Acer] you have, but in my experience, the seeds were quite easy [really too easy] to get to germinate. We have silvers here, which are not only prolific seedwise, but rather fast-growing and relatively short-lived. Collect as many seeds as you want, and get any seed starter tray from a garden store or nursery, then just plant those seeds. I believe they take about 2 weeks to germinate. Very soon, those seedlings will need to be transferred to larger containers. I prefer the standard 16 oz plastic cups with 3-4 small 1/4" holes drilled in their bottoms for drainage. Fill with any standrd potting mix, or even use some of your own dirt, mixed 50/50 with seed start mix. Seed start mixes don't actually contain soil. Always start more than you really intend to actually plant as trees. Many just die off or don't grow right. That's just nature's way. As your seedlings grow larger, just keep moving to larger pots. Most any landscaper will have an abundance of used 1 gallon and larger plastic tubs [free] to keep your developing trees in. As they grow in the pots, you can clip off lower twigs and suckers and pretty much shape the trunk the way you want, so as to eliminate any low-hanging limbs later on. Good luck with this. Hope you get a small forest of new maple saplings.
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