• Harvest seeds. Collect your pear seeds from ripe pears that you have on hand. Cut the fruit in quarters lengthwise, from stem to base, using a paring knife, and wedge the seeds out with the knife. Remove as many seeds as you possibly can because you can’t guarantee that every seed will germinate. Planting more seeds means a higher likelihood of producing more trees.
• Soak seeds. Soak your seeds in a bowl of tap water overnight. Remove any seeds that float to the top because these won't germinate. The following morning, soak your seeds in a solution of ten parts water to one part bleach for ten minutes. Drain your seeds and let them dry on a paper towel.
• Bag seeds. Fill a resealable plastic bag or sandwich bag with moist peat moss (the moss should be damp, not soaked). You can also use potting soil instead of peat moss. Push the seeds two or three inches deep into your medium, and plant up to four seeds in each bag. Seal the bag and place it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Allow the seeds to germinate for three months, checking the moss every two weeks to ensure it hasn’t dried out. If the moss is dry, add more water.
• Remove seeds. If the room temperature is above forty degrees Fahrenheit, you can remove the seeds from the fridge after three months. Soak the seeds in a bowl of warm water for two days to soften the seed's hard shells. Discard any seeds that float to the top of your water.
• Plant in containers. Fill a small container or plastic cup with a potting mix. Place each seed half an inch deep near the sides of the cup, keeping them spaced evenly from one another.
• Water. Water the seeds so that the soil is damp but not saturated with water. Overwatering can stunt their growth or cause root rot. Leave the planted seeds in a well-lit place, such as a windowsill with full sun, for two to three weeks.
• Watch for sprouts. Monitor your seeds over two to three weeks to ensure they sprout small cotyledons. Next, your seedling will begin to show true leaves, which are larger than the cotyledons and more like the leaves on a pear tree. When your sprouts have four true leaves, you can replant them in your garden.
• Replant the pear trees. Choose a spot in your garden where you want to plant your pear tree. Dig a hole in the soil that is slightly larger than the root ball of your young tree. Make sure that the soil is well-draining by pouring water into the hole. Gently remove your baby pear tree from its growing container, replant it in the soil, then water it immediately. Continue to care for your plant as it develops its root system over the next few years.