HYB: germination experiments/cold climate

After leaving ungerminated seeds in the fridge another month (after a day every other week at room temperature), I gave up on any more seeds germinating this winter.
But as I was planting them in pots to spend the rest of the winter outdoors (unlikely to get below low 20s F the rest of this spring), I noticed several seeds <finally> starting to germinate in one more cross.
7 months of chilling to germinate? Could 7 continuous months of chilling be equivalent to two winters of 3 1/2 months?
Or were those few days in between at room temperature enough to fool those stubborn seeds!
Chuck, others in cold climates, how many months do you have outdoor low temperatures below 40oF (4oC)? (? do seed temperatures below freezing count?) 

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Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
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