Sheesh, I am not any kind of expert since I practice 'gardening by neglect and forgetfulness' most of the time; please do your research or post the question on the "Ask a Question" Forum. I would hate to tell you wrong information.
That being said, since you are in zone 8a and I am in zone 8b perhaps you could just use the same water process to start the seeds now. Yikes, you have been a member for a whole year and do not yet have your location listed.
What is your location? Maybe you could take a few minutes to complete your profile page and enter your city/state/country? You can use the closest large city if you want to protect your privacy. Knowing your location would be helpful when you post questions.