Someone asked about these several days ago for seed starting - Checking Terracycle website then shows the 'organic soil' in which to start the seeds is pure worm castings. Should already provide nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, other trace minerals. The cells are quite small, you may not want/need to add additional fertilizer while your starts remain in them. Let us know how your seedlings do - I haven't used or known anyone who has used them but it seemed like a fairly rich environment for starting seeds to me.

It would help to know a few more things, such as how many plants you want to start this way -- a few dozen, a few hundred, a few thousand or more than, say 10,000. It would also help to know what your outdoor climate is like, whether you've got something like a screen porch, and so on. That said, here are some ideas: The typical setup you see at garden centers and big-box stores -- a solid- bottom flat, an insert with 72 cells that can be separated into 12 packs of 6 cells each and a humidity dome works pretty well if you're talking about quantities up to the low thousands of plants. You can buy the pieces separately, and at case prices they're much cheaper than as assembled sets. Furthermore, you can get by with fewer humidity domes than the number of inserts -- you take the domes off as soon as you get germination, and the dome from the first sets you start can be switched to the next sets. Also get some flats with non-solid bottoms if you will be putting the packs outdoors where they will be subject to downpours. Finally, although 72 is the most common number of cells you'll find in stores, you can order sheets of inserts with different numbers -- say, 36, or 48. You can usually get gowing medium that's fine for starting seeds in fair-size bags or small bales at home-improvement stores and garden centers. Read the labels -- you want something that says it's ok for starting seeds. Some potting soil has a lot of large chunks of bark in it and would have to be worked through a sieve before it's usable. You can make your own mix from finely milled peat and pearlite if you wish. I buy compressed bales of Sunshine Mix #1 from a large-scale grower -- of there's a large garden center that raises its own stock near you, you might be able to do the same. To sow seeds in the size cell we're talking about here, you don't need any special equipment. Some people are very good at shaking even tiny seeds out of a packet 1-3 at a time; others might empty seeds from the packet onto a folded piece of 3x5 card and then use a pencil or pen to tick off a seed or group of seeds into the cells. I actually use a small, shallow Japanese sauce dish with a small pouring lip to hold the seeds and a pencil to push a seed or three at a time onto the medium. (I usually sow 3 seeds per cell and then thin to 1 after they germinate.) If you want, you can sow seeds in flats without the cells, but I think you would have to prick them out and put them into some kind of small container to grow on before they were ready to go in the ground. I think that system works better if you can devote a lot of time to the project and/or aren't sowing a lot of different kinds. If you go that route, I'd recommend a flat that has a fairly solid bottom but with some holes in it for drainage and bottom-watering. Large-scale growers often start with a plug trays that have more and tinier cells in about the same space as the 72's -- maybe up to around 400 cells, and they tyically use machinery to fill the cells with growing medium and quite likely to add seeds to the cells. I think this is overkill for any home situation. In your climate, I would think that as soon as things germinate you can place them outside. (Room light is adequate up until the time things sprout, even for seeds that require light for germination.) Many annuals will survive outdoors at temperatures in the 30s and 40s, even if they need temperatures in the 60s to 70 for optimal germination. You can give them protection from drying wind by putting them in an open-topped cardboard for a few days, and I'd start their outdoor stay in a shady spot. As long as it doesn't freeze, most can stay outdoors at night. Seed packets, catalogs and the web should tell you which annuals need higher-than-room-temperature heat for best germination and which ones are set back severely or killed by temps in, say the 40s. When your seedlings reach the point where they've filled their spaces and their leaves are touching, you can usually plant them in the ground. I know there are a lot of things I haven't described very thoroughly, if at all, and some of this is guesswork about your climate (I have to do things differently in the midwest), but I'm sure others can correct that and fill in the gaps, or have better suggestions. I just wanted to get this started. As for seed sources, I'd suggest Stokes, which has a fairly good selection, reasonable prices, pretty good instructions on their packets and offers both small and grower-sized packets. If you're thinking of relatively small numbers -- say, 10 flat's worth, 720 plants, getting the packages from Home Depot or your local garden center might be your best bet. For larger quantities, you can order flats, inserts, etc. from places like Pinetree Gardens and Charlie's Greenhouses, but since shipping can be expensive, you might be better off with a grower's supply company located near you. There's a link to a California outfit below. I've never used them, since I order from Midwest suppliers. Others will probably have better suggestions. Good luck Here is a link that might be useful: American Horticulture

I am a new student of Gardenweb, I do not have much experiences and not qualified to advice. Only I am telling you my experiences and bit opinions. I use two kinds of germination methods. Small containers (plastic disposable glass) 210/250 ml with peat moss. 2. Paper towel and zip lock bag. The first method has advantages and disadvantages. The first method needs constant monitor for moisture and heat, sometimes I found the soil dried so fast and the seeds died. It is a bit difficult to monitor the seeds also, I have to wait a bit longer or until the new plants appeared on the soil. Sometimes the seeds are not germinated due to the health of the seeds or problem of the soil (may be fungus or other diseases). It may not be favorable for huge amount of seeds too. These are the disadvantages of this method. The advantages of this method are I do not have to transplant immediately when the seeds were germinated. From my point of view a young germinated seeds transplant to a new environment such as different soil and different temperature may not be favorable to the seeds. So it is avoiding this possible problem. The second method has also advantages and disadvantages. This method is easy to monitor the seeds and control the heat and moisture. It is an advantage of this method. The disadvantages are the new germinated seeds have to transplant to a new environment as I mentioned above and I have to think about how deep I should bury the germinated seeds in the soil. If it is not deep enough sometimes seeds dried and died and if it is too deep then sometimes I found my seeds rot and died. I have to be careful the soil contact with the germinated seeds too. These are disadvantages of this method. I had some problems of germinated seeds' shell/case for this second method and I think it might be the problems of transplanting the seeds too early. At least I should wait the seeds grow a little bit more in the paper towel. It makes the seeds grow faster and stronger in the soil and avoiding the problems of seed shell/case. The problem of seed case/shell: This one is OK for transplantation, it has grown very fast in the soil now. This one is questionable, I think it is too early for transplantation. I do not know about Jiffy pods Laura mentioned here, it sounds easier and good. Bruce explained here about germination very well,thank you. "If you are a little to over zealous with watering, you can over water pretty easily. Then, within a few weeks you are finding that they need to be transplanted already. What I use is one of those trays that come with 18- 3.5" containers in them. I then use Miracle Grow Orchid mix to start my seeds in these containers. The outside container that holds the 3.5" containers not only prevents leakage by the small containers but comes with a clear dome lid that can be used to cover your seeds/seedlings to hold in humidity until they all germinate. They can usually stay in the 3.5" containers for at least a couple months or more until transplanting is necessary." I like above this explanation. The containers I use for the germinated seeds are not big enough so I have to transplant again, 3.5" containers will be the best choice, I think. We can use paper towel method for testing the seeds and then use the second method for the plants to grow a bit stronger for next transplantation. Only these two methods I use for germination. Thanks, Caelian This post was edited by chilliwin on Fri, Jan 4, 13 at 10:57

daleyc, the only benefit to soaking those seeds large enough to conveniently soak then handle - is soaking can allow moisture not nutrients to penetrate to seed coat and begin the germination process. But again, in those seeds that are large enough to handle which have less penetrable seed coats ;0) No need for any fertilizer before any seedling has true leaves - it's already there and present. Within the seed coat is the embryo and nutritional materials used to sustain the germinated seedling until it is able to make its own food via photosynthesis. You might start with a very diluted fertilizer after a set of true leaves have appeared, nothing to gain by rushing it - or doing it before germination takes place.