It is 2 different situations. Bottom watering by sitting the containers in an inch or so of water for a short period of time is what is recommended. Then remove them from the water. The gravel discussion is only for those few plants that either a) require excess humidity or b) will be left unattended for a period of time, say 2-5 days of vacation. The use of gravel plays a minimal, if any role, in average garden seed starting. Lighting as discussed in the How to get started FAQ and the Lighting FAQ is 99% of the time only fluorescent ie: 4' 2 tube shop lights. There are many discussions here about this that the forum search at the bottom of the page will pull them up along with pics that many of us have posted of our light set-ups. That is all that is needed for seed starting. LEDs and special grow lights or special colors only come into play when one is growing full grown plants inside under lights and need to encourage blooming etc. Mirrored sides??? Never heard of anyone using them yet millions start their seeds without them. Simple aluminum foil, the $2 mylar camping blankets, even white paint can all help with light reflection but the benefits are nominal and none of them are required for any reason. Well water is no problem. It is hard and chlorine free. It is artificially softened or some city water that can cause problems. Most packaged seed starting mix, what the majority use, and potting mixes are already sterile when you buy them. They are sold that way. If you mix your own out of non-sterile ingredients or use old mix then some recommend first treating it with boiling water. Seed starting can be as simple or as complex as you or the folks selling equipment for it want to make it. As with many things in life, simple is best. :) Dave

I'm new to it too (still haven't gotten my garden bed all ready) but I am planning to just use straight compost for now due to finances. I can get a big load from the city for just $30 (actually got that idea from reading this post and checked to see if our city had that), instead of paying over $100 for the peat moss, vermiculite (which I can't even find anywhere) and store-bought compost. I will add some vermiculite and peat moss later if I find out it's not holding water well enough, but for now this is what I can afford and I have heard of people using just compost (and in Mel's book he has said in areas where vermiculite and peat moss aren't available he teaches them to use just compost) so I hope it will work out. I'm also starting my own compost bin.

Please, for your own sake, avoid the landscape fabric. It only does a so-so job at controlling weeds, and reduces the health of the soil underneath it - you know, the soil that your plants need to thrive. If it were my yard (where I found buried black plastic that were the 70s version of landscape fabric), I would weed, probably after a rain, turn over some of the soil, plant, and mulch, and keep mulched forever, or until your plants shade out any possible weeds. Your plants will thank you. Good luck!

Due to the space limitation and the underlying infrastructure, don't plant directly in the ground. Cover the ground between the new patio and the fence with pea gravel or similar. Set rectangular planters over that with perennials that can take afternoon sun and heat. However, if you want more seating, perhaps a bench against the fence, along with planters, would be even better.