I start seeds in those standard seed starting trays (72 cells with a clear lid) over a heat mat. I use a single 6-pack for each variety, with the goal of having all the seeds in a 6-pack germinate within a day or two of each other. As soon as the first seeds germinate in a 6-pack, I take them out of the seed starting tray and put them under lights (no heat). But I found that with some vegetables (mostly spinach and lettuce) the ungerminated seeds in that 6-pack would often take 9 or 10 days more to germinate (for the same vegetable) and often would not germinate at all. I now cut up the 6-packs of spinach and lettuce if some seeds have germinated and some have not. I move the newly germinated seeds under lights in a cool room and leave the rest of the 6-pack, with it's ungerminated seeds in the heated, lidded tray. I use small strips of duct tape to label cells of trays that have been cut up. Sometimes I only have to remove one or two of the cells and the rest germinate together. It's a pain, but I don't want to have a 10-day difference in the germination of seeds for the same type of vegetable. I will continue to use the 72 cell starter cells, it's the best way for me to get a lot of different things started in a small space. I can get them cheap at Agway or online and they cut up easily with regular scissors. The coffee filter thing didn't work for me, I found it too easy to damage the delicate roots and found it more labor intensive to get the seeds planted in a hurry once they sprouted. To each his/her own.

Are you getting the green algae type mold? That, in and of itself, doesnt hurt the seedlings. But when it gets bad, it can form a coat over the top of the soil which can smother them, then if it dries out, it forms a hard crust, but that usually takes a while. 24 hours is really fast for it to form, so you must be introducing spores somewhere along the way. Is it growing in the container you water them with? Once the seeds are growing you can gently stir the top of the soil (I use a small screw driver) to break up the coating. I'd switch from peat pots to plastic cups for starters. I use the little 3 oz cups for starting. Vermiculite and peat both hold water a long time. try mixing in 20-30% pearlite, so that your mix drains better. You arent keeping them covered once they have germinated are you? that is never good. As soon as you see anything poking through - get rid over the covering. If there are still seeds that havent germinated, gently mist the top of the soil regularly to keep it from drying out, and the rest of the seed will germinate just fine.

Bandido I was under the impression that poppies needed some cold to germinate properly. Just an impression, one southern grower told me to scatter seeds outside in mid-December to assure plants in the spring. If so, you'll need to address this by possibly freezinf or chilling the seeds. Here is some references I came across on this: "February is a particularly good month to sow seeds of some wildflowers - perhaps not the month we would naturally start our seed sowing, but many seeds require a period of very cold weather before germination will take place. This is known as Âvernalisation and species requiring this cold treatment can be sown now, as February is often our coldest month. We are sometimes advised to put seeds of the wild Primulas (cowslip, primrose and oxlip) or those of snakeshead fritillary, wild hellebore or poppy into the fridge or freezer for a while before sowing. Unfortunately this often does often not reproduce the exact conditions these species need  several spells of really cold temperatures interspersed with fluctuating higher ones. There is really only one way of exposing seeds to these exacting conditions and that is to sow now in pots or seed trays and leave them outside. Nature will do the rest for you very efficiently."

I have been starting flower seeds indoors for years and have a great deal of experience with success and failure. I wanted some information on heating mats and saw the discussion. Last year was the first year I used a heat mat but had to buy new ones this year due to losing my home and contents to a fire. I bought one mat from a trusted garden supply (too expensive) 2 off the internet, and recently a kit with mat from a big box store. On this last one I was appalled that the directions stated you should put the mat on a timer. I was told by my trusted garden shop that I needed the timer on the lights but that mats need to be on 24/7, which I already knew. So when I read the box, I hit the internet for answers. I have used a small enclosure off the finished part of the basement for my plant room, with grow lights timers, shelves, etc. and have had some wonderful results. When they did the rebuild I told them I wanted the same but refined. I have four outlets with a programmable timer and 4 outlets without timer for heat mats. I just started my first tray last night with heating mat, dome and light about 2" above dome, giving them 8 hours of darkness each day. I do not have a thermostat but a thermometer. My home thermostat drops to 64 while at work 5 days a week, to 67 during the night and is around 70-72 the rest of the time. So I will am hoping the mat will make up for the fluctuations. Even though I have been growing from seed indoors for years, I still need lots of help. Over the years I have heard that seeds do not need light to germinate, only heat. Others say they need both. I have always heard that once the seedlings emerge, both the dome and heat goes off. I have notes that say light should be no more than 6" above plants while others say no more than 1". I look forward to hearing more comments from newbies and veterans by joining this group. In the meantime, I just hope my snapdragons, impatiens and coleus I started last night will be off to a good start. I started later than I wanted and will be adding more tomorrow until all four mats and four hanging lights on the new plant are filled with trays. (and by the way, I freeze the seed packs before planting which shortens germination time too) Just thinking about my sad stories of losing plants from damping off, leggy plants, etc. but hope I can help others while learning more while waiting for Spring and a new garden in my newly built home. To think of the great results I have had with just egg cartons, covered with elastic bowl covers, near home heat source in front of sunny window, transplanted to Activia yogurt (perfect size) cups friends saved for me. So much fun learning on a small investment! Your thoughts are appreciated.