The Germination of seeds is a long proscess, each plant is different it is important that you make sure and follow all of the things that the plant needs to germinate. Germinating takes alot of patients because it may take up to two weeks for some plants to germinate.
Germination Frames
The first thing that you have to do before you start germination is build yourself some kind of germination frame. To build a germination frame you have to consider how much you will be germinating first. If you are only doing a few trays of seeds you can make a frame out of 2" styrofoam sides and a 2" styrofoam bottom with a glass lid these can be glued together or built into a wooden frame. the best place to set this kind of frame is under a flourescent light or in front of a window that gets a lot of light. the best way to heat this kind of frame is with a heating mat which can be orderd through a greenhouse supplier. If you would like to have several different varieties of plants growing at that same time you should consider building a larger model. To build a large frame you could use 2"styrofoam on the sides top and bottom with square cut into the top of it, this is for putting plexi-glass over. the best way to secure all of the sides is with glue and wood both such as 1x4 or 1x2 strips of wood around the bottom and top. You will have to cut a door in one side this can be done in many ways yo should pick a plan to best fit you. After you have the main part of it assembled with the glass either glued or clamed into place you will need a flourescent light the hole in the top should bee about the same size as the light. It is a good idea to bridge some 1x2 bords betweet the wooden edges so that youcan set the light directly on the frame. make sure you have the 1x2's in place before you put the light over the glass. You can build benches to fit you needs but be sure to leave at least 4-6" between them so you can water and see in back. You will need to buy a heating mat from a greenhouse supplier to cover the bottom set the heat to the right temperature and place a pan of water with the thermo-couple in the water directly on the mat this way you will have accurate tempurature and 100% humidity.
Seeding
After you have your germination frame built you can purchase seed form a wholesaler or a retail store. Fill a tray with germinating soil about 1 1/2" deep make sure that the dirt is not too wet. Cut off the top of the packet and shake it sideways so that the seeds slowly fall out Disperse the seeds evenly throughout the tray. If the seed needs to be covered a easy way to cover it is with a kitchen strainer, put a handfull of dry dirt in the strainer and sift it through onto the tray of dirt just put enough on so that you cover most of the wet dirt (about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch.) Finally you should water the seeds water according to what the plant needs. When in the germination frame you should watch closly to make sure that the trays dont get dried out. Keep the trays wet bt be carefull not to get them overly wet because the seed could rot. Once germination has begun leave them in the germination frame untill the plant has opened its leaves slightly then move them into natural sunlight during the daytime. Be sure not to let them get cold or dry it is usually a good idea to put them back in the frame overnight and then take them out the next morning.
