It is wise to pre-moisten your soil before sowing. Make the consistency of a crumbly brownie mix.
Pack your soil into your selected containers.
Just a light pressure , as if you were checking your banana bread in the oven.
Remember – keep that proper drainage!
Using a pencil, make small craters marking where you will drop your seeds.
DO NOT PLANT TOO DEEP.
This is a common mistake that affects germination.
The hole only needs to be twice the width of the seed.
Teeny seeds (i.e. carrots, tomatoes) = 3 seeds per cell/pot.
Normal, small seeds (i.e. beets, broccoli) = 2 seeds per cell/pot.
Larger seeds (i.e. squashes) =1 seed per cell/pot.
Lightly cover your seeds with the surrounding soil.
Water them in.
The best way to do this if you have holding trays is to fill the trays with a half inch of water and then set your planting trays/pots inside these trays. Make sure each cell gets saturated.
If watering from the top, use a very gentle device like a spray bottle.
Cover them with your transparent cover and leave them be for a couple days.