I'm not sure how others feel about this but I have used just a regular heating pad (for humans :o) and put it on low and had good luck with that. I have used them for anything that requires warm conditions to germinate. You won't be able to regulate the heat much and you have to check and make sure they don't dry out but it might be worth a try and cost a lot less. I have bought several at garage sales for around a $1.00.

Go to: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/seed/2003044315027348.html to get instructions for using coffee filters.

Hope this helps.

Anissa

You're in VT? Supplemental heat will really help. Otherwise, you'll be waiting forever for germination. I picked up a HydroFarm heat mat for $24 at Agway this Spring.

Forget the thermostat, any cooking thermometer that reads in the 50-100º range will let you judge the temperature, though it won't be automatic. If you don't have a thermometer, my experience is that the seedling pots I put in a dome covered 1020 flat directly on the mat have a soil temp of 80º, peppers could take even a bit higher for germination. Ambient room temperature will affect soil temp; mine is 65º day, 50º night.

Not sure what you're planning to do with shrink wrap. I use a rigid plastic dome that gives about 3" headroom.

It's not too early to start: I've already moved my peppers started March 6th off the heat and under lights. Now my eggplants are in there, next week tomatos.

Good luck!

If you've got a big sunny window you don't need a heating pad. Stick the seeds in the window, cover with a humidity dome of saran wrap. They are more likely to be too hot than too cold. It doesn't matter if the temperature drops at night but it needs to reach 70F-75F, ideally even 80F-85F, during the day.

I wonder if all these people complaining about damping off and leggy seedlings are because they heat them to 80F day and night.

I use a 12 foot string of rope lights I bought for $5 on sale as a heat source. These are like small Christmas lights encased in a clear or colored, flexible plastic tubing. I "snake" the light out to produce 3 four foot runs. I fasten them inplace on my wire growing shelf with plastic cable ties. It is enough for two flats end to end on the shelf. The lights may be small but they produce enough heat to maintain a steady 75 degrees. It works as well as my $24 single flat grow mat.

I used the top of my water heater as a germinator before. It worked very well, but you must be religious about checking for germination several times a day, otherwise the seedlings will rapidly become spindly from lack of light. Just get a thermometer to monitor the temps to make sure they're in the 70-80 degree F range.

My favorite seed germinator now is the hot wax therapy bath I bought for my damaged hands (too much heavy work.) It maintains a perfect temperature and sits in the dining room where I can conveniently check it several times.

People also used to use the top of the refridgerator, but with the more modern and better insulated models, it doesn't seem to get hot enough up there.

Use your imagination. There are plenty of warm surfaces in a house that can be used for germination. A thermometer will help you decide what is suitable.

You *do NOT* need to buy a germination mat just to start a few seedlings. I did a few years ago and it was pre-set too hot (I can't change the setting) and it kills seedlings. Now it's banished to an outdoor cold frame where it can provide supplemental heat and night and not kill anything. Check out the temp at the top of your water heater--it works.

Temperature can be regulated on a heat mat by raising the flat above it. I test with a pot of moistened mix & kitchen thermometer before I put a pot of seeds in my flat. Have sticks of various thickness labelled 75, 70, etc. Except chopsticks: too small to label, but I know they're 77º at my room temperature.

Hi This is a crazy idea but you can try this I did it for my cally lily seed and it worked I put butter container full of hot water under the tray of seeds. I change the water 4 times a day its alot of work but I know it only for a few weeks. I have not check the temp that I will do tomorrow and see what the temp. is and let you know. The cally lily seeds are also in a butter container so it just goes one on top of the other Anna lisa

solana--the heat mat I had already came with an open metal grid that elevated the flat about an inch, so I'd need much more than the sticks. It would start to get wobbly!

I found the hot wax bath worked great, maintaining a constant temp of 72 degrees at my seed flats with the dome cover on.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I've never used a heat mat in all my years of seed starting. I put the ones that need heat under the hot spot of the fluorescent lights (sometimes on top...watch carefully) and they always sprout.

Regulated heat mats are great, but expensive. Before I got one, I would make up germination bags with ziplocs and a wet paper towel. I would moisten the towel, just before dripping, set the seed in rows in one corner, fold the rest of the towel to fit the bag, seal it up, and put on top of the water heater. Once the radical shows up, the seed is on its way. Then I would carefully transfer the seed to a flat to let it do it's thing.
My house has wood heat, and good blankets, so as long as the water didn't freeze, we weren't too picky how cold it got at night, or even during the day, while we were at work. Most plants will grow just fine at 60 degrees or so. I could get my solar heated green house there just fine. But to get it to the 70 to 75 range to get tomato and pepper seeds to pop was asking a little much. This method let me get the seeds to pop with a miminum of space required. It was kind of picky work, but had great results.

I germinate mine on top of my refrigerator, then once
they germinate put them under lights. The top of
the refrigerator stays nice and warm so no need for
a heating mat.

Gemfire

I use soil heating cables. They are inexpensive and I start too many seeds to use expensive heat mats. I put the heating cables on a solid surface, (I use my propagation bench that my DH made me for my birthday but you could use anything with sides), making sure the cables don't cross. I then put about two inches of sand on top of the cables and set my seed trays on top of the sand. I get almost 100% germination using this method.
I must say that it's lovely reading what other people do. I enjoy the diversity and learn lots!
Carole