Take the cover off immediately, that is mold and discard the infected ones because the seed won't germinate anyway. Sprinkle the rest with cinnamon. It has mild fungicidal properties. Leave the lid off for a couple of days then put it on at night and lift one corner in the day and prop with a stick or whatever works.
I use damp off in my water whenever I plant my seeds and I don't like peat pellets because, peat is very hard to rewet.
When your pellets feel hard on the bottom give them a gentle squeeze before you water

I always initially wet them with boiling water but their tendency towards mould is why I don't like them.

Anyone else find their tray's to be crappy? The one I got with my propagator mat, already has a hole in it, after one use, while others I have used for years.

In the past i've had a problem with mould, but so far so good this year. No, the trays don't last very long - the corners seem to get holes in them easily. I bought extra trays and domes and when i find a tray with a hole (usually after i've planted it, of course), i put one of the extra domes under it. Catches the drips. :)

I have no response to the mold but as for the holes in the trays, I usually run a piece of duct tape around the bottom edge when they are new. I find that helps keep the thin plastic from being damaged so easily, especially the corners. Some of my trays have survived for several years that way.

I don't bother covering them. It doesn't really seem to really help.

This year I am starting alot of my seeds using the pregermination method I read on another forum. Using a coffee filter, set your seed in 1/4 of the filter, fold over in half, then fold in 1/2 again, then moisten, then place in a ziploc bag and then on top of the fridge for free germination warmth. Check your seed every few days, opening the bag to allow fresh air in at least once a week (or if you're me, opening nearly every day to check with a magnifier on how the seeds are looking!) I am only doing this with seed I've saved over, since I am not sure of the germination rates, and the larger seed I've bought.

I just seeded lobelia the traditional way, in little pots of soil, in a 'sweatbox' placed on top of the fridge. That was Sunday, today (Friday) I have little seedlings poking up, so I will have to move to a window today or tomorrow. My sweatbox is a rectangular plastic food transporter from the grocery store, it had one dozen cinnamon buns in it (maybe that's why no mold- the cinnamon!). It can be snapped shut, or left unsnapped, but the strenth of the container is improved if one of the buttons is snapped shut. Some people use this style of container for winter sowing - they add transpiration and drainage holes.

I've used peat pellets before, for petunias, and set them in styrofoam egg cartons with a drain hole poked in the bottom, and the eggy side sits on the lid (that I've cut off)for a saucer. This way they fit on the windowsills, and at the start I would lay a sheet of saran wrap loosely on top to hold in the moisture, but only for a week, then usually the seeds were up and at 'em!

~kioni~

I now use Lee Valley's self watering seed starter. I'm lazy :)

I use the plastic containers that mushrooms come in for starting my seeds. I use an old woodburning tool that my son had when he was a kid to punch holes in the bottom, then fill with pro mix. If I want to plant more than one thing in each container, I use plastic strips cut fronm an old plastic bottle to divide the container. The mushroom containers measure 5 x 4x 2 1/2 inches

I also use those clear plastic grocery store containers that so many bread stuffs come in. In fact I bought some from my grocer for 50 cents apiece--no labels to soak off. They make a perfect tray and humidity lid, 2 of the mushroom flats fit perfectly in the large 10 x 6 container. I don't snap them shup with the little buttons because I find sometimes they are hard to get undone. Instead I use a clothes pin in the center to hold them closed.

Once the plants are up I prop open the lid with a couple of popscicle sticks stuck in the closer knobs and sometimes close it up again at night.

I'm the one who started this thresd, the one with the moldy problem. Just to let you know that some of my moldy seeds sprouted- Yeaaah!!. Now I'm going to confess something pretty dumb. I planted several different types of seeds in my pellet greenhouse, it just recently occured to me that there may be different germination times (Duh!!! a teenager moment). Now what do I do? Remove the sprouted pellets and return the rest to the top of the fridge or should I keep it all together and hope the seedlings don't suffer too much. The seedlings still have the seed "shell" on top of their heads, I don't see the leaves yet. This my first try at starting seeds indoors any advice is gold.

Rita

Yes move the ones that are up into the light or you will end up with leggy plants which are not good. They don't need the humidity lids any more Make a tray with tinfoil to set the ones that are up in

I just bought Mckenzie pellets and starter trays, because it was all the store had, and found this old thread to see if they were any good. I'd had trouble with peat pellets before. Thanks for the ideas about the duct tape and egg cartons! I just so happen to have egg cartons that are better made and stronger plastic than the Mckenzie starter trays, so they are going back to the store tomorrow. Wonder if putting a little dish soap in the water would help peat to get wet?