Is there a method to know how deep to plant

I'm never sure how much dirt I should put on top of my seeds. Someone told me the rule of thumb was, as big as the seed is , that's how deep to plant them.
Is that about right, or is there something else.

That's a pretty good estimate. When in doubt, shallower is better than deeper.

I hardly ever cover my seeds. I leave them on top of the soil and they germinate faster. i cover them with plastic to keep them moist and then when the majority have germinated then I remove the plastic and mist twice a day until they have all germinated. Before they have germinated, I uncover and mist once a day and then recover. I use warm water to mist to keep the soil temps up.

My rule of thumb is anything that needs light I surface sow just like tigerlily. If they need dark I sow like you do Lorainne. There are some excepts for some perennials that are not easy germinators.

I guess I should add that if they need dark conditions then I use black plastic garbage bags

Ok, what needs dark. I always thought they all needed light. Boy, do I have a lot to learn. Is there a site somewhere that tells which plants need light to germinate and which needs dark.
I want ya'll to still be my friends, and I know I ask too many questions.

there are not alot of seeds that need dark. Off the top of my head, two that do need dark are vinca and zinnias -also verbena

There are many germination guides out there by google. I use these if I'm unfamilar with the seed. They tell you if darkness if required.
http://tomclothier.hort.net/

i was under the impression dark meant the seed needed to be covered. light meant surface sow.

Tom DeBaggio said something in his "little book" that stuck with me... paraphrasing, he said that needing light doesn't mean that the seeds need a tan, LOL... according to him, plenty of light can get through a quarter inch covering of potting mix or vermiculite to stimulate germination. Still, since I generally cover my flats with a plastic dome or something similar before germination so I don't worry about seeds drying out, I do the same as many have suggested above... I just press most seeds into the surface of moist potting mix.

Do you use seed starter or potting soil? I've been buying the Jiffy stuff and it is twice the price of Miracle Gro.
I had used potting soil a few weeks ago for WS and they came up just as well as the other, so I've been mixing it. I just wanted to know what you guys use.

I mostly use Pro Mix BX, when I can get it (sometimes places carry it "seasonally"). If you want to lighten the mix, adding perlite is cheaper than buying seed starter mix in those little bags.

I use half and half milled sphganum moss and vermiculite. Then just lightly press the seeds in to the mix.

I use seed starting mix. But whatever you use, make sure it is sterile. Potting soil usually isn't. That's where most of your fungal problems come from

There's an article on the schedule for tomorrow about preventing damping-off (aka "sudden seedling death") that includes instructions on sterilizing potting mix.

Hello all,
The link for Tom clothier posted above WAS EYE OPENING!! Read about his seed mix and what he says are problems of damping off and soil gnats!!
Dahlia thank you. i have added this site with all of it's infomation to my plant info bookmarks!!
This site is great.
Julie