Hi Rick: I always cover my seed with about 1/4 inch of of hand shifted topping, usually my final mix as is or maybe a little extra seed starter added in if I have left over. The seeds you see thru the wet paper towel are older seeds of unknown germination being presoaked--between two paper towel sheets on a dinner plate ( also sterilized). And, yes, they do stick to the towel--which is a good thing to me because they make transfering to the pot easier. Just a gentle tap on the back side of the towel with a snap of the middle finger and thumb and they drop. Those that don't I gently remove with a small baby spoon, neoprene coated, also. sterilized. I use a new paper towel for watering down after covering the seeds and I'll leave it there until until the seedlings appear. When the soil need a little water, I'll water using a laboratory type polyethylene squirt bottle--the towel allows for really even watering.
Those big plastic cement mixing tubs are great, aren't they! What I like is being able to premix large batches, not just for convenience but also for soil consistency throughout many pots. And gosh, for what--7 bucks a Lowes!! Oh, buy the way, I sterilize those also, just prior to my final mixing of seed starter. I make up a dilute solution of chlorinated bleach in a 5 gallon pail and swish it around a couple times, then transfer from one to the other, then returned to the pail where I sterilize my hand mixing tools prior to the final mixing.
Thanks for commenting Rick--I like this stuff! Sounds like you've got something to be happy about too!!
