I would thing a microwave would instacook the seeds.

Germination heat is bottom heat for the soil and heating the air doesn't always mean you are heating the soil. Light isn't needed until after the seeds germinate.

If you don't want to buy a soil heating mat or cable for germination, check over on the Growing from Seed forum here. Many suggestions have been offered for effective soil heating alternatives. Everything from top of the hot water heater to strings of Christmas lights - yep, pictures posted there too - and they work according to the reports. ;)

Some also report success with using heating pads as long as you insert spacers between the mat and the bottom of the trays. Any idea why it didn't work for you?

Another option currently being discussed there is just making a box seed starter using a cardboard box, a 40 watt incandescent bulb plugged in, and some dowels run through the box to sit the tray on a couple of inches above the light bulb. A lot less expensive than buy a heat lamp and a safe fixture to use it. They get awfully hot and could easily become a fire hazard.

Dave

I have two 24in fluorescent fixtures with grow lights. I took scrap wood and built a box, one side slides up for access, painted inside white, lined with plastic. I use old white towels to create an insulated 'tent' over the box and lights, in order to utilize the wasted heat the lights create. I had two cells that did not germinate this year (97%, and last year the same variety germinated poorly and I suspect inferior seed). Spend the money on a decent setup to avoid frustration (voice of experience).

Dan

I am using a space heater under the table that they are on.

And they seem to be sprouting

:)

Note - i am a novice and not a pro

If your home is warm, 70 degrees F or there about, you can easily germinate without any extra heat. It will just take a bit longer. If there is a warmer area....maybe above a heat register or even in an area with a regular florescent light for growing, you will get faster germination. Don't microwave! And you don't need a special heat lamp. A heat mat would be the thing to look for if you want to buy something...but lots of people do fine without them. If you are germinating peppers the heat helps alot, but tomatoes do quite well without it, as long as you aren't keeping your house at 55 degrees.

I built a mylar box around my sprouting table and 3 grow lights and laid another piece of mylar loosly over the hanging rack I built to hang the lights. This keeps my grow area a comfy 80ish degrees. all the extra heat probably isn't all that great for my 4 ft fluorescence, but oh well they only cost $10 a piece.

I've always put my newly seeded veggies on top of the refrigerator. Last year someone said it didn't work on the newer refrigerators. Well, mine is about 6 years old and I had excellent success. Last year I also put some on top of the water heater because I ran out of space. It was a success, also. I have a regular heating mat for germination, but right now I can't find it. No problem.