Apologies to those who have seen this before, but it keeps cropping up & I've been asked to make a specific link to it from the "Useful Sites & Topics" sticky. So far it's only existed tagged onto other threads & is harder to find.
This might seem a bit painstaking, but I find it well worth the effort......
I use cat litter trays, as they are nice & deep, be sure to make holes in the bottom though - a hot skewer will do the job. Don't try to drill them - the plastic will crack! I use compost from grow bags, as it seems one of the cheaper ways to buy it.
Now here's the painstaking bit, I plant the seed, (mid-March), individually 1" apart 1/2 deep. That way they don't crowd each other out. I get nearly 100% germination in the cold greenhouse.
One of these trays will produce 96 plants. Compost has to be kept moist. When a reasonable size they can be moved outside to grow on. I then transplant when they are the thickness of a pencil.
1st photo is at the early stages of germination.....
2nd at pencil thickness....