I just germinated 3 seeds a week and a half ago. Here's how I did it.

I put the seeds in a bowl with enough water (highly filtered) to cover 3/4th of the seed. I put a plate on the bowl and put the bowl in the closet(dark).

Two days later I opened the bowl and found two seeds had a 1/16" root tip.

I added a little filtered water to the bowl and scooped up the seeds with a spoon.

I dropped them on the surface of the soil and pushed the soil around just to aim the root down(still on the surface). I did the same three days later when the third seed popped.

Then I misted the seeds every few hours (as I happened to walk by).

I used a single 23w CFL, and a single 1' 15w Florescent(stock bulb) from k-mart($7) until the third day.

The root shot into the ground. By the next morning the root was a 1/2' long. I continued to mist it every few hours. By the third day I had leaves, and the root was long buried.

It didn't cost me a dime. THEN I added 160w more florescent THEN added three more CFLs,....

Point is I needed very little light to start them.:thumbsup: I needed no extra equipment or baggies. I didn't bury them either (I wanted to watch!:stoned.

From what I've seen in nature. There is a good chance that a seed sitting on a damp speck of soil will grow. So, that is what I simulated.:thumbsup: