Paper pots, milk jugs and empty cake containers that I turn upside down and filled w/potting soil.

I don't use kits. Loads of money for someone else's idea of the way it should be done. Soil is soil, containers are containers, water is water. Light, temperature, and humidity I can control (or not) as appropriate for the plant.

When someone produces a kit that detects the type of seed I've sown and automatically provides the correct sequence of temperatures and lighting conditions for germination, I'll use it ;)

I don't use kits here either...one reason being unless you are sowing only one type seed or have a kit for each type seed you are sowing, your seedlings are going to germinate at different times. Leaving the cover to a kit on germinated seedlings while waiting for others to sprout invites damp off. We don't want damp off. :)

Saran wrap on individual pots is cheap....

Anything I can recycle, but drainage holes in, is at least 3 inches deep. Fill with miracle grow potting mix, wet the soil, sow the seeds cover and out it goes for Winter Sowing.
Give it a try, you'll love it and never start seeds any other way again

I agree with morz and shrubs: modular systems draped with Saran wrap, new six pack cell inserts coupled with a decent seedling formulation. ....wish seed companies would let us trial professional fertilizer formulations in small quantities for seedlings and early stages of development.
a complete analysis including Nitrogen forms/ratios requested..

I like the seed starter kits from Lee Valley (you can purchase from them online) it has a capilary mat included and I've gotten great plants the last 6 years I've been using them. The root systems are always impressive by the time I'm ready to transplant.

Yup, no kit here either....just seeds in containers and out they go...
No mess in my house, No fancy set-up to erect, No lights (the sun works pretty well), No fans, No damping off, No hardening off, No legginess, just strong little sprouts and lots of happy (including many so called "difficult to germinate") plants (approx. 250-300 different varieties this past winter) ready to go in the ground mid April through the middle of June.

Kenneth Joergenson's articles on "Starting with Seeds are pretty decent presentations (http:www.suite 101.com/)and his references might send you to the ncsu floriculture site)... Library books on seed propagation will also help....

My favorite "kit" is a big bag of Miracle Grow potting soil and a bunch of 2 liter Dr Pepper bottles.

S&B is right except for the soil is soil comment. Stay away from the bags of soil that are under a dollar, unless you want to make adobe bricks.

Check out the winter sowing forum here. My "kits" are recycled milk jugs which are put outdoors in winter. Works great!

am I on the right forum? Depends on what one wishes to grow:subsequent improvements,controlling or working with environmental inputs...I might be a bit interested in prolonged saturated media if a particular cultivar is susceptable to rot; might be interested in excessive heat; low root zone temps which will affect scheduling;sanitation; and so on....a little elbow room requested...

"I just wanted to know some personal opinions on different seed starting kits because I am looking to invest in one.Please give me the name of the kit and why you liked it. Links would be appreciated!"

Please check out the link below. I was using kits from various suppliers until I found the forum below. I used to have little success in sowing seeds. Now my garden is full of plants grown from seeds using the method described. I am a firm believer of that method now. It is economical, involves much less fus; no worry about light, damping off or too much or too little water. It is also a lot of fun. You can get seeds for the postage and a bubble envelope.

Give it a try. Approach it with an open mind.You'll wish you have discovered it long ago.
Have fun :-D

Here is a link that might be useful: Most economical and effective sowing kits

there are several of us that have worked with a variety of outdoor arrangements,my friend...and value both historical and contemporary contributions made in the field of horticultural science...

In my opinion...just another form of google searches,whether one has to deal with the promotion of a given product or defining a topic in a limited way...well, no thanks...there has to be a limit somewhere...I'll leave it up to the individual....

Kinda like to capllary mat in Burpee's Ultimate Seed starting kit.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:246389}}

I'm excited to have found this discussion. My name is Will and I'm with Growandmake.com where we are finishing the design of new starter gardening kits. Our site is all about helping people to 'grow' and 'make' more of what we consume. We are creating these as a replacement to more expensive kits we've sold for the last couple years. We've found that kits aren't purchased by experienced gardeners, but by beginners or as gifts. I'd love to ask the readers of this forum to look at our kits and give us feedback. They are still an introductory state and we welcome feedback and new ideas. You can look at them here Growandmake.com garden starter kits

Here is a link that might be useful: Growandmake.com