Germinating seeds is one of the great pleasures of growing vegetables. Buying plants from a garden centre is all very well, but there is nothing better than successfully germinating your own seeds.

Every gardener has their own techniques and theories. My tips are:
- wet the soil first with a thumb pot waterer or watering can, sow the seed and then cover with compost.
- the depth of the compost covering the seeds should be about the same as the size of the seeds.
- water every day for the first 5 days.

With regard to spacing, my tips are:
- don't be tempted to squeeze too much into a row, 10% max.
- stagger the spacing of each row so that the seeds in alternate rows line up. That way you can fit more in.
- sow a few spares to replace the ones that get eaten.