I thought I would send along a method that I use to start seeds that has been quite successful for me.  I try to recycle everything I can especially when it comes to the garden.  The words that I think were some of the wisest I have ever seen are, "Waste not, want not".

I hope the following pictures and the captions explain enough so you will be able to follow them.

I first took the center roll from a roll of toilet tissue.  I then cut it in half so I now have two containers.  Take a page of newspaper (use the size that the sales papers are, like a Thrifty Nickel).  Next cut the newspaper sheet in half.  Then cut the half page in half again.  You should now have a 1/4 page.  Crumple the 1/4 newspaper page into a ball.  Stuff the ball of paper into the tubes and press them down into the bottom of each tube firmly.  This forms the bottom for the planting tube. 

Fill the planting tubes with screened compost mixed with perlite, or your favorite seeding mixture.  Press the compost or seeding mixture down firmly.  Set the completed planting tube in about 1 inch of water in a bowl until it is soaked through.  If you are in a hurry, you can also wet it down from the top while it is in the bowl.  After it is soaked, you can then plant one or two seeds per container.  It is best to label the containers now.  I use sticks from ice cream for my label sticks.  I put the name of the plant, when it was planted and the days to germination.  When the seeds are up and have 4 or more true leaves, the entire container can be set out into the garden. If you have more than one plant in the container, snip off the weakest one with scissors, leaving the strongest plant in the tube.

 I have found these tubes work better than peat pots as they do not wick the moisture out from the plant like peat pots do. 

Before planting, you can press down on the compost around the base of the plant and force the roots out the bottom.  Allow the toilet roll to slip up the stem of the plant about 1/2 to 1 inch.  Do not remove the toilet roll.  Plant everything in the garden allowing the toilet roll to stick out of the ground around the plant.  When you plant it this way, you have a cut worm collar already around the plant.

One thing a lot of gardening books fail to tell you is the smaller plants are when you transplant them, the better plants they will make.  I have found this true for everything except tomatoes that seem to thrive on being transplanted.