I know how daunting it can seem sowing seeds and impossible that these tiny little specks of dust (I'm looking at your snapdragons and poppies) can turn into beautiful blooms. 
When I decided four years ago to start an edible flower farm I had never grown from seed. I used to believe that this was an area left to the experts. However, I quickly found that it was too expensive to start a flower farm from seedlings and also a lot of the varieties of flowers I wanted to grow were only available in seed form.
So my seed journey began, and save to say years on has become an obsession that I now sometimes think am I a seed collector or a grower.
Every seed has slightly different requirements but there are some general rules to follow.
Vessel - the main thing you need to ensure when choosing what to germinate your seeds is that it has drainage. I personally like cell trays that have large cells that I can leave my seedlings in to grow large enough to transplant out without having to prick them out and pot them up. If you do struggle with heat, a domed cell tray is a great option to help maintain a consistent temperature and humidity through the germination process. Just remember to remove the dome once they have germinated. 
Seed Raising Mix and Vermiculite - It is important that you choose a seed raising mix not general compost when raising your seeds. I generally use the Tui seed raising mix and find this works perfectly. Vermiculite is a mineral product that has been used for decades by growers to retain water and ward of dampening off. The year I started sprinkling it over top of my sown seeds my germination rates went up rapidly along with growing healthier seedlings.
Light - unless mentioned (as some seeds require darkness to germinate) light is vital in germination. Seeds that do not get adequate sunlight can be prone to becoming leggy. So my recommendation is to place them in your sunniest spot. If this is a challenge some growers set up grow lights over their seeds.
Warmth - You can consistent warm temperatures to germinate your seeds. I have never used a heat pad although this is a popular method. If you do not have a warm windowsill, heat pad or greenhouse inexpensive clear plastic domes over your seed trays are a great option.
Water - The trick here is to keep the soil moist and damp without letting it dry out, or overwatering and risk displacing seed or getting rot issues. I personally like to wet my seed raising mix before I place the seed into it and then mist water it until the seeds have germinated.
General Sowing Tips
- Grab a seed raising mix from your local garden store. Then wet your seed mix so it's damp but not dripping and place in seed trays almost to the top.
- Sow your seed. The general rule of thumb is to sow the seed twice as deep as it is wide. Lightly cover the seed with seed raising mix, unless it states it needs light to germinate just pop seed on top of mix.
- Cover with a light sprinkling of vermiculite - this holds top sown seeds in place but also retains moisture
- Keep soil moist and warm during germination.
But honestly my biggest tip is don't panic, sow shallowly, keep moist and warm and you shouldn't go too far wrong. At the end of the day gardening is always a trial and error event and you will find what works best for you. Have fun with it. 