PROPAGATION IS SIMPLY, REPRODUCTION.
MEANS OF PROPAGATION ARE: SEED, DIVISION, CUTTINGS, LAYERING, CLONING

GROWING A NEW PLANT FROM SEED IS VERY REWARDING.  WATCHING YOUR SEED SPROUT AND GROW INTO AN ADULT THAT WILL PRODUCE MORE SEEDS AND CARRY ON THE PLANT SPECIES.

SCARIFICATION
SEEDS WITH HARD SHELLS WILL NEED TO BE SCARIFIED.  SCARIFICATION IS NICKING OR PIERCING THE SEED COAT TO ALLOW MOISTURE TO REACH THE SEED AND ALLOW THE NEW SEEDLING TO EMERGE FROM THE SEED COVERING.  SCRATCHING WITH AN EMERY BOARD WILL WEAKEN THE SEED COAT ENOUGH WITHOUT DAMAGING THE SEEDLING.

SOAKING
SEEDS WITH SEMI HARD SHELLS CAN BE SOAKED TO WEAKEN THE HARD SHELL COVERING.  THIS IS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY BUT WILL HASTEN GERMINATION.  USUALLY SOAKING OVERNIGHT BEFORE PLANTING IS ALL THAT IS NEEDED.

STRATIFICATION
STRATIFYING SEEDS IS MIMICKING THE NATURAL WINTER TO SPRING CLIMATE.  SEEDS SHOULD BE PLACED IN MOIST, DAMP CONDITION BETWEEN 34 TO 41 DEGREES FARENHIET.  PLACE SEEDS IN A DAMP PAPER TOWEL AND PLACING IN THE REFRIGERATOR FROM 6 TO 8 WEEKS.  SOME SEEDS WILL SPROUT IN THE REFRIGERATOR WHILE OTHERS WILL NEED WARMTH TO SPROUT AFTER THE STRATIFICATION PERIOD. 

STARTING SEEDS INDOORS
WETHER YOU SCARIFY, STRATIFY, SOAK OR NONE OF THE ABOVE, YOU WILL HAVE TO PLANT AND NURTURE YOUR SEEDS.  START YOUR SEEDS INDOORS ABOUT 6 TO 8 WEEKS BEFORE YOUR LAST SPRING FROST.  YOU WILL NEED POTTING MIX, CONTAINERS, SUN OR ARTIFICIAL LIGHT, WARMTH, MOISTURE AND HUMIDITY. 

POTTING MIX
SEEDS SHOULD BE PLANTED IN A GOOD QUALITY PLANTING MIX.  DO NOT PLANT IN POTTING SOIL.  COMMERCIAL POTTING MIXES ARE A GOOD CHOICE.  THEY HAVE BEEN STERILIZED FROM PESTS AND WEEDS AND MOST HAVE TIME RELEASED FERTILIZER.    YOU CAN MIX YOUR OWN.  HERE IS A RECIPE:

1. 1 PART LOAM
2. 1 PART SAND OR PERLITE
3. 1 PART LEAF MOLD OR MOIST PEAT

CONTAINERS
CHOOSE THE TYPE OF CONTAINER THAT SUITS YOU
CONTAINERS SHOULD BE CLEAN WITH GOOD DRAINAGE.
PEAT AND FIBER POTS SHOULD BE SOAKED BEFORE PLANTING
FIBER AND CLAY POTS DRAW MOISTURE AWAY FROM SOIL
PEAT AND HOME MADE NEWSPAPER POTS ARE BIODEGRADABLE, CAN BE PLANTED IN THE GROUND WITHOUT DISTURBING THE ROOTS AND WILL COMPOST.

SOWING THE SEED

FILL CONTAINER TO 1/4" OF TOP WITH POTTING MIX
WATER THOROUGHLY AND LET DRAIN.
A GENERAL RULE OF THUMB, IF YOU HAVE NO PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS, IS TO PLANT THE SEED 3 TIMES THE DEPTH OF THE SEED.
SOME SEEDS REQUIRE LOT TO GERMINATE AND OTHERS REQUIRE NONE.
TINY SEEDS CAN BE MIXED WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF POTTING MIX, SPRINKLED ON THE TOP OF THE SOIL AND MISTED WITH A SPRAYER.
POKE A HOLE THE DEPTH YOU WANT TO PLANT LARGER SEEDS AND COVER.

MOISTURE  AND HUMIDITY
SEEDS NEED TO BE KEPT EVENLY MOIST BUT NOT SOAKING WET TO GERMINATE. 
PLACE A PLASTIC BAG, A GREENHOUSE DOME, A 2 LITER BOTTLE WITH THE BOTTOM CUT OFF, ECT...
OVER CONTAINER OF NEWLY PLANTED SEEDS.
THIS WILL KEEP THE PLANTS FROM DRYING OUT
MAKE SURE YOU POKE A HOLE IN THE PLASTIC BAG FOR CIRCULATION.
I LIKE TO USE 2 LITER BOTTLES BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE A HOLE IN THE TOP WHEN YOU TAKE OFF THE SCREW CAP.
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO POKE HOLES IN YOUR GREENHOUSE DOMES, PROP UP ONE END WITH A BOOK OR SOMETHING SO IT ISN'T RESTING FLAT ON A SOLID SURFACE.

TEMPERATURE
SEEDS NOT ONLY NEED MOISTURE AND HUMIDITY TO GERMINATE, THEY NEED WARMTH.  PLACE YOUR TENTED, SEEDED CONTAINERS IN A WARM AREA TO GERMINATE.  NOT IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT UNLESS SPECIFIED.  DO NOT PLACE THEM DIRECTLY ON A HEAT SOURCE, LIKE YOUR FURNACE.  HEATING MATS ARE EXCELLENT FOR GERMINATION.  THIS WILL KEEP THEM AT A CONSTANT TEMPERATURE.


GERMINATION AND LIGHT
SEEDS GERMINATE AT DIFFERENT RATES.  FROM 1 DAY TO AS LONG AS 6 WEEKS.  IF YOU PLANTED SIX SEEDS OF THE SAME SPECIES, AT THE SAME TIME, THEY WILL NOT ALL GERMINATE AT THE EXACT SAME MOMENT. 
WHEN SEEDS GERMINATE, OR SPROUT FROM THE SOIL, THEY SHOULD BE PLACED IN A SOUTH FACING WINDOW.  REMOVE THE MAKESHIFT GREENHOUSE FIRST, OR YOU MAY COOK YOUR SEEDLINGS.  IF THE NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES ARE VERY COLD, YOU CAN TENT YOUR SEEDLINGS WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN AND REMOVE AS SOON AS THE SUN COMES UP.  THIS WILL HELP KEEP THEM WARM AND COZY.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SOUTH FACING WINDOW, YOU CAN SUPPLEMENT WITH ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING.
TOMATOES, PEPPERS, EGGPLANT AND CORN REQUIRE 8+ HRS OF LIGHT PER DAY.
LETTUCE AND BEETS REQUIRE ONLY 4 HRS. OF LIGHT PER DAY.
MOST OTHER VEGGIES REQUIRE 6+ HRS DAILY.
ROTATE YOUR PLANTS SO THEY DON'T BECOME LEGGY OR DEFORMED.

SEEDLING CARE
AREN'T YOU PROUD OF YOUR SELF.  YOU HAVE A BRAND NEW SEEDLING.  NOW WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF IT UNTIL ALL DANGER OF FROST IS GONE AND THEN MOTHER NATURE WILL TAKE OVER.
DO NOT OVER WATER YOUR SEEDLINGS.  BECAUSE IT LOOKS AND FEELS DRY ON THE TOP DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT IS DRY IN THE MIDDLE.  YOU CAN CHECK SOIL MOISTURE BY STICKING YOUR FINGER INTO THE DIRT OR BY THE WEIGHT OF THE POT(IT WEIGHS LESS WHEN IT IS DRY). 
WHEN ITS TIME TO WATER LITTLE SEEDY, WATER FROM THE BOTTOM, OR USE A SPRAYER TO SOAK THE SOIL.
THE FIRST TWO LEAVES THAT DEVELOP ARE NOT TRUE LEAVES.  THEY ARE FOOD STORAGE CELLS.  THE NEXT SET OF LEAVES ARE THE TRUE LEAVES.  ONCE THESE ARE FULLY DEVELOPED ITS TIME TO START FERTILIZING,  UNLESS YOU USED A POTTING MIX WITH A TIME RELEASED FERTILIZER.
USE A WEAK SOLUTION OF A GOOD ORGANIC LIQUID FERTILIZER, ONCE A WEEK.


HARDENING OFF
PLANTS THAT HAVE BEEN GROWN INDOORS OR IN GREENHOUSES ARE TENDER.  THEY HAVE BEEN SHELTERED FROM TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS, WIND, AND RAIN. 
YOUR SEEDLINGS SHOULD BE YOUNG, TENDER PLANTS BY NOW. 
AT LEAST ONE WEEK BEFORE TRANSPLANTING INTO THEIR PERMANENT LOCATION OUTSIDE THEY NEED TO BE SET OUTSIDE IN THE SUN AND WIND.  START WITH 2 HOURS OF OUTSIDE TIME AND GRADUALLY INCREASE THEIR OUTSIDE TIME BY AN HOUR OR TWO EACH DAY.
IF YOU PLANT THEM DIRECTLY IN THE GROUND WITHOUT HARDENING THEM OFF THEY WILL GO INTO SHOCK AND PROBABLY DIE.
NOW THEY SHOULD BE READY TO MEET MOTHER NATURE.