Well, the problem with the heating pad is that water and electric really don't mix so you would have to be really careful with that setup. So I was taking down some christmas rope lights and felt the warmth they were giving out and thought they might work.
I set them up in a flat coil shape and let them heat up a bit just to see what kind of warmth they would put out. It felt like enough to do the task so I planted my starter tray with seedling soil (1 part compost, 1 part vermiculite, 1 part peat moss) seeds and watered . Placed the tray on top of the coil and waited. Around the 5th day I started to see some of the pepper seedlings come up.
This picture was taken around the 10th day. Really pleased with the results and I don't have to worry about spilling water because they are indoor, outdoor lights.
I dug through my garden closet and came up with a grow light that I bought at the local garden department some time ago. I didn't have much success with it last season without the heat underneath the seedlings so I am giving it another go with this new setup. So far so good.
If you start seeds indoors and are looking for an inexpensive way to heat for germination, you may want to try rope lights. The one I am using is clear but I don't believe the color would make any difference.
Happy Gardening!
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