Here is a method for germinating seeds on paper towels that is clean, cheap, easy, and very efficient.
If you are struggling to get seeds going, you might want to try this out. For germinating seeds on paper towels all you need are your seeds, paper towels, a container and water. I use a spray, but you could use a gentle tap or watering can. This can be done inside the home or undercover in garden.
Here are some pics of germinating courgette seeds on paper towels. They took about a week to germinate and two weeks to get to where they’re at in the last photo.
Every day I gave them a spray of water to stop the seeds drying out and then I just waited until the seedlings pushed up the towel to show they were ready for potting on.