difficulty starting healthy plants from seeds

I have tried on many occasions to start flowers from seeds and my plants come up very scrawny and usually do not thrive like the starter plants that I buy in the nursery. Is it my soil, lighting - I would appreciate any tips from those of you that have gone through this or might know the answer. I have tried growing seeds in egg shells and it seems worse! please advise -Teri

I have the same problem. Give me a live plant and I can get it growing, but seeds, they either don't come up or are scrawny and die.

I would recommend have more direct light and reading my Seed Germination page. Seed Germination Database