Tim W writes

I have had the same difficulty. The first six all rotted to yellow gloop, I
thought too wet and warm. The next six all went mouldy except for one which
is growing. A professional gardner I consulted suggested germinating the
seeds on wet paper in the shade like kids do with beans before putting them
in compost. I don't see how it can be too early to grow indoors - the seeds
don't know what the date is.

That's exactly the problem. They germinate regardless, and you have the
choice of planting them out while it's still too cold for them, or
growing them on indoors where there's not enough light and they get thin
and spindly. They'd be a lot better off if they *did* know what the date
was.
--
Kay