These seed mats would be very handy and quick to plant! The spacing is perfect and no thinning! You just cover the mat with soil and keep it moist until the seeds sprout.
As you can see by this picture, the plants grow very orderly. 
Of course, there is a cost attached to these garden mats. So, I was thinking--we could make our own!Cut out a 12" x 12" square of black and white newspaper (not the slick color ads), mark the spacing of the seeds that you want to plant, make some wheat paste (flour and a little water to make a paste), dot the paper with small bits of wheat paste, and then put two or three seeds on the paste. Allow this to dry and then plant out! This way you can have exactly which variety of plants that you want, instead of choosing from what is offered. This method of planting seeds is particularly good when using small seeds like carrots, lettuce, radishes, spinach, etc., where we can easily dump (accidentally!) too many seeds into a planting hole. Or, when children are helping us plant veggies and their little fingers aren't quite so nimble.
Once we have the planting sheets, just lay them out in the garden and cover with the amount of soil each type of seed needs (see the back of the seed envelope). Keep moist until the seeds sprout. If more than one-seed-per-hole sprouts, use small scissors to clip the extras--so you don't disturb the remaining seedling's root.
I suggested using newspaper because it breaks down quickly, and enriches the soil! Toilet paper or facial tissue could be used as they break down quickly, too, but their size is not compatible with a 12" square. Cutting the newspaper into the right-size squares seemed the easiest way to do this.
[All pictures from Herb'N Garden]
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