What are the steps involved in seed germination?

Different plants have evolved different germination mechanisms. In general, though, there will be some way of restraining germination while the seed is still in the fruit. In some cases, there is an inhibiting chemical within the flesh of the fruit that will inhibit germination; in others, the seed has to go through a period of cold weather before germination can begin (peaches work this way); in yet others, the seed has to dry before it can germinate. All of these systems allow time for the seed to be dispersed through the environment and to be embedded in soil or debris.

The seed doesn’t draw nourishment from the fruit. The sweet pulp of the fruit is an enticement for animals to aid in dispersing the seed. As I described, the flesh of the fruit is long gone by the time germination begins.

The hard seed coat (of a peach pit, for example) typically splits open by the mechanical force of swelling when the pit is exposed to water, not by the action of the germination itself. This ensures that the germination happens only when there is sufficient water in the environment to sustain the sprout.

You can grow seeds in a plastic bag and watch the action.

You have to do it seed by seed.

If, for example, you put a damp sunflower seed on a paper towel, it will often sprout a root practically over night. (That’s how bean sprouts get made). Sprouting

For nasturtiums, I either have to score the hard outer shell with a nail file or soak the seeds overnight before planting.

Dill and cilantro seeds sprout almost instantly when they fall from the plant itself and also hide in the soil over the winter and then magically start to grow after the last killing frost.

How to sprout an avocado seed

Every seed is different. There are hundreds of source of info on Google.

What @thorninmud said. haha
You should see my garden, all stared from seed. It’s a jungle out there, I tell ya. lol
Most seeds will fall in the fall and by the time spring arrives they are covered in a bit of soil, leaves and other mulching type natural materials that enhance the germination process.

Birds also disperse many seeds via consuming and dropping them in new places in their droppings. I have a volunteer blackberry that has sprouted behind my garden where it can tap into the watering scene. It is already about 2 feet tall on the fence. Most likely the seeds came from birds as there are many wild blackberry vines in my area.
Now I have a nice little brambley hollow over here.

Thanks all, but I would still like to know if the seed works its way into the soil if it is not already covered by drifting soil or by a decaying leaf cover.

The seed sprouts a root and that is what spirals or corkscrews down into the soil, if the conditions are right.

The right conditions vary; think of the billions of seeds that sprout with no human help,found in bird droppings or simply scattered by the wind.

Take a dandelion. The seeds fly off attached to their own little parachutes and simply drop out of the sky. They take root easily and anywhere.

Here’s a time-lapse video (9 days) of radish seeds sprouting. The seeds were deliberately planted below the soil level to ensure that a video could be made (and the bluegrass music was only an incidental touch and not a horticultural necessity).

If you’d rather read than watch, here’s some text

I love these. Mung beans sprouting in 3 minutes

@LostInParadise The seed itself cannot “work its way” anywhere – it has no motility, it is only passive. That being said, once it is on the ground, it can be moved by biotic (animals) or abiotic (wind, water) agents. This is called secondary dispersal. Some animals (corvids or squirrels, for example) purposely cache seeds to eat later, then forget about them – and those seeds can end up germinating.

Also consider that water, for example, can move a tiny seed into a little well in the soil, and it can likewise move some soil over the seed. Or rainsplash could cover the seed with a layer of dust or dirt.

Once the seed has germinated, the radicle (which will later become the root) will actively work its way downward through the soil.

From the video that @gailcalled showed of the mung beans sprouting, you can see that the seed casing gets lifted up. The original seed never does go underground.

There are two ways of appreciating nature. One is just to observe and allow yourself to be awed by it. The other way is to understand it from an engineering point of view, as shown by some of the things that @thorninmud mentioned. In its own way, this is equally awe inspiring.