spring seeding mix ideas

[Bonnie Hildebrand]

Spring is going to be here really fast and I'm getting ready to seed onions and other spring veggies for the farm.
I want to avoid using vermiculite and moss for sure, and hopefully avoid perlite, too.

I've seen some interesting mixes that include rice hulls and kelp meal.
I'm still figuring out what to use as a seed starting mix and would love input/recipes.

What do you all use to start your seeds?

Bonnie

[Jill Schatz]

Hi Bonnie,

 

I’m not doing anything professionally and I don’t worry about optimum results, so I don’t advocate this; it’s just what works for me.  My method is like cooking without a recipe, mostly with what I can find on-hand.  I always have different piles of wood chips decomposing, plus other piles of leaves, and piles of Douglas Fir needles and such-like debris swept up from my driveway. My seed-starting base is well-composted former wood chips, sifted and mixed with ½ decomposed driveway sweepings, and then pumice or coarse sand added in until it all  feels like the right consistency for either seed-starting or a transplant mix. I’ve tried it without the pumice or sand, but it seems to set up better with something inorganic.  (I am interested in finding alternatives.) I also add in a  vegan fertilizer mix – one recipe is on our veganic page.   The consistency of the mix is customized to the seed size and other specific needs.  I cover seeds to the suggested planting depth  with finer-sifted batches of my mix so that nothing will block the emergence of the sprouts. 

 

I no longer use my kitchen/garden-waste compost in seed/transplant mixes now, as I got tired of pasteurizing it, which it needed to minimize damping off.  But since then, while I’ve not had damping off issues, I have had some problems with judging enough fertilizer to add to my mixes.

 

Jill

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[Ole Ersson]

Jill, thanks for those great ideas.
We have used commercial veganic starting mixes in the past but would like to move away from this. They seem to be mostly peat moss.
Since we have tons of wood chips, some very well decomposed, I'd like to try your idea. We also have tons of kitchen compost.
One of our biggest sources of decomposed wood chips is pathways. Each pathway is actually a compost factory and after a year or so of being stomped on it is uniformly well decomposed with the consistency of course peat moss. But it is a fair amount of work to excavate the paths and replace them with fresh wood chips!
My concern in using these materials is the damping off issue, as usually starting mix is sterilized. I will try some sifted decomposed wood chips mixed with sand and fertilizer this year to see how well it performs.

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[Bonnie Hildebrand]

Thanks, Jill. What you are using sounds great. I've read a lot of veganic and permaculture farmers use wood chips and leaf mold.

Ole, what's the commercial product you use(d)?

BTW, has anyone worked with LED grow lights? I'm considering investing in them since the power draw is so low.

[Jill Schatz]

Worrying about damping off is the common wisdom.  Maybe I’ve been lucky, but it may be due to my chips being stored on an asphalt parking area away from my garden or open soil, so the exposure may be less.  The times I’ve had a minor problem is from water stress, usually from going completely dry before I notice.

 

From: nwveg-vegan...@googlegroups.com [mailto:nwveg-vegan...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ole Ersson
Subject: Re: [VEG] spring seeding mix ideas

 

Jill, thanks for those great ideas.
We have used commercial veganic starting mixes in the past but would like to move away from this. They seem to be mostly peat moss.
Since we have tons of wood chips, some very well decomposed, I'd like to try your idea. We also have tons of kitchen compost.
One of our biggest sources of decomposed wood chips is pathways. Each pathway is actually a compost factory and after a year or so of being stomped on it is uniformly well decomposed with the consistency of course peat moss. But it is a fair amount of work to excavate the paths and replace them with fresh wood chips!
My concern in using these materials is the damping off issue, as usually starting mix is sterilized. I will try some sifted decomposed wood chips mixed with sand and fertilizer this year to see how well it performs.

 

.

[Ole Ersson]

We have used the Black Gold Seedling Mix
http://blackgold.bz/products/?id=65

[S Lucas]

Just fyi--I sprinkle a layer of coconut coir over my potting mix after the seeds are planted, as it's supposed to discourage dampening off (it keeps the top layer drier and I suppose is inhospitable to the organisms that cause the problem).  It seems to work; I've never had any issues with that.  I know you can also use a fan to keep the air moving to discourage the problem.  Lastly, water from the bottom and don't saturate the soil too much.

 

Btw, when I make my own starting mix I never worry about it being sterile anymore.  Typically, I use 1/3 coconut coir, 1/3 chicken grit or sand (can buy cheap, washed sand for sandboxes from Home Depot, etc.), and 1/3 screened compost or worm castings.  I know that commercial castings, strictly speaking are not veganic, but I still have worms (descendents) from years ago that I treat very carefully and they seem happy.

 

I should stress, that like Jill, I am not very scientific about my approach.  And what works for me may not work large scale.  I treat gardening more as an art than a science.

 

Good luck!

 

Stephanie 

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