Want to create the perfect seed starting soil and grow amazing transplants for your garden and flowerbeds this year?
When it comes to growing your own plants from seed, success all starts with having the right soil to plant your seeds in. Having the right soil mix not only helps your seeds germinate and sprout faster, but also allows them to establish a stronger and healthier root system.
In fact, one of the biggest mistakes gardeners make when trying to grow their own seedlings is to use the wrong soil. Unfortunately, plain potting soil isn’t the best choice. Nor is using garden soil or top soil. All of those choices are just too heavy to really develop strong seedlings and strong roots.
So where can you find the perfect seed starting mix? Although there are certainly some good (and often expensive) commercial options, the answer for us is to simply make our own. And the good news? You can do it with ease with just four simple ingredients!
How To Create Perfect Seed Starting Soil – With 4 Simple Ingredients!
Up until about ten years ago, we created our seed starting soil from just three ingredients – potting soil, perlite and compost.
It certainly performed well, but it wasn’t until we added one more incredible ingredient to the mix that that the soil began to help produce truly amazing results. And that special ingredient is and will always be worm castings! (We include our complete soil mix recipe with castings at the end of the article.)
The difference in our plants with and without worm castings in the mix is unbelievable. In fact, it’s quite fair enough to say it is a complete game changer!
We talk about the advantages of using worm castings to power plants quite a bit on the website. And for a very good reason. They are great for powering up hanging baskets and containers. And are perfect to help boost vegetable and flowers in gardens and flowerbeds with gentle power. But when it comes to using castings as a major ingredient in our seed starting soil, they are simply out of this world.
With castings in the soil, our plants germinate faster. They also grow stronger, thicker, larger and more rapidly as well. All it takes is one look at our transplant’s thick stems, dark green healthy foliage, and massive root base on planting day to see how well it works to power up plants.
Giving Seeds The Right Mix Of Nutrients – How To Create Perfect Seed Starting Soil
Great seed starting soil needs to be light, airy, drain well, and be full of nutrients. But when it comes to those nutrients, it is how they are able to deliver their power to tender seedlings that makes all the difference.
Young seedlings that receive little to no nutrients simply struggle to survive. But seeds that receive too many nutrients too quickly have issues as well. The key is to strike the right balance in the middle.
Over-fertilized soil can result in top heavy growth but underdeveloped root systems. And that can spell big trouble for plants come transplanting time. So the key is a fertile soil that delivers slow, steady growth. And when it comes to worm castings, they absolutely rock at that process!
Even better, worm castings improve the soil’s structure and its ability to retain moisture as well. All of which are huge keys to growing strong, healthy transplants.
Mixing Castings With Commercial Mixes – How To Create Perfect Seed Starting Soil
Although there are many commercial seed-starting mixes available with slow release fertilizers, making your own great organic seed starting mix at home is simple.
If you do opt to purchase seed starting mix, it’s still so very important to add in those worm castings. Mix in one cup for every three to four cups of seed starting soil. You truly won’t believe the difference it can make with your transplants growth! Affiliate Product Link : 100% Worm Castings
Now let’s take a look at our seed starting recipe we use here at the farm:
Our Recipe – How To Create Perfect Seed Starting Soil
So what is the exact mix we use at the farm to create our own seed starting soil? For an amazingly fertile seed starting mix, we use this simple formula:
- 1 cup of potting soil
- 1 cup of fine compost
- 1 cup of worm castings
- 1 cup of perlite
The basic recipe really is that simple. And does it ever work like magic to grow amazing plants from seed – and here’s why:
Potting soil is loose and well draining. Compost is as well, but it also energizes the soil with a great range of vital minerals and nutrients. The worm castings, as we have covered in depth, provide a dose of slow, steady nutrients and also help lighten the soil mix even more.
Listen In To Our Podcast On Starting Seeds Below!
That leaves perlite as the fourth and final ingredient. Perlite also happens to be a big key for creating a great seed starting mix. Perlite lightens the soil tremendously with it’s airy make-up. And even better, it’s 100 percent organic. Affiliate Link: Perlite Bliss (24 Qts) – Organic Perlite for Plants
Sometimes, it is often confused as a styrofoam product due to its white little pebble-like appearance. The white substance forms when volcanic glass heats to a high temperature and then pops. The result is a light and airy organic popcorn-like substance perfect for lightening up soil and retaining moisture.
It is used in many commercial potting mixes for that very reason. And when used in seed starting soil, it allows the roots to easily grow without the soil being too hard or compacted.
So what are you waiting for? Now is the time to get your materials ready and create the perfect seed starting soil mix. And before you know it – you will be growing your best transplants ever!
Happy Gardening! Jim & Mary
Old World Garden Farms
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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