I have a confession to make. For all my years of gardening I have never
actually made my own seed starting media. Now this has been for a couple of reasons. I
really like my go-to seed starting kit with the little grow plugs and when I had a huge amount
of seedlings to sow I would typically use a product called ProMix BX with mycorrhizae.
Now I've been really happy with that product but it's getting really difficult to find in my area
and when I can find it it's ridiculously expensive. So I decided this year to make my own.
Today I'm going to be mixing up a very simple seed starting mix and this can be made with just
three ingredients that are pretty easily found in any store that sells gardening supplies.
Now because I cannot help myself but to experiment I'm also going to do a couple variations on that
basic recipe adding in different amendments because I want to see if I can get results
that yield even healthier stronger seedlings. So if you're interested in seeing the results
of this experiment be sure to subscribe to my channel so that you catch the next video.
But today I'm going to get the seed starting media mixed up and show you what my special
amendment ingredients are. Let's get started! Now the first version of the seed mix is just a
very simple two to one to one ingredient ratio. So you have two parts of peat moss or coconut coir,
to one part of vermiculite, to one part of perlite. And for ease of measurement today
I'm just going to be using this scoop so that I can scoop out equal amounts of each. When I do
this in a little bit larger quantities I'll use this big guy which holds four quarts, but today
I'm just making a relatively small amount. And you can mix this up in anything- like I said a bucket,
a wheelbarrow, whatever you have handy. So for my two parts peat I'll do four total scoops of peat,
one part vermiculite will equal two scoops of vermiculite,
and one part perlite will be two scoops of perlite,
and then I'm just going to mix this
thoroughly and what I end up with looks like this. So super deluxe amendment version number one,
I'm going to be using earthworm castings. Hello! Now I can just about tell you without even trying
this, the version with the earthworm castings is going to yield stronger, healthier seedlings
because this stuff is magical. I use this in the garden a lot and it just really really
makes plants happy. Now these earthworm castings that I have are 100 pure earthworm castings. I
got this from Gardens Alive and I'm going to add two parts of earthworm castings to my initial mix.
And you can see just how beautiful and dark and lovely those castings are
So there is what the mix looks like with the earthworm castings added in.
Magical amendment number two is mycorrhizae. So if you recall I mentioned that my old favorite the
ProMix BX contained mycorrhizae and I think that was part of the reason I was getting such
good results. So I decided just to try and add it to my own mix. Now I'm using EndoBoost and
the directions say to add two tablespoons to five gallons of soil. So I'll be just using that ratio
in my own mix. So this version will have the two parts peat or coco coir, one part perlite, one
part vermiculite, two parts earthworm castings, and then we'll end up with about a tablespoon of
the mycorrhizae in that mix as well. So my gut is that this will be a clear winner but we shall see!
So I've got my basic mix, my mix with earthworm castings,
and my mix with earthworm castings and mycorrhizae. And be sure to stay tuned
for the results of the plantings of all of these different versions!
Now a quick note on peat moss-- you may have heard that the use of peat should be
avoided in the garden and that is because the harvest of peat could lead to the destruction
of delicate ecosystems. Coconut coir is a very good substitute for peat
however, you like me may live in an area where the stores just do not stock coconut coir,
it's fairly difficult to find in some places. So if peat is your only option just be sure to look
for peat that comes from the Canadian sphagnum peat moss association. This organization focuses
on sustainable harvest methods and restoration of the ecosystems. And I'd love to hear from you--
do you have a go-to seed starting mix recipe that you love and use every year? I'd love to
hear what it is because I'd love to try it out. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time!