Hi Karen,
I hear you on the coir. I've used it in the past and it was fine for seed starting, but once the plants , mostly peppers , were settled in I feel it compacted down and was either too dry or too wet. In mature plantings is was the opposite of what many describe as a good draining medium for me.
Like most of us here I am space challenged during the winter. I have a large sunny south facing window in the dining room original hi-e glass and plants do well. I set my "Costco" light shelf in the window so days or nights there is light available. A greenhouse like yours is still a far off dream, given my age not one that has much time left to fulfill !
I have two new sealed bags of potting soil, but with the recent gnat population invasion from using an open dry bag of soil from the garage I am taking small steps to getting back to normal growing. I think it was two years ago that spider mites took down my winter micro tomato and lettuce plants. Aphids also hitchhiked in with overwintering peppers; ugh first time for everything.
The coir is certainly a gamble as some are the last seeds I have of many varieties. I ended up planting one row of the 6 pack in coir (which I went over the top with adding perlite and vermiculite and it is VERY light in weight) and one row in Miracle Gro seed starter mix which I will carefully monitor for any fungus gnats invading. The limiting factors will be my memory in feeding the micros, or knowing how much or little Espoma to use, and when to switch over to another fertilizer or repot to a heavier mix.
I have tiny hosta babies growing in Miracle Gro seed starter mix, and they need to be kept wet. Prime conditions for these darn gnats. Otherwise, I would have absolutely used ProMix!
Thanks for your reply. I always enjoy following your grow outs. Even if the micros aren't sweet like the short 'n sweet, it will be something to eat in winter doused with tons of dressing.
- Lisa
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