Your choice of starting mix

cjp1953 · March 25, 2015

I'm going to start my garden plants from seed this year and have never done this before.I plan on starting them in two weeks,what is your favorite starting soil mix?

guruofgardens · March 25, 2015

Fox Farms Light Warrior

shelleybean · March 25, 2015

Black Gold seedling mix.

HeatherT · March 25, 2015

I am trying Diatomaceous Earth as a seed starting medium this year, was on another site and got a link to Tomatoville where you folks have an extensive thread on the topic.
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=22329 It is real easy to work with and cheap to boot.

Heather

cjp1953 · March 25, 2015

I'm looking for something that I could buy locally and avoid high shipping cost but again with no experience growing from seed I wanted a complete soil that need nothing but water with 6 weeks of growth before planting.I don't know if there is such a soil available.

shelleybean · March 25, 2015

I get the Black Gold from my local garden center. Not sure what you mean by "complete" but seed starting mix won't have any fertilizer in it. When I bump my seedlings up to the bigger pot, I use a regular potting mix and begin to feed them. That's about the time they get two sets of true leaves.

cjp1953 · March 25, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by shelleybean

I get the Black Gold from my local garden center. Not sure what you mean by "complete" but seed starting mix won't have any fertilizer in it. When I bump my seedlings up to the bigger pot, I use a regular potting mix and begin to feed them. That's about the time they get two sets of true leaves.

That's why I came here to you people,I was thinking of starting them in large plastic 12oz cups and put holes in the bottom.One plant per cup so I did not have to transplant.Did not know starting mixes did not contain fertilizer.

shelleybean · March 25, 2015

Hmm, maybe someone who has tried that will chime in and tell you how it worked for them.

I start mine in 1.5 inch pots and then move them to 4 inch pots later. I want them deeper than I had them in the small pots because tomatoes root along the stem and the point of doing this is to build a stronger root system. If your seedlings look a bit leggy, repotting deep can help with that, as well.

cjp1953 · March 25, 2015

I'm new to this and am grateful for your advice.When I plant I always bury 2/3rds of the plant for thicker stem tomato plants.

shelleybean · March 25, 2015

That's good. I plant deeply out in the garden, too. Just make sure your foliage isn't touching the ground.

A lot of people keep notes from season to season. You might want to write down the methods you're using this year, what when well, what you'd change. It will help you next year. After you get comfortable with what you want to do, then it's safe to invest in whatever materials you like, like my plastic pots for instance, and just use them over and over again, year after year. With gardening, there is the initial expense of your grow lights, tomato cages, whatever, but these things will usually last you a very long time. Enjoy!

heirloomtomaguy · March 25, 2015

I usually coco coir but this year i tried Root Zone peat plugs and man these things work amazing. They cost way to much As in 24.99 for 100 but so far these out preform any jiffy pellets, coco coir, or seed starting mix i have tried.

PaulF · March 25, 2015

I have had good luck with Miracle-Gro or like products. Using starter mix has not been so good for me. I begin with 1 1/2 inch six pack pots and pot up to individual 2 or 3 inch containers. No problems with germination or die-off.

KarenO · March 25, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulF

I have had good luck with Miracle-Gro or like products. Using starter mix has not been so good for me. I begin with 1 1/2 inch six pack pots and pot up to individual 2 or 3 inch containers. No problems with germination or die-off.

Ditto. Except I transplant to 4" nursery pots. These hold about 20 oz
Karen O

lexusnexus · March 25, 2015

I used Pro-Mix HP. So far, so good. I plan to use it in my transplant pots.

Dan

kath · March 25, 2015

I used to use ProMix BX but this year just picked up the cheap ($4.97) Organic Jiffy Mix at the local big box store. Started a few dwarfish tomato varieties in early Feb. and they've been potted up twice so far and now have flowers on them. Haven't fed them yet but they're sturdy and dark green.

kath

March 25, 2015	#1
cjp1953 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Cuyahoga Falls,Ohio Posts: 818	Your choice of starting mix I'm going to start my garden plants from seed this year and have never done this before.I plan on starting them in two weeks,what is your favorite starting soil mix?

March 25, 2015	#3
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Black Gold seedling mix. __________________ Michele

March 25, 2015	#6
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	I get the Black Gold from my local garden center. Not sure what you mean by "complete" but seed starting mix won't have any fertilizer in it. When I bump my seedlings up to the bigger pot, I use a regular potting mix and begin to feed them. That's about the time they get two sets of true leaves. __________________ Michele

March 25, 2015	#8
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Hmm, maybe someone who has tried that will chime in and tell you how it worked for them. I start mine in 1.5 inch pots and then move them to 4 inch pots later. I want them deeper than I had them in the small pots because tomatoes root along the stem and the point of doing this is to build a stronger root system. If your seedlings look a bit leggy, repotting deep can help with that, as well. __________________ Michele

March 25, 2015	#10
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	That's good. I plant deeply out in the garden, too. Just make sure your foliage isn't touching the ground. A lot of people keep notes from season to season. You might want to write down the methods you're using this year, what when well, what you'd change. It will help you next year. After you get comfortable with what you want to do, then it's safe to invest in whatever materials you like, like my plastic pots for instance, and just use them over and over again, year after year. With gardening, there is the initial expense of your grow lights, tomato cages, whatever, but these things will usually last you a very long time. Enjoy! __________________ Michele

March 25, 2015	#2
guruofgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: zone 5 Colorado Posts: 942	Fox Farms Light Warrior

March 25, 2015	#4
HeatherT BANNED Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Illinois Posts: 44	I am trying Diatomaceous Earth as a seed starting medium this year, was on another site and got a link to Tomatoville where you folks have an extensive thread on the topic. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=22329 It is real easy to work with and cheap to boot. Heather

March 25, 2015	#11
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	I usually coco coir but this year i tried Root Zone peat plugs and man these things work amazing. They cost way to much As in 24.99 for 100 but so far these out preform any jiffy pellets, coco coir, or seed starting mix i have tried. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

March 25, 2015	#12
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,284	I have had good luck with Miracle-Gro or like products. Using starter mix has not been so good for me. I begin with 1 1/2 inch six pack pots and pot up to individual 2 or 3 inch containers. No problems with germination or die-off. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

March 25, 2015	#14
lexusnexus Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: MD Suburbs of DC, Zone 7a Posts: 500	I used Pro-Mix HP. So far, so good. I plan to use it in my transplant pots. Dan __________________ Dan

March 25, 2015	#15
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	I used to use ProMix BX but this year just picked up the cheap ($4.97) Organic Jiffy Mix at the local big box store. Started a few dwarfish tomato varieties in early Feb. and they've been potted up twice so far and now have flowers on them. Haven't fed them yet but they're sturdy and dark green. kath