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Grittyville, WA

I would love to save $20 or $30 or $100 a year. Maybe I am being foolish but has anyone sourced free local materials and just made a garbage can full of their own seedling mix?

It's a sin to tear up peat bogs if you care about CO2 I know not everyone does and that's fine I am not here to preach I just wonder if I could make a really good mix using sifted forest debris instead.

Maybe if those of us who care should actually take this idea seriously this year. Some commercial mixes use bark fiber or maybe manure fiber.

Just an idea. I think it's kinda important for those who care to not be hypocrites.

1/4/2021 6:06:51 PM

Grittyville, WA

I think I'll give it a go.

1/4/2021 6:07:53 PM

Look up "make your own seed starting mix" and you will find a lot of homemade recipes.
Do not confuse sphagnum moss and peat moss. There is a difference in how it is harvested and sphagnum grows back where peat takes a lot of years to be replaced.

1/4/2021 7:18:43 PM

Syracuse, NY

Even if every pumpkin grower, probably in the WORLD, did this, it wouldn't make enough of a difference to ever be noteworthy; for every action, there's an equal and opposite REaction; it's like the one person at work whom is a terror about shutting off lights even while they will be needed off and on (pun intended) but that same person never thinks of his/her favorite coffee makers that use 10 times as much electricity and run 24/7...and will never get a bonus in his/her paycheck and just had another kid...breathing out 80 years of CO2, lol---no hippo-crates, here! don't worry - i am always thinking of the trees and the animals in them being destroyed daily to grow friggin' food for our overpopulating planet - sigh - HOWEVER, i think what you are doing would be 'Carbon-Neutral' and that's a good thing, as long as you don't hafta DRIVE 20 miles to get the materials, see? No, we've seen your patch; it's all right there, lol. (smiles!) Hmmmmm...
good luck, though---eg

1/4/2021 7:48:50 PM

Grittyville, WA

Correct... if I drove 20 miles that would defeat the purpose. I will have to "wheel-a-barrow" it about 200 ft. I know it wont save the planet whatsoever mathematically. But perhaps it could make a difference spiritually.

1/4/2021 8:20:03 PM

Grittyville, WA

If it works great I'll let u guys know.

1/4/2021 8:21:16 PM

No harm in trying. Add enough insignificant ones up and you will get millions.

1/4/2021 8:52:25 PM

Syracuse, NY

You know I enjoy your posts, Brandon - I know that I can say quite a bit without you grinding your gears about it, lol---and I totally agree, Spudder---eg

1/4/2021 11:33:11 PM

Bethlehem CT

You could probably make one that is far superior. (at least nutritionally) Watch out for damping off though. You can manage it culturally by keeping the soil warm and on the drier side. (Cool and/or wet will spell disaster) Something like rootshield migh help too.

1/5/2021 9:45:02 AM

Western Washington

Keep us posted, Gritty Kins! I hope it turns out well for you!

1/5/2021 5:34:43 PM

Muddy Waters

use your own soil to start your seeds.If you are worried about soil disease.Put it in your oven 450 for 1 hour

1/5/2021 10:06:11 PM

Cleveland, Ohio

If you want to save money you should check if your city runs a leave mulch program, a great way to get organic material on the cheap my city used to give it away for free now i get it from the city over but its only ten bucks for a cubic yard which isnt bad if you ask me.

2/19/2021 11:46:35 PM

Grittyville, WA

The only problem with using my own soil is it's possible the root ball would break during transplanting. If it was compacted just right, it might hold together.
Yes hadsell that's a great suggestion I never have any mature compost because the worms eat up everything so fast. But Dowding has videos where he uses fine, mature compost for sprouting seeds. A person could do a "sprout test" directly in the compost (for disease and nutrients and chemical residue issues). If the test seedling isnt healthy then dont waste time spreading it on the entire patch, right?

2/20/2021 12:50:33 AM

Syracuse, NY

Bran-Man - you could try mixing in AGAR as per my diary basic method, and as a plug for my 188 seed, lol, as I have often mixed it into dead, plain old seed-starting mix and love the 'brownie mix' that it creates;

F'rinstance, I have allowed a failed or terminated seed-starting episode to dry all the way out, no moisture left, and then mix(ed) up some 2 tsp./pint H2O (depends fully on brand of AGAR) AGAR and get it to boil in the microwave @ 3 minutes plain water and THEN stir in the 2 tsp.;

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=300443

Attain boiling @ 1 minute each attempt and stop microwaving JUST AS the mix is about to boil over - FINGER ON BUTTON!; It is SO cool to watch a billions-of-years-old process occur in its most-technologically-advanced format;

I used a SPOTLIGHT to watch it from a few feet - I fear CATARACTS!!!

Stirring carefully and especially to get the sedimented AGAR from the bottom, I then slowly but immediately pour it into the dried peat pot just as if it were water, which it IS, lol, but then, after COOLING, the soil sticks and stays together better than a moist brownie ever could. I DO wonder if the same amount could be tossed into and mixed into SS mix and it would coagulate without any boiling and that'll be my next experiment...oooohhh!!!

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=300443

Hence, either something like that for ANY soil of yourn (let all the worms crawl out 4 a few days, please???)

You could also devise a basket + biodegradable fabric to go into your growing pot that would facilitate the roots' development and yet allow you to transport your Giant Gerry seedling to the Patch 2020, lol, in the likeness of a basket for practice golf balls at the driving range - they have small ones at the Dollar General store---eric g

2/20/2021 4:36:30 AM

Grittyville, WA

Always good to try new things. You never know what you might learn.

2/20/2021 3:50:37 PM

Syracuse, NY

...thought I might have been really toasted the morning I posted that plug for my AGAR method, but I see that I was also plugging my 188 seed since it was just one before the 'AGAR experience'!
Pheewww!!! A year has passed and I am still sort of sane!
Now, order up some 188s, will somebody???
They, and I, is not getting any younger, lol---eg

2/28/2022 4:05:03 AM