I just read Eliot Coleman's "The Winter Harvest Handbook" to prepare for winter sowing and then read "The New Organic Grower" and learned about soil blocks to start seed. This is the first I've heard of soil blocking yet it looks like it has been around for years! DH is going to help me make some DIY block forms and I thought they could be used in the milk jugs for winter sowing too.

Any insights?

Sanitation is your friend. Do not overlook sterilized soil. You could also moisten it with a light rooting hormone, many of the powders will dissolve in a little alcohol to which you then can add some water. A hormonal boost with an antifungal kick might be worth considering depending of course on what you are working with seedwise.

I love soil blocking. It is my preferred method for germination in a hurry. I wish more posts and instructions would say - Can be started by soil blocking and remove the mystery of whether or not it is going to work. Sometimes I soil block to get that good root system and then transfer to my aerogarden. Today I am on a hardy hibiscus mode and I will start some in the blocks and some the traditional cell pot way. I'll post my results. The more I garden, the more I realize a gardening journal is critical so I don't have to reinvent the wheel each year when I start seeds.