Do you make your own seedling starter soil? I bought 2 smallish bags of it 2 years ago and it didn't go far. So I bought the basics last year and sifted/mixed it myself. And there was still plenty of most for THIS year
The sifter is a 1/4" hardware cloth fastened around a 2'x4" frame. It fits over a plastic bin. It takes some handwork, but I love that...
My starter formula is 4 parts leafgro compost, 2 parts peat, 1 part vermiculite, and 1/2 part perlite. I arrange all the parts in 35 lb cat litter tubs. 5 gallon buckets work just fine.
I add scoops of each from a cheap kitchen pot (no holes and consistent) and run my hands over the sifter mesh to keep out chunks. Its my first "digging in" to soil for the year and it makes me very happy.
Darn it, I KNEW I should have taken pictures... OK, I'll replicate it.
This is the bin.
Sifter...
Scoop...
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Various tubs
Filled barrel
And with each bin addition, I sank my hand to the bottom and lifted up. If there is better mixing than that, it takes equipment. And I repeat "oh that felt so good"...
Eventually, I filled a 60 gallon barrel. That's about what I use every year in the seedling trays. The 60 gallon barrel cost the same as the 2 gallons of commercial starter soil did, and I think mine is better.
Seriously good day!
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