You can use 2 off the shelf garden products to make the cheapest and best seed starting and potting-up mix compared to other bagged products. It is easy to do.
0:00 Make Your Own Premium Seed Starting Mix Intro
1:00 Why I prefer this Blend of Peat & Coir
3:15 Where to Get the 2 Off the Shelf Products
Making the Premium Seed Starting Mix
4:00 The Importance of ‘NO’ Shredded Wood
5:32 What You Want a Premium Mix to Contain
6:31 Recap of Where to Buy the Ingredients
7:00 Step 1: Setting Up the Ingredients to Make the Mix
8:18 Use Boiling Water to Hydrate – Full Pour & Blend
8:58 Step 2: Pack the Mix Down
9:50 Step 3: Cover the Mix with Foil & Let it Sit (Cool)
10:52 Step 4: Hand Mix the Ingredients Together to Blend
Filling the Cells with Your Premium Mix
12:26 How to Perfectly Fill Containers/Cells
15:17 $1.50 Garden Seeds at My Seed & Garden Shop
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How to Buy Quality Seed Starting Mix (How to Avoid Poor Quality Mixes Using 5 Tests) https://youtu.be/RJC0-2y0XRc
How to Make Seed Starting & Potting Up Mixes on a Budget: Materials, Mix Ratios, My Formula https://youtu.be/cj90Wpoz42c
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14 Comments
❤ YFS
Good info Gary, I have struggled with gnats for a while and now I will use this technique.
I like to make my seed starting mix with Cocoa Coir, Peatmoss, pearlite and vermiculite 😊
Ya, I may have to try this year, if we have the budget for it. I am going to need something to start seeds un this year, but it could end up being sifted leaf dirt/soil and river sand, free stuff. 😮❤
I just made my own as you said previously with peat moss and vermiculite. Thanks Gary 🙂
I buy the same 2 products and agree they are top notch and affordable. No bark and wood. The only thing i do differently is I soak the brick first in water, then integrate into the Jiffy. It allows me to have a balance of the two product. I can typically recycle the mix from the leftovers and any seeds that don’t make it a year later. I like a life less coco cuor in my mix because I find it takes days to actually fully expand. I will try the how water as well . Great video.
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Tomato & Pepper Seeds $1.75 & All Other Seeds Only $1.50
The Rusted Garden Vegetable Seeds & Home Garden Supplies: https://www.therustedgarden.com
Need a Garden Mentor?
Join Perk Memberships ($3.99 a month) to get access to my (5 Monthly) 1 hour Live Chat Garden Mentoring Q&A's: https://bit.ly/4jM0jKA
Thanks So Much for Supporting The Rusted Garden!
Cheers & Thanks, Gary
Visit My New Blog:
https://therustedgardenblog.com
My Books:
The Modern Homestead Garden: Growing Self-Sufficiency in Any Size Backyard https://amzn.to/40rfkIb
Growing An Edible Landscape: How to Transform Your Outdoor Space Into a Food Garden https://amzn.to/41tfno2
My Amazon Garden Store Front:
Just use my link anytime you shop on Amazon https://amzn.to/49VUfN0
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Products I Use & Recommend and I have an affiliation with them:
GreenStalk Vertical Gardening Towers
Use the Discount Code THERUSTEDGARDEN on GreenStalk 'Vertical Planter Systems'. Use this link and enter my code for the $10 discount https://greenstalkgarden.com/?rstr=therustedgarden
LetPot Smart Seed Starter Kit & More
Use my discount code TRG10OFF (Save 10%)
Amazon Link (Domestic) https://amzn.to/4qXALyD
Website Link (International) https://tidd.ly/3ZqYcV7
North Spore Mushrooms
Use my discount code TheRustedGarden (Save 10%) and my link to shop at North Spore https://northspore.sjv.io/OeVaXG
AgroThrive Organic Bio-Fertilizers
Use my affiliate link and my code TRG10 to save 10% on your first order: https://agrothrive.com/?ref=M5o6fjdAruq_S
Vegega Metal Raised Beds
Here is my affiliate link use my code TRG to save 10%: https://www.vegega.com/?ref=le64f3gm30
Become a Rusted Garden Affiliate:
Earn 15% on all Sales & become a TRG Affiliate for our seed & garden shop
Sign Up Here: https://bit.ly/4aarkDD
Visit My Seed and Garden Shop:
The Rusted Garden Vegetable Seeds & Home Garden Supplies: https://www.therustedgarden.com
Organic Pest Management Oils at My Shop:
Neem Oil: https://bit.ly/43IJl9C
Peppermint Oil: https://bit.ly/43IJl9C
Rosemary Oil: https://bit.ly/43IJl9C
Seed Starting Supplies at My Shop:
Seed Starting Standard Plastic Flats: https://bit.ly/4cF326m
Seed Starting Cells/Containers: https://bit.ly/3PMaCT1
Seed Packages at My Shop:
10 Cool Weather Garden Crops for Spring & Fall: https://bit.ly/3xw3Ji5
10 Leafy 'Greens' Varieties for an Easy Greens Garden: https://bit.ly/4akuHIl
10 Warm Weather Garden Crops for Summer: https://bit.ly/4cHqIap
Tiny Tim Tomato Indoor Growing Kit – All the Supplies: https://bit.ly/3J9ExAF
My 2nd YouTube Channel Geared Towards Brand New Gardeners
My First Vegetable Garden: https://bit.ly/3POOjMq
My Podcasts
The Rusted Garden Homestead… All About Growing, Cooking and Sharing Food: https://bit.ly/443SSGL
Follow The Rusted Garden:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/4aiMQ9l
Meta: https://bit.ly/49tP2cF
Threads: https://bit.ly/49tPesp
TikTok: https://bit.ly/4cFGQZR
Join me in my Private Meta Gardening Group: The Rusted Garden Homestead: https://bit.ly/3xlvSbH
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For $15 I will buy a 55 quart bag of Miracle-Gro moisture control potting mix from Sam's Club.
For shitty red clay soil garden, I grab all the bagged leaves I can find in the county and add them to the garden in the fall ala GrowItBuildIt.
I use peat, vermiculite and a little perlite. I also add just a little bit of worm castings.
I use boiling water to moisten the peat first
Didn't mention that people should consider adding Cal-Mag to buffer the coir. Also, add insect frass, worm castings, and kelp meal to that
Last year I had a fungus gnat infestation…never again!! Boiling water is my friend. I bought an electric tea pot to boil water in, in my basement seed starting room.
Does it have to be used right away or can it be used weeks later or even the following year if I have left over?
Definitely recommend a large metal container. Boiling water can cause a 5 gal bucket to warp on the bottom. When it cools, it can split. I use boiling water on coir and mixes for my tortoise pen.
If you're willing to wait 5-7 days, you can get a bag of Jiffy seed starting mix from Home Depot delivered free for just under $8.00.