No yogurt cups. No peat pots. Not even eggshell cartons. The only things Hands On Harvests' master seed starter George E uses to get his garden growing are soil, seeds and something to hold them. Last year, this method provided four full carloads of healthy, tall tomato, basil and pepper transplant donations to HOH.
Here's how George does it:
First he adds water to his seed starting medium, mixing until it's roughly the consistency of peanut butter. Then he uses a soil blocker to make 20 squares (3/4").
A dibble creates an indentation in the center of each square. A seed goes into each one. After a couple of weeks, the seedlings are large enough to transplant.
One benefit of the soil blocker is that the roots don't coil or become bound because they aren't running up against a physical barrier. btw, the trays are from a doctor's office - the office receives syringes in them and just throws them out.
Next George uses a larger device to create 2"-square blocks. The dibbles create squares that are the perfect size for the smaller seed blocks.
Soon they'll be ready to go into the pots that George uses to share his transplants with other gardeners. Many thanks to George for his generosity!
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