Potting Soil Made from Scratch! (And Soil Blocks too)
It took two years to make the needed amount of compost and for it to mature and stabilize to such a nice degree that it can serve as the mother and womb to our seeds and delicate emerging seedlings venturing out into a new cycle of life.
We analyzed our compost and it shows no salinity and a PH of 6.5, perfect for seed germination. This season we are making our first batch of on-farm potting soil. In order to make soil blocks we mixed in peat moss and vermiculite and made a total of 42 bushels that we are hoping will cover all our seasons potting soil needs.
Our recipe trials have shown that the addition of peat moss doesn’t really impact the PH and makes for durable soil blocks that hold their shape when watered. Vermiculite is a welcome addition that helps with aeration and drainage.
We are so happy to be doing all this because we are having great germination and our seedlings show a glowing healthy green. ☺
We grow mostly in soil blocks because although they are more laborious to make up-front, they are easy and quick to handle when transplanting and easy on the plants which don’t suffer transplant shock and start growing as soon as they are planted in the garden.
If you wish to learn all the details on how to make compost and potting soil, don’t miss your chance to apply for next year’s farming training opportunities!