Vegetable Gardening Tip #2 for 2012: Moisten Your Seed Grow Mix FIRST!

As a gardener, I can share the excitement of thinking about next year's garden, the boredom of Winter (at times) and the enjoyment of starting seeds indoors to get back to the earth and simple pleasures ASAP.

I highly recommend seed starting mixes if you can find them at a good price. Don't over pay.  I do make my own mix for the seedlings once they are moved into to cups. The seed mix is sterile from the store. Sterile mix helps with disease management.

The tip isn't sterile medium it is to MOISTEN the seed grow mix you buy before you put it into the seed trays. Most seed starting mixes come dry Dry DRy DRY. The problem is poses is that it is so dry that it actually floats on the water when you fill you seed trays and it absorbs the water too slowly. Your seeds can get dislodged and fall deeper into the mix. You might have to water from the top (I did) and that can also dislodge seeds from their exact 1/8 inch depth (yeah right).

Vegetable Gardening Tip #2 for 2012: Gary Pilarchik

I had a problem with Jiffy seed starting mix. It wouldn't take/absorb the water when I filled the seed cells with pure DRY mix. It went 2 days without absorbing the water properly... it should only take 15 minutes!

The solution is to open your bag of seed starting mix and add 4-6 cups of warm water. I just fill mine.You DO NOT want water logged starting mix. Just moist. It should feel damp. Mix the medium up a few times over 30 minutes and your are ready to start your seeds.

Vegetable Gardening Tip #2 for 2012: Gary Pilarchik

The moisten seed starting mix will take up the water quickly when you bottom fill you seed trays (that's a future tip).

Enjoy!