Some of the plants developed green algae on the surfaces due to moisture. Some of the cells filled with Gardener’s mix grew fuzzy white mold that was easily scraped off. I probably would have avoided this for indoors use, but there haven’t been any issues yet.

It wasn’t until after I wrote up my first post that I realized it has some composted manures. Gardener’s: This starting mix more resembled potting mix, with bits of wood chips, and even a pebble or two. This might be a path I explore next year, but for now, I’m happy at the convenience of using premade mix, spending a little more for the convenience. However, smaller bags of raw materials are not very economical, and you need to plan on sowing a lot of seedlings to make good use out of a big batch of DIY seed starting mix. You can also make your own seed starting mix, and there is no shortage of recipes online. Active ingredients: Ectomycorrhizal Fungi, total of 131.38 propagules/cc, Endomycorrhizal Fungi, total of 0.072 propagules/cc.80-90% Canadian sphagnum peat moss, perlite, limestone to adjust pH, and yucca extract.60-70% sphagnum peat moss, vermiculite, coir pith, and lime for pH adjuster.Bio-Blended Compost (composted manures and plant materials), sphagnum peat moss, perlite, mineral and nutrient amendments.I decided to run a simple experiment, to see which of 4 seed starting mixes yielded the best results. See? The plants on the right were stunted, even early on, while the ones on the left thrived and grew at a steady pace. After seeing differences in the first batch of seedlings, I later ordered two more brands to try out. Some ToolGuyd readers seemed interested in this kind of topic, or might be interested in the future. I ordered two kinds of seed starting mix online, and they arrived just before my first seed packets arrived. I… got things wrong, and learned differently. What I kept reading online and seeing in videos is that 1) seed starting mix is largely lifeless, and that 2) seedlings don’t need fertilizers or nutrients. Depending on this year goes, I might change things up next year. I figure I’ll pick up a tomato plant or two locally, and will sow carrots and dill directly outdoors. So, I sought to start some plants indoors, mainly cucumber seeds and hot peppers, but also basil and some marigolds. Some vegetables can be directly sown outdoors, in the ground or in potting mix, but others can really benefit from a head-start indoors, especially if you live in a more northern climate that has a shorter growing season.

Amendment for bottom watering seedlings