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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] tomato seedlings--soilless mix or potting soil?

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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] tomato seedlings--soilless mix or potting soil?
  • Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:58:03 -0400


On Mar 31, 2010, at 1:48 PM, waldenfarm wrote:

I know everyone says to use a sterile mix or you'll get diseased plants, but
it just ain't so.


Seconding this. I use a compost based mix (McEnroe's, I have also used others'); I reuse plastic containers, rinse them out between uses but make no attempt to sterilize them. I have never had a disease problem in the transplant flats with tomatoes or anything else, except possibly for once many years ago with lettuce; but I suspect that the problem in that case was not actually disease but insufficient lighting and too much water.

I suspect that if you start with a sterile soilless mix it may indeed be necessary to sterilize the containers etc.; I think the sterile soilless mixes don't have any beneficials to fight off the pathoges with.




-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale







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