Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

Interesting. Speaking only for myself, I see no point in sterile potting 
mixes. I've never seen any evidence it avoids disease or other problems. And 
I don't spend money on heating pads and lights. I tell myself KISS - keep it 
simple stupid ...

I just use some commercial coir-based mix, with small amounts of the things 
that go in the beds, soil, alfalfa meal, screened manure, bonemeal, 
greensand, maybe some vermicompost. Hardly sterile! And I germinate in 4" 
pots in flats indoors, then move to get some light soon as stuff sprouts. 
Never had a problem with disease or damping off.

I can relate to the vehicle thing ........

paul tradingpost@lobo.net


*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 1/29/2010 at 9:34 AM Debbie Mcdonald wrote:

>I've always directly sowed my seeds and have not alot of experience with
>vegetable gardening. In starting our own seeds, must we use potting soil
>and if the world gets uglier;), then what would we do, sterilize the dirt
>somehow?? Nature does not do these things:). Do all of you have rooms with
>lights and heat pads and all that. I'm going to make next week time to
>start looking for abandoned greenhouses too:) Well, I have to get a new
>used vehicle first, don't want to put new tires on this one.
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