Seed Starter: What it is, How to Use it, Where to Buy it

Starting your seeds is a gardener’s second favorite event of Spring. Watching your sprouts climb out of the soil and reach for the sun is an avid reminder of warmer days to come, and the fall harvest is that much sweeter knowing that you helped take your produce from seed to fruit. Though some gardeners prefer to purchase seedlings, starting your own seeds is an incredible prelude to Spring planting, and can allow you to fully customize your garden’s layout and plant varieties. The setup for seed starting can be as simple or complex as you’d like, from a brownie pan filled with soil placed in a sunny window, to a seedling tray placed under a grow light. One thing is a universal requirement for starting your seeds, whether using a simple or complex setup: you need good soil. Strong seedlings need a quality growing medium that will maximize germination, grow sturdy and vigorous seedlings, and provide the fertility your plants need to start strong and keep growing. Lucky for you, Purple Cow Organics Seed Starter Mix is a perfect choice for your seed starting needs.

Purple Cow Organics Seed Starter Mix is an organic, OMRI Listed, living soil media that contains the beneficial biology and nutrients that your seeds need to get off to a healthy start. Seed Starter Mix is a fine-textured blend that promotes germination, and balances drainage and wicking to keep roots moist, without drowning them. Our seed starting blend includes Purple Cow Activated Compost, sphagnum peat moss, and a mineral complex to meet the nutritional needs of any seedling.
Seedlings need plentiful and diverse nutrients to have a strong start for the season. They need their roots to stay moist, without being soaked. Our Seed Starter is a rich soil blend that requires little to no additional fertility inputs for transplants, and helps your plants grow strong.

Purple Cow Organics Seed Starter is easy to use, and easier to maintain:

If growing in a seed starting tray:

1. Moisten the mix. It should be moist enough to hold its form when squeezed, but not to the point that the mix releases water when squeezed.
2. Fill your flat, pot, or container, with moistened mix. Gently shake the container to settle the mix, do not press to firm.
3. Sow the seeds, covering with additional moistened mix at the appropriate depth for the seed type.
4. Mist the surface as needed to keep the surface moist until germination. After emergence, water as needed when the mix is almost dry.
5. If desired, transplant young seedlings to individual or larger containers. Do not use container sizes larger than 2”.

If using a soil blocker:

1. Mix in one-part warm water for every three parts Seed Starter Mix, and then mix into the consistency of peanut butter.
2. On a smooth, hard surface, mound Seed Starter Mix to a depth 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 times deeper than the height of the soil blocker.
3. Press the blocker down, twist a quarter, and lift.
4. The Seed Starter Mix, if wet properly, will stick to the blocker until pressed out onto a plastic tray or a growing surface.
5. Rinse the blocker with warm water before making the next set of blocks.
6. Place the seed in the indentation and cover according to directions of the seed packet.
7. Cover the blocks with a clear acrylic dome to prevent drying.

No fertilizer is needed for the first 45 days, or until roots fill the cell. The mix alone will be sufficient for most transplants. However, after 45 days, light soluble fertilizers may be added, such as our All-Purpose Vegetable Supercharger or our All-Purpose Fertilizer.

Purple Cow Organics Seed Starter Mix is available in independent garden centers across the country. To find the closest Purple Cow retailer near you, check out the store locator on our website! Purple Cow not available near you? Find our Seed Starter Mix on Amazon! 12 quart bags and 1 cubic foot bags available. Make this Spring planting your best one yet!