Sometimes winter feels like I’m an addict that can’t scratch the itch! The garden slows down and the anticipation of spring isn’t quite here yet – what can you do to get the green thumbs brown with dirt? Making a start on your springtime plants by sowing seeds is a great way to take the edge off things right now.
Growing your own produce and plants from seeds is the only real way to ensure they are grown just the way you like it. Maybe you’re an organic gardener, perhaps you just want maximum harvest in the shortest time possible or you grow from seed because it will save you a ton of money and give you a ton of plants. The problem with growing from seed is all the small plastic pots you need to do it. Well, the answer is to give soil blocking a go.
Soil blocking is a simple seed starting technique that involves compressing soil mix into cubes and sowing directly into it. It comes with a list of benefits too, mainly a more robust root system compared to those grown in conventional plastic containers due to the extra available oxygen. Soil blocks allow for air pruning, which encourages roots to grow more fibrous and robust. This results in healthier plants that can better absorb nutrients and water from the soil.
You’ll need to invest upfront with a soil blocking press, they are not expensive and once you have this, you’ll no longer need all the plastic cells and pots normally associated with sowing seeds. The soil mix is coir based and you can use straight coco fibre from the hardware store, depending on what you are germinating you may want to add some perlite to make it freer draining or perhaps a handful of blood and bone for added nutrients.
The tricky part is getting the right moisture levels for the soil mix to hold together, you want it wet but not too sodden so it falls apart, if it doesn’t work out you can use the same mix again and again until you get the right consistency. Once loaded and pressed out of the blocking press the cubes of soil should hold up under their own weight and have smooth sides. As a tip rinse the blocking press between rows as this will make the next press of blocks more consistent. The press will put a dimple on the top of each individual block for you to place the seed of your choice.
Press your blocks into a tray and line them up with a small gap around each block for air flow and only water when the mix starts to dry out. Do not overhead water them or they will disintegrate so simply fill the tray slowly and the blocks will suck up the water they need.
Once your seedlings are growing well and you see true leaves on them, they are ready for planting out into the garden. Place the whole block into the planting hole and simply backfill and due to the lack of disturbance of the roots you’ll experience minimal transplant shock and a healthy vigorous growth rate as the plant matures.
If its vegetables you want to grow, there are lots of things you can be sowing right now – I would only sow what you like to eat as growing your own is time consuming and a lot of effort, so you want something you really enjoy at the end of it all. Starting your tomatoes, cucumbers and capsicums now will give you head start on the season and ensure they will be fruiting as soon as the warmer weather arrives. It’s a good idea to sow these again in a month to six weeks’ time to prolong your harvest for as long as possible.
If its herbs that tickle your fancy, and they are much less ongoing maintenance than vegetables, sow your warm season ones now too. This includes but isn’t limited to Parsley, basil, coriander, thyme and oregano. By the time they get up and strong it will be warm enough to get them in the ground.
I also sow flowers for the garden beds, things like cosmos, poppies and cornflowers all look their best when planted in huge clumps and dotted through the existing shrubs and plants but to do this properly you need lots of them. The benefit of doing flowering annuals like this in soil blocks is not only the saving in plastic and money but the increase in success when planted out into the garden.
