Audrey,

First, welcome to the wonderful wacky world of winter sowing.

When you say 'garden soil' do you mean soil you have taken from your outside garden, or something labeled 'garden soil' or something else?

Do not use outside dirt for your WS'ing or anything labeled garden soil. Use something labeled potting soil, or soil for containers.
Even so there is a wide diversity and a lot of confusion. There are many threads about soil on the forum if you do a search. [the search function is on the left about halfway down, it took me a while to find it.]

I have read several threads and the consensus seems to be:
Pro-mix the best, also good Fafard and Sunshine.
Miracle Gro- seems about 50-50, some people swear by it, others say it is no good.
Consensus also - do not buy cheapo unknown soil - you will regret it.

One thing I did once was I asked at my local nursery where he got his soil from, and he sold me a big bag. It was fantastic stuff, and inexpensive. I'm going to go to nurseries this week, and see if I can again scoop up such a treasure.

Probably the best and certainly the least expensive route is to make your own. [I don't].

ellen

Here are some recipes:
Classic soil-based mix
1/3 mature compost or leaf mold, screened
1/3 garden topsoil
1/3 sharp sand

Note: This mix results in a potting soil that is heavier than modern peat mixes, but still has good drainage. Compost has been shown to promote a healthy soil mix that can reduce root diseases. Perlite can be used instead of sand. Organic fertilizer can be added to this base.

Prick-out mix for growing seedlings to transplant size
6 parts compost
3 parts soil
1-2 parts sand
1-2 parts aged manure
1 part peat moss, pre-wet and sifted
1-2 parts leaf mold, if available
1 6" pot bone meal

The following recipe is credited to Eliot Coleman.

Organic potting mix
1 part sphagnum peat or coir
1 part peat humus (short fiber)
1 part compost
1 part sharp sand (builder's)

to every 80 qts. of this add:

1 cup greensand
1 cup colloidal phosphate
1 1/2 to 2 cups crabmeal, or bloodmeal
1/2 cup lime

Good morning!

I'll put my two cents in on this one.

I used miracle grow potting mix last year and had mixed results. The first two bags were full of sticks, twigs and even some plastic. I planted in it not knowing any better and nothing came up in any of the containers. The second set that I did, again I used miracle grow and had great results.

I planted with a friend last year and she used walmarts expert blend, it was a lot heavier than my bags but her plants were twice the size of mine come the end of the summer. It could have been by chance but that's what happened.

This year I found a place locally to buy promix and have done all my containers in that, I'll report back in the spring.

I also have four friends doing wsing with me this year, we are sharing the same seeds and all are using different soils as a test.

1. promix
2. farfards
3. walmarts expert blend
4. miracle grow potting mix

We'll see who fairs better in the spring.

Lisa

Lisa, here's what I learned during my first year.

We all have micro-climates in our own back yard. I live in Zone 5 according to everything I have read, in a north facing condo. If I put one flat on my neighbor's patio and put the exact same things in a flat on my patio, I have learned to expect different results.... even though we used seeds from the same packet, potting mix from the same bag and the exact same type of container.

The first year I winter sowed, I was so upset at watching people in my zone report sprout after sprout while I still had nothing at all. I gotta tell ya... it sucks being the last one in your zone to see green!! Darned micro-climate of mine!!

You can test this in your own yard. Put one flat in the front yard and another in your back yard, and see what happens!

Audrey, poorly drained soils are a key contributor to poor seedling/plant growth. A well-aerated, well-drained, lightweight mix is best for your WS containers - you want happy roots.

Garden soil is not recommended for containers because it compacts, leading to poor aeration and poor drainage. That goes for both soil from your garden, and purchased bagged 'top soil' too.

Audry: "And that seemed to say as long as I poured boiling water on my compost I could use it without fear of Hunks of Weeds. So I assumed the same would hold true for Garden Soil. No, eh? Which FAQs did I miss?"

Compost is very, very different from soil. Especially garden soil. Whatever soil is on the ground, whether in your garden or not, has clay. Clay makes the soil clump and harden. Once the soil starts to dry, it hardens and there is no way without working it to make it become soft again. As the soil drys, it shrinks and begins to pull away from the walls of the container. Once this happens, as you begin to water the container it runs between the wall of the container and out the drainage holes... if compacted clay has not clogged those holes.

The potting MIX is much more like the texture of compost. It has no clay and no seed. There is nothing in it to make it hard. It holds water much better than garden soil, because clay causes water to run off, but since potting MIX doesn't contain clay, more moisture is absorbed and contained. There are no nutrients in clay, so while some roots might be strong enough to cut through it, there is nothing in the clay to keep them healthy or to help them grow.

Lots of good choices out there. Here's a copy paste of something I wrote earlier this season:

Two rules of thumb that have served me well:
1. If the list of ingredients says "forest products" RUN!! While it may include leaf mold, it's mostly a euphemism for sticks, twigs and wood chips.
2. Buy a bag that is light for it's size. That suggests of course, more peat, less other stuff.

3. I know I said 2, but I'm too tired to edit. Buy something that includes "wetting agent" as an ingredient so the peat will be easier to wet.

Don't toss the containers you already have with garden soil. Who knows it could work.

But give yourself a leg up on success. Use a potting mix that will provide good drainage and aeration.

Hi,
I use Schultz potting soil-plus.

This year Menards did not have it out yet,so i went to Walmat,and bought:

Miracle Gro potting MIX--not soil.

Although i can not tell you yet how this will have worked as far as sprouts,and growth,i can tell you,this mix is nice and fluffy,no twigs,small rocks,no plastic pieces.
I have so far,loved using it.
My containers are light weight,and drained well.

An important aspect to WSing for me is also price,i have never been one to skimp on good potting mix(soil).I am willing to pay a little more for something that is good,and i know is dependable,i have never had a failure with the Schultz,cost wise,i think i paidaround $8.00 for a 2 cubic foot bag.

Mircale Gro pottong MIX--$9.99 for a 2 foot cubic bag last week from Wal-mart.

So far this year,i have gotton 121 containers from 2 bags of Shultz, and 2 bags of Mircale MIX.

Some of my containers are soda bottles,milk cartons,cottage cheese containers(large ones),4 inch deep lasagina pans,(my favorite to use)and the large sweater containers,(also a favorite of mine)oh, and for the first time last week i did use 4 plastic shoe boxes.But for the most part, thing are sown in larger containers.

I hope this helps you ,
cAROL

Thank you all so much!

I will save what I have already sown. As seedmama says you never know! And my own garden soil has had a lot of compost put in it and doesn't have too much clay so my early efforts might work!
BUT from now on I will get some better stuff.
Thanks!
Audrey

Speaking of soil and compost...do you of you know if the New York City Compost Give Back has been reinstated for this spring?

"Compost Givebacks are normally held every spring and fall. As of Fall 2008, since Leaf Composting Collection has been suspended, there is no raw material to create more compost. The Fall 2008 Compost Givebacks were the last Givebacks until sometime in the future after (and if) leaf composting collections are restored."

I'll ask over at the Soil Forum too

too bad the leaf collections were suspended. Yesterday I went to the Public Works in the small town where I live, to ask if my gardening project could get some composted leaves.
Turns out they don't keep the leaves they send them to another town.
The guy said people complained when he tried to hold on to the leaves, they didn't like the way it looked!
Short-sighted.

Nancy,

I have all of the crates here because people couldn't get them home in their cars because we had already put the drain holes in...duh! My hubby will deliver them in his truck when the weather warms up a bit. I hope to keep them for a bit and see what happens when it comes to sprouting time.

Lisa

For several years I've used Jiffy Mix for starting my tomato and pepper seeds indoors, under lights, with consistent success. So I'm using the same stuff for my first try at Winter Sowing (just did most of my seeds today, just as it started snowing!). And I found a great price at my local Fred Myers (mail-order through seed companies can be two and three times the price).