I use Fafard professional growers mix. It's equivalent to Pro-Mix which is slightly more expensive. They're both (as far as I know) soil-less professional growers mixes specifically formulated for seed starting.

My neighbor winter sowed fresh seeds in milk jugs last year using his own garden soil. He got zero germination.

I winter sowed fresh seeds in milk jugs last year using Fafard professional growers mix. I got 95% or better germination.

Use the potting mix which is soilless and get more if you need to.

The description of the MG garden soil reads -
Where to Use
Use for in-ground gardens.

Where Not to Use
Not for use in pots or containers.

Your 'baddie' may have been Hyponex? It's never been good:)

Use the potting mix. The garden soil is what you would use if your dog dug a hole in a bed and you had to fill in the hole.

I've actually had good luck with MG garden soil with one major BUT. Do not buy a light bag of the stuff. Especially at the end of the summer, when there hass been a very heavy demand, MG tends to ship out incompletely composted bags of not quite soil yet. A one cubic foot bag should be pretty heavy to lift. If it feels light, skip it. I've returned opened bags to Home Depot whenever I find that I do not have good soil inside. They always refund my money without question even when there has only been half a bag left.

But when the bag has really "done" soil, I've had great luck using it for wintersowing and you don't have to feed the seedlings. And it it is cheaper than the potting soil.

KimKa

Definitely use the potting mix as it is properly formulated for container growing, and usually contains a mix of peat, perlite, lime, etc. Containers need good drainage and the problem with soil, garden dirt, compost or such is that it will compact over time and water log the soil. Bad for little seeds and roots!

If you're going to do a lot of containers you can mix your own potting mix, or buy big bag(s) or a bale. I've used several brands of potting mix, but last year bought a big 3.8 CF bale of Pro-mix from the local Ace hardware which special ordered it and cost about $32. It is a nice mixture with no sticks or stones, although dealing with a compressed bale is not as easy as the bags, which are fluffier. I still have about 1/2 the bale left so there is plenty for this year!

Another vote for mix!! I am a lazy gardener, that hates to water anything. In my weather the soil would dry out to fast, and seeds must have some moisture to germinate and grow but not water logged at the same time.

Morz8 - Hyponex, that's it! Boy was that terrible and seen it at two stores I vistied recently. I can't believe that I had germination with my zinnia seeds using the Hyponex but maybe because it was in the spring when I sowed them. They are by far one of the easiest seeds that I've ever sowed.

Anyway, thank you everyone, I will be using the MG Potting Mix and the MG Garden Soil will stay in my garden shed until I need to ammend any of my beds for some reason.

Happy Holiday!
Linda

I got to ask a quick question!!

I was in the store tonight and I figured I better look at some soil. Well I found miracle grow moisture control potting mix. The pickings were slim. I paid 4.38 for 8qt, I just paid it and closed my eyes. I feel as that is expensive, have I been recycling my mix that long I forgot how much a bag was??

Anywho, do you guys think the moisture control potting mix is ok to use?? Or should I mix this with what I already have?? I may mix it regardless, though I just would like someone elses stand point on it.

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Don

Don - only on a winter-sowing forum, could someone appreciate a picture of a pile of frozen bags of potting soil, dusted with some snow!! :)

That picture makes me green with envy. Why did I not pick up a bunch of bags during the summer when potting soil was everywhere?!

I went to a nearby nursery supply back in August & loaded 3 bales of Fafard professional growers mix in my car, brought it home & set it inside the garage. Last month I tipped one bale end over end until I got it inside the kitchen. A bale will do nearly 200 milk jugs so looks like I'm all set!

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How much did the bale cost you, gardenweed??

I see all of this mix around here and I feel as if I do not have enough, I keep telling myself your sowing water bottles they are in milk jugs.

The Fafard is $32/bale + tax; Pro-mix is also available but it's a few dollars more per bale. Since it's the same formula as the Fafard, and the Fafard distributor is located in my old home town, I buy that. I kept track of how many milk jugs I WS last year with a bale and it comes out to 200 give or take a few. Cost-wise it's around 17 cents per container. When you see how many plants you get from a milk jug, that's (;-p) dirt cheap.