Thank you for all your responses! You are right, it is a bit late - I should have asked this question sooner. The vegetable blend from Lyncso came pre-prepared (top soil, manure and redwood) and I don't really know what the ratio was. We just happened to have some of our backyard dirt (clay - san jose type, no idea what that means) in to fill the remainder - mixed well. So, it is more clay than initially intended. That said, I also think one of the comments was right on, I did "compact" the dirt a little as we put it into the bed (4x11x18) but it seems to keep sinking. Very easy to press on it and compact it. When I added this last bit of seeds for beans and broccoli rabe, I turned and compacted the soil a little by hand first to see if that will help. I'll definitely do Fava this winter in some of the bed, but I will also do other winter veggies. that brings up a question, in an area where continuous gardening is possible, when do you amend? I can imagine by the time the summer veggies are done I will already need to have added the broccoli, cabbage, spinach and other winters. Buckets sure seem easier :-)

Thanks Milehighgirl - I'll check them out (not today, though - I'll wait till we have some meltage tomorrow). Here is a link that might be useful: their ad on craigslist

I think that may be overcomplicating things. I used the thatch and dried clippings from scalping as seed cover last year and it worked fantastic. It's free and available right on the spot. It basically all melted into the ground in about 3 weeks from all the water and the starter fertilizer. Personally I think the big prize when it comes to seeding would be successfully pre-germinating the seed. You could in theory pre-soak and get germination overnight if you put it down at exactly the right time. I had success mixing the TTTF seed with sand, wetting it and putting it down after 3 days, but on a very small scale, it was just a patch.Of course, fescue germinates quickly anyway, but in my situation with water being very expensive it would still save me about $150 not having to water the whole surface for 3 days. Now if you can get that working with KBG, then you're on to something, you could really cut down on those 2-3 weeks.

Based on tonnes and tonnes of reading (only) here is what I have to say about using Coco Coir: 1. When buffered correctly (treated with Calcium and some magnesium), it doesnt bind any nutrients - it becomes perfect for anything - seed starting and growing. 2. When in its ideal state (buffered), its innate - NEUTRAL NPK, meaning whatever nutrient your plant/seed needs, you will provide 100%, and what you feed the plants is what you get. Now this is one major reason why pro gardeners love it - Since you are certain the medium is neutral, you then provide EXACTLY what the plant requires AS RECOMMENDED. 3. Another reason pro gardeners love it is because Its structure is good as it allows some air into the root zone which the plants roots need and its water retention ability. For seed starting, i reckon you have to compact it more by means of lifting and dropping the tray or container, so the coir compacts more. 4. Like stated, this will be ideal for Hydroponics, again meaning you have to provide the nutrient the plant requires (usually water soluble). 5. The seed has enough nutrients that will sustain it till germination (grow its true leaves/from 4 leaves), but beyond that, you need to provide lower NPK fertilizer like Liquid Fish (Low on Nitrogen - this prevents leggy plants). Micro nutrients (which liquid fish doesnt have????) should be provided by adding liquid Kelp (or Azomite dust) As for the rocks used on top, its to prevent moulds from forming ontop of the coir. Its said that when Sun/Light interacts with the nutrient fed to the plants, the Coir is a good medium to host moulds and some other fungus. In the seed growing stage, you prevent this mould growing by watering from below with low strength chamomile tea. It acts as a form of anti-fongus.. Seems its getting boring. Like I stated, all this is based on tonnes of reading (but it makes a lot of sense to me)