catman529 Quote:
"This is made from composted bark, poultry droppings, and sphagnum peat."

mmmm, sounds yummy, lol

You said you had a little of the other mix left try mixing them together would work fine, I think. Best of luck with your '09 tomato garden. :)

Thanks, good idea. I might mix some of the other stuff in with the compost & droppings :)

Best of luck to your garden as well...I can't wait to plant mine

Sorry for the sarcasm (I just can't help it) but Miracle Grow and Organic do not, in my mind, belong in the same sentence. At any rate good luck to you with your seedlings.

Well I trust Miracle Gro so I hope their organic stuff turns out well. The main thing is getting healty tomato seedlings to grow in it for 8 weeks or more. I think it will work..

Does it say on the bag that it can be used for seed starting? Seed starting mixes differ from growing mixes. Seed starting mixes normally don't contain any large particles (like the bark) or any fertilizers - organic or otherwise. They are just pH neutral mixes of peat, vermiculite or perlite, and lime to adjust the pH, and sometimes a wetting agent.

I have never used it but while it sounds like it might be a good container growing mix, I'd be concerned that the chicken manure might be too hot for germinating and for young seedlings.

I've only read one review of it and that was over on the Growing from Seed forum. That poster was "disappointed in the results". Guess all you can do is give it a try.

Good luck.

Dave

PS: Walmart carries Jiffy Mix for starting seeds if they aren't sold out of it already.

Catman,
It appears Miracle Grow Seed Starting Mix may be in short supply for some reason.
I was just at our Lowes and they only had Ferry Morse Seed Starting mix.
That is odd, as theyÂve always had a pallet of MG seed starting mix.
Plus ReimerÂs seed company who recommends MG seed starting mix shows out of stock.
I agree with Dave, if it doesnÂt say seed starting mix it isnÂt intended to be for seed germination.

IÂm in a quandary with this aspect of growing also, as I normally buy Light Warrior from Fox Farm, but that local store closed down and shipping of an item like this can be major $$.
I would shop around and use the MG Organic for potting up houseplants.

I saw the Jiffy mix at Walmart but I didn't know if it was any good, so I put it back and got the MG stuff...now I am regretting doing that. I plan to plant the seeds tomorrow and I don't know if I will be able to get back to Walmart to get the Jiffy mix. I'll see what can be done though.

I tried growing in both the peat pellets and MG Potting mix this year...though vague , here's pics of both,,,
First The MG potting mix seedlings planted 1-24
{{gwi:1300622}}

Will be potting them up soon to larger homes

And then the peat pellets planted on 1-30

{{gwi:1300623}}

If you can get the Jiffy I think you'll be happier with it for the seed starting. I have used it when I run out of ProMix and had good luck with it - not the greatest stuff on the market but it does the job.

But the Jiffy mix is just for germination, not growing, ok? No nutrients in it.

Dave

I used the Jiffy mix (bought at WalMart) to start my seeds in. I purchased some VERY small tomato seedlings in Jan (We're talking 3" at the very most), when I knew absolutely nothing about what I was doing, and put them in the MG organic potting mix in containers outside, and kept them outside in some pretty chilly temps. (You may have seen some of my previous posts on this.)

To my surprise, they are doing well. (They had a few unhappy days, but have since perked back up.) I bring them inside when the temps fall below 40 at night, but otherwise, they stay out and are growing. (We'll see how they produce in comparison to my other plants)

I realize this doesn't answer your question about starting your seeds in the MG Organic mix, but it does at least give you some perspective as to how well some very small seedlings worked in that medium.

: )

If I use the Jiffy mix, I will use MG all-purpose plant food (this will work, am I right?)

How much should I give the seedlings initially and when do I start feeding them?

Once they have their first true leaves I will put them in 16oz cups with the organic mix.

No feeding is needed until the first true leaves develop and that is when you transplant them normally. That is why seed starting mix has none in it. Once transplanted, then what you use and how often is determined by your mix and plants. If feeding is needed the the usual recommendation is 1/4 to 1/2 strength diluted fertilizer.

You'll find many discussions here about this including in the FAQ here on how to grow tomatoes from seed.

Dave

So the cot leaves basically provide the necessary nutrients till the true leaves come out (which of course like you said is when to pot them). I'll start with 1/4 strength water soluble MG all-purpose fert when I pot the seedlings. How gradually should I work my way up to 1/2, and then full strength fert? Assuming I fertilize them at the recommended rate (I think it is every 2 weeks).