I have started celery from seed before, just not this year. It got too late. Johnny's Selected Seed site has a good write up on culture. They list pests and diseases, just not what I encountered. This is a third year garden, so I am still sorting things out. I have a lot of pests here that I never encountered on veggies before. Many fungus problems also, but I thought I had things spaced better this year. Celeriac - I posted a link below I found through search that has some info. We have been eating it for years, this is the first year growing it. Sometimes called celery root - it looks like a knobby root - softball size. It tastes like celery, maybe milder. It is very good cubed in soups and I like it in a winter veggie roast. Just toss all root crop chunks with Olive oil, salt and pepper and some herbs - thyme, etc. Slow roast. My partner covets the celery hearts - and he loves celeriac also. So you might like it. Buy some first, if you don't want to use up space - international markets seem to carry them more, although they seem to be getting more mainstream. They keep well in the fridge. Thanks for your responses... Here is a link that might be useful: Celeriac

Ever have a fish aquarium? If so you probably have heard of the nitrogen cycle. As soon as the first fish hits the water it begins producing ammonia in it's waste. Bacteria then arrive to break the ammonia down into nitrites. Another set of bacteria arrive to break the nitrites down into nitrates. In other words if there is a food source for them the bacteria will come. It is also true that the nitrogen cycle in a fish tank can be sped up by setting up a new tank with some sand or gravel from an established tank. This introduces the bacteria instead of waiting for their populations to build. This would be akin to the compost. However, any organic matter will come with it's own set of bacteria that are already working on it. The worm castings are loaded with bacteria making any other inoculant redundant. This isn't to say that it's 'wrong' to add another source of bacteria, but if you are using a soilless mix I am guessing you want to avoid a growing medium that is composed of tiny particles that will compact over the course of the season in your containers. Compost will do this so if you feel like you really want to add some, keep the percentage low and you should be just fine. In practice things like fish liquids, compost and worm casting teas etc. have their nutrients in forms already available to plants or are capable of being rapidly made available so trying to maintain a large bacterial population is not necessary. I will also point out that in my experience it matters a lot what you intend to grow. If you intend to grow water thirsty tomatos you could probably grow them just fine in pure compost. If you want to grow a plant more demanding of sharp drainage such as a sempervivum it probably won't do well in pure compost. It's the potting mix that stays wet for days that is going to cause the most problems, but if the potting mix loses most of it's water content in a single day then you probably won't have any problems.

Welcome to rebag's Member Page ... First registered on May 10, 2008. Today, a post identical to the one at the start of this thread was made by Rebag in the Vermicomposting forum. Another identical post by Rebag was made in the Soil, Compost and Mulch forum. Rebag, you may just be a very enthusiastic new poster (and vermicomposter) and trying to help other gardeners on GardenWeb with your information. However, you may also be someone trying to increase sales of a commercial product. This happens here, a lot. All the best, -Patrick p.s. I've grown first-rate vermicompost in an abandoned bathtub. It didn't smell. At all. Worms will grow almost anywhere conditions are right for them; they don't even need containers. Though as Annpat points out in her reply on your thread in the Soil forum, an $8.00 container works just fine for vermicomposting. And if managed well, it smells just fine. :)

Scotty66 - "Dirt" and "soil" are typically used interchangeably. Soil does have an actual definition and an entire science behind it, although I am not all that knowledgeable on the subject, as I mentioned in my first post. But I do know that compost and soil are NOT the same thing, and compost is not the same thing as a mixture of peat moss, coir, and perlite or vermiculite, as another person suggested. Compost (if it's purely compost from kitchen and yard waste) lacks the minerals found in both natural soil AND potting soil. It breaks down to one important element of soil, humus. I didn't really think that things simply *can't* grow in compost only... if that were the case, weeds would never grow on the pile, and I often see that when people have piles they just allow to sit. But, based on what I have read, it's not generally an optimal growing medium. I can grow certain plants in a glass of water, but that doesn't mean that's the optimal medium for their growth. I also don't think that an unamended bale of straw is the best medium for long-term growth of plants. It's definitely not "dirt" even if you can grow in it. Interesting experiment JH, to prove that things can grow well! I do wonder whether there is a difference between growing solely in compost in a closed container, and growing solely in compost which is sitting on natural soil or crushed rocks, or next to such a surface (to allow for adequate drainage.) Jon's experiment aside, a raised bed filled with compost but open to the ground is different from planting in only compost. If I had huge amounts of compost and didn't want to spend money to purchase additional soil, then I would probably try to plant in only the compost. But, since that is not the case, I prefer to add soil. In the case of someone wanting to compost in the raised beds... adding soil or some amendments will likely be a necessity, if for no other reason that that compost piles shrink dramatically and it will be difficult to make enough compost in the beds to fill the beds by spring.