Homemade Seed Raising Mix

Knowing how to make your own seed raising mix is super handy when you run out and don’t want to drive to buy more, or your fav organic mix is no longer in stock or you are sick of buying stuff in plastic bags!

That being said, I am not on a mission to do every single little thing myself. There are times when bought seed raising mix is a godsend, but don’t buy any old mix – be choosy:

• Go organic, or at the least, choose a mix without fungicides or artificial fertiliser or peat. Just because a bag has a ‘natural look’ and says seaweed on the front doesn’t mean its natural – read the ingredients.
• Use your sense of smell. If it smells bad, it is bad, ie sour or musty … ewww, walk on by.
• Give the bag a little squeeze. If the contents feel wet and clumpy, forget it.
• Choose bags that are stored undercover and in the shade. I mean, really. Can you think of a single thing that benefits from being sealed in plastic and sat in the sun? No. Me neither.

If there’s no pre-mix to your liking, buy the separate components listed below, or read on gardener – perhaps you have all you need at home!

My very flexible recipe

There are 100’s of tried and true “best” seed raising mix recipes out there. From this, you can deduce that its a very flexible thing. The key elements of a good seed raising mix are:

• that water is able to easily pass through
• as water passes through, some is lightly held in the mix
• that it can supply a little food to support growth after germination
• that all ingredients are really well broken down – nothing to burn those tender new roots
• that all ingredients smell fresh and sweet
• that there are no residues of pesticides/ herbicides/ fungicides

My basic mix is in three parts. Evenly (ish) measure each using the same size pottle or even your hands, if only a small amount is needed. I like to keep the individual elements separate and mix them on demand.

+ a third is the food: seeds are complete packages that contain enough food to kickstart their journey, but they need a little something for when the leaves and roots begin to grow. Choose either vermicastings, mature homemade compost or really well broken down manure – so well decomposed that the worms have well gone. Bought compost is super concentrated – use a scant third.
+ a third is the grit, for drainage: river sand, bought propagating pumice or propagating sand
+ a third is the moisture retention: something peat-y, but please, not peat, vermicastings, mature homemade compost or leaf mold.

Vermicastings and compost (homemade specifically) feature twice, because yes – they can make up to two thirds of your brew, and this is infact one of my fav mixes.

Mix it up

Measure your chosen ingredients, one pottle food, one pottle grit, one pottle peat-that’s-not-peat into a bucket and mix it together. Squeeze it together and feel it. It should be loose, like the bought stuff!, with just a small amount of stick. Add a little more of one or other ingredients until it feels right.

Getting the feel right takes trust (in yourself) and practise. Your seedlings show you if they like what you made, although don’t blame poor germination and slow growing seedlings solely on the mix. It’s only part of the equation – temperature, timing and watering are the others. Get them all spot on and steadily + greenly, your seedlings will grow.

To sieve or not to sieve?

No rules, it’s all about workability and what feels best to you. Personally, I don’t sieve – the way I see it, is nature doesn’t, and all her seeds grow tickety boo. I just pick out any obnoxious bits as I go.