Hey thanks for the encouragement! Glad you found the info useful. Cheers!

I thought the same thing with the sub count, 288 as of today!? I'm sub 289, ha! My seed trays are at the end of their life and was curious about soil blocking and came across this video. Informative, thoughtful and a natural host. This video gave me the confidence to go for it, thank you! I'm looking forward to more of your videos.

Hey thanks! I hear that the '90s are back in general -- might as well apply it to soil blocking : )

I can sense that over the next year I'm going to end up with a soil blocker collection 😂 I'll check out Lisa Zeigler's recipe - quite a few of the flower varieties I chose for the garden this year are based on her advice. She rocks! Like you, I have an absurd amount of plants started...I was showing my husband yesterday and he looked kind of terrified, whispering "we're going to need acreage aren't we..." Ha! Thanks for all of the recommendations! Cheers : )

@@jasmineshomegrown I was going to leave a comment with a bunch of tips, but I see other comments with some of my thoughts already expressed, so I'll just have to pile my tips onto theirs. Good info, here! I can strongly recommend getting the 3/4" micro-20 blocker. What's even more fun is when you have the square dibbles for the mini-4 blocker. Then you can plant tiny seeds (like lettuce) in the tiny soil blocks and you only up-pot those that germinate... and the 3/4" blocks fit perfectly into the 3/4" holes created by those square dibbles in the 2" blocks. (Hmmm.... almost seems like they planned it that way.) I have fun using alternative humidome seed-starting containers... from Chinese restaurant delivery bags. Yeah, whenever I order delivery, I save the little black containers with the clear plastic domes, cuz (well, what do those remind you of?) those are basically mini-humidity-domes. And they''re perfect for the micro-20 soil blocks. I'm pretty sure that you can fit two stampings (40 blocks) into one container. And they stack. So, you stamp 40 blocks into a container... plant your lettuce seeds... cover and stack them on top of the fridge and watch over the next few days for sprouting (not long right?) and then you can up-block them into 2" blocks, so you aren't using greenhouse space until you actually have sprouts. For me the best thing about the micro-20 blockers is the one-seed-per-block germination. I plant one tomato seed per block and if it germinates it gets up-blocked and then it goes into the garden... if it doesn't germinate, it goes on the compost pile. NO seeds get wasted thru the thinning process. (CAVEAT: I tried this with lettuce seeds; It's impossible. You'll have to thin them.) Blocking-up means not having to worry too much about timing. If you plant a bunch of lettuce seeds in micro20 blocks and they sprout in the middle of a sudden freeze, you can up-block them into the mini-4 blocks and put them on another shelf to wait for the (actual) Spring thaw. One thing I saw in another video (don't remember where) was a germinating rack that was basically a baking rack. Blew my mind. You can block up a 1020 tray and place it on a sheet cake pan and slide that into a baking rack until they germinate. I think you can fit two trays per pan. (Again, I don't remember.) Someday I will try this.

Thanks for the response! I'm sold on the tiny soil blocker. I hate wasting seeds so love the idea of putting just one per block while not dedicating a bunch of space until things sprout. Definitely wishing I had access to a speed/baking rack - since they fit one full sized sheet pan or two full hotels per slot - it'd be so convenient for stacking things up and moving them around! I need to work on going vertical for sure. Funny how restaurant equipment may be the answer to many of my food production quandaries : )

Thanks for all the info! 2400 seedlings on one table is impressive -- I wish I had the land to plant out 2400 starts!! I think this year I'm at about 500 total with my first round, and just getting started on my second succession of greens. 300 per tray sounds like a dream - based on all the comments, it looks like I'll be getting a 3/4" blocker sooner rather than later : ) I think the mesh inserts are taking up more space than I anticipated. I bet if I block directly into the 10x20 solid tray I could get 50. I'm going to try that! Cheers!

I squeeze 50 - 2" blocks into a 1020 tray as well.

I believe the mesh trays are designed to fit without sacrificing space, @@jasmineshomegrown. I, too, regularly fit 50 of the 'Mini-4' size blocks into a 1020 tray. Press the blocker up against the side for the first row, then press against the previous row for each consecutive stamping. I HAVE LEARNED that the secret to making perfect 3/4" cubes is to sift your compost with a standard kitchen sieve. I got a cheap one from the local 99-cent store (back when it was still 99-cents) and keep it with my soil blocking equipment.

I actually did some Maths on this one. I calculated that you can fit 338 Micro-20 blocks on a 1020 tray. The blocker is 4x5 cubes and four blocks takes up 3"... so you can fit 13 blocks across X 26 blocks down the length. Now that I think on it... maybe you could fit 27 down the length... so 351 blocks? Then again, since that's not convenient (at all!), you'd want to make 12 across and 25 down the length, (a total of 15 stampings) which cuts the total down to 300, which is actually a nice round number. Oh. Okay, now I'm just laughing.

@@OhPervyOne I use a sieve to for my 3/4" blocks too, makes for much nice blocks without all those little sticks and stuff to get in the way. I found my sieve at a yard sale.

Thanks so much for all the info! Happy gardening : )

Thanks for sharing! Cheers : )

Thanks so much! Super appreciate the feedback : )

Yes that’s a great idea! I think hotel pans might be the perfect solution : ) Cheers!

@@jasmineshomegrown I think cookie trays and sheet-cake pans would be ideal.

Wow! That’s awesome. Sounds like I can definitely squeeze more in : ) Thanks!

Thanks so much!

Thanks so much! Glad it was helpful : )

Glad you found the video useful! I'm a big fan of soil blocking at this point and am already getting excited about starting all of my seeds next year : ) Thanks for the tips on Gardener's Workshop!

Thanks for sharing your experience @milliepat! Great point about storage space - that's a challenge for me as well. I'm really looking forward to freeing up some more room in the garage once these cells trays have run their course. Cheers and happy growing!

@@jasmineshomegrown Soil block DIY mixes are confusing because it appears everyone has a special recipe. I purchased several soil block amendments for soil block recipes and when it runs out, I plan to use good quality commercial potting soil, worm castings, and vermiculite.🌷

@@MilliePat adding worm castings is a great idea! We're restarting most of our garden projects this year after a hiatus (life got in the way...ugh!) and a worm bin is most definitely on the list. I'm looking forward to playing around with my mix over the next few growing seasons : )

Excellent idea 😂

Thanks for the tip! I’m going to have to look into that : )

Ooooh good idea! I've just been letting the blocker air dry but a hair dryer would definitely guarantee no rust. Cheers!

I splurged and bought my blockers from Ladbrooke's in the UK. They have some on their website that are powder coated and nice colours too. I asked about the advantages and they said the blocks slide out easier. They arrived from the UK to BC Canada in just 10 days. I will be trying them for the first time in a month or two. (zone 4 here so I have to resist the urge to start everything too soon.

thanks!

Yes! I've also since seen people skip the dimpler, sprinkle seed, and then cover with vermiculite...so many different ways to approach soil blocking : ) Thanks so much!

@@jasmineshomegrown You're welcome! This is only my second year with the blockers, added the mini this year so i'm still fumbling along and learning as i go, overall pretty happy with the results but can see how other methods would be better for certain seeds. Enjoyed your video, thanks for sharing!

Skipping the dibbler is a great idea for blocks of lobelia. The seed is so fine and they grow well in grouped plantings.

Yes!! Need to get my worm farm going : )

I feel like capillary mats are in my future as well : ) Cheers!

I suspect that the roots will grow into the capillary matting.

@@OhPervyOne Oh, the blocks will go in a mesh tray for sure, then I can shift them daily. If they are big enough to get grabby, they can be bumped up, planted out, or just taken off the mat until I'm ready to give them their next home 🙂

Focusing on efficiency in workflow makes total sense! I used the 2x2 for two varieties of winter squash and they're really happy. They had enough space/nutrition to get their first set of true leaves and I potted them up yesterday into 5" pots. I was hoping to put them directly into the ground, but the weather just won't warm up! Cheers : )

I've used 2x2 for squash and zucchini. The seeds blow the soil blocks up very soon after sprouting. I wouldn't use it again myself for those seeds.

Interesting - thanks for sharing!

I, too, have used the 2" blocker for squash and zukes. There was definitely a bit of cracking but after I watered them I was able to press them back into shape and they held together just fine after that. Definitely something to watch out for so you can fix it if/when it happens... but when it does, it's not a lost cause. I suspect this depends on what kind of seeds you're using. I had no problem with zucchini, summer squash and little-bitty sweet pie pumpkins. But my larger seeds (like the blue hubbard, pink banana squash, and C. Maxima halloween pumpkins) made big vine sprouts which did crack blocks. Knowing this is possible and something to watch for and correct means this can still be Worth Doing.

Yep you nailed it! They are Bootstrap mesh inserts - love how durable they are, but no matter how hard I try I cannot for the life of me fit more than 36 2" blocks without smooshing something!

@@jasmineshomegrown I know you want to phase out plastic but by chance you need more mesh trays the shallow Bootstrap Farmers are the top half of regular ones so you get the extra half inch in each dimension you need to fit fifty 2" blocks which at least for me measure 1 7/8" each. In The New Orgsnic Grower Eliot Coleman has instructions for making three sided wooden trays to handle his soil blocking needs, an non-plastic option...

@@davec1117 good to know! The mesh trays are just so convenient : ) I’ll definitely check out Eliot Coleman’s method - maybe there’s a happy medium between the two. Cheers!