You want a potting mix, not garden soil. Most folks seems to like Miracle Grow and ProMix best.

Karen

Promix gets my vote. Tried all kinds, promix is the only one that hasn't caked on me. Especially the one with fertilizer already in it...I think it's Promix BX. I usually buy 2 bales just for wsing.

I have used ProMix in the past and liked it except that it's so hard to wet initially. I'm running low and bought a bag of Fafard this time, highly recommended by the guy at the nursery. He said it contains a surfactant and is easy to wet. I haven't tried it yet.

Karen

My vote goes to ProMix. I was using the BX until last year when I tried the HP. We have really wet springs and starts to the summer and the high porosity of this soil proved itself. I had less moss growing atop the soil and feel I had more germination. I don't keep track, so I can't say that for sure.

The texture is much finer than the BX, so personally, the HP is my choice. Keep in mind though that both are great. I winter sowed for 4 years with the BX and my gardens are full to the brim!

I have used various mixes and prefer the compressed 2 cu ft bale of Pro-Mix. Mine just says Pro-Mix, no initials. I get what my HD carries. Miracle Grow works ok but I didn't care for the amount of extraneous wood pieces in each bag. K-Mart's brand (green bag) also worked well. I like buying the larger amount of Pro-Mix for about the same cost as a smaller bag of others. Was able to buy several bales at the end of the season for $10 each.

Pour some Pro-Mix in a big plastic tub, add water and stir with a garden fork or spade. No problem wetting the mix that way.

Just saying "Hey and welcome" to a ND homegirl!!

I've been using MG potting soil since 04'...works for me :D

Have fun,

Vera

My method is similar to mnwsgal. Use ProMix and rotate TWO large dishpans. I go to garage and fill one with ProMix, then saturate it in the kitchen with warm water. Warm seems to soak in faster. Then I go to the garage with second pan to repeat. By the time I've finished with the second, the first is ready. I use it and refill before I start using the second. I can rotate all day long this way.

Glad to see this discussion as I'm new to this and have been wondering...

Miracle Gro sells "seed starting" mix for about $3 for a not very big bag. Then they have a "potting soil" mix for about the same but a bigger bag. Someone told me last year that the reason my seed didn't sprout very well was because I used soil that wasn't "seed starting", and that actually anything that had pieces of bark in it would be too acid and would retard sprouting. I was actually using an off-brand bag of potting soil.

So which are y'all using? Is there a big difference between Miracle Gro's two products? Using the "seed starting" mix is getting kind of expensive, and I see little pieces of what looks like bark in it, so what's up with that? I've been toying with putting cheap potting soil or maybe even some of my good composted soil from the compost bin, after a good bake in the oven, in the bottom of the container with a layer of "the good stuff" on top. That way, the seed sprouts in "the good stuff" (maybe?) and then sends its roots on down in the cheaper stuff, and I don't have to spend a lot of money on soil.

Experienced WS'ers, what do you think?

seedmama,
You are right warm water works much better for rehydrating.

I use cheap potting soil on the bottom of my "hybrid" Earth**B*O*X planters and the top 6 inches is either ProMix or MG potting mix. I must stress however that the potting soil that I use at the bottom is cheap in price but it is good quality potting soil with a 50% peat in the mix. The 18 gallon Rubber**maid containers would have been too expensive to fill with good potting mix. This was not for WS however as I am first timer with WS.

Ilene, you don't need a seed starting mix for winter sowing - just potting soil. And you don't need to use your compost either - save that for your garden, they don't call it black gold for nothing :)

Your seeds already contain everything they need to sprout and support themselves for the first weeks right inside the seed, they don't need that rich environment (compost) to sprout - most seed starting mixes are about 2 ingredients, peat and perlite or peat and vermiculite and are nutritionally inert. Your seedlings will appreciate the compost later when you've planted them, down around their roots where they can take advantage of the nutrients.