Before you tansplant out, wet the soil. It should be like we brownie mix. It's easier to handle that way. Unused soil? Sow more.

I both scoop them out with a spoon or my fingers and turn the bottle upside down. It helps to water them before turning them upside down and let the water drain out. The wet soil will help hold them together.

I use the leftover potting mix in pots.

I have had this same problem. Some soils just crumble no matter how wet or dry it is. There's too much sand or grit in it to hold it together. The containers that I mixed some peat into hold together a lot better. I use 1 part Scotts premium potting mix and 1 part peat. They don't crumble. Then when I plant those out, I turn the thing upside down and slide it out of the container. I break it apart into pieces and plant the chunks. It's better when the plants are a little larger cause the roots help hold everything together. Other time, I use an old spoon and gouge it out in small scoops.

When I planted my cabbage using the HOS method, I had to go back and thin them out. I didn't want 3 cabbage plants together. Some I was able to save and transplant. Others, not so much.

Oh, and the unused soil? I sprinkle around the area I just planted in case any seeds were way down inside and hadn't germinated just yet. I've gotten some new borage babies that way. Good thing too, the snow killed my largest one.

OK, cool. That's what I did, Token--just spread the leftover mix around the transplants. One bottle had a lot of mix left, so I WS'd more right in there. Guess I'm on the right track.

I definitely will try the watering "before" thing, though. I was frantic when the babies were falling apart.

Just keep them watered until they regain their legs. My cabbage had me tied in knots. It didn't help that a week after I planted it out, we got 4" of snow.

Prof,
Thanks for asking the very same thing I was about to.
I have been fretting about it, just in case I am lucky
and get a bunch of sprouts!
Mary

Mary, I'm pretty sure I had more seedlings than seeds sown with some of my containers. Other have kinda disappointed me. Trade seeds are sometimes like that. It's the chance you take. However, the red bee balm did fantastic thanks to 3 different traders over at the seed exchange. Two even got Cherry Brandy Rudbeckia from me in January for those seeds. I wanted it that bad.