No I dont bother..

I dont think it would be much of a issue starting seeds in it outside, you there is tons of fungus and bacteria when you direct sow them in the garden..

how much is really wasted? In my wintersown containers all of the promix goes directly in the ground with the seedlings.. I might have miniscule amounts left over that I throw in the compost or garden directly. .

Silverkelt

I have several containers that still haven't sprouted, and aren't showing any signs of it. The past couple of weekends I have needed some soil for this or that, and the containers are getting dumped or re-used a few at a time.

I had to cut some stems back from one of my Salvias this past weekend, so I went and got one of my yogurt containers that hadn't sprouted, put some rooting hormone on the stems and stuck them in there. :) Keeping my fingers crossed I will have six more salvias!

Silverkelt, I'm new and having a difficult time with patience. I've planted out a few jugs of very small seedlings that just barely passed the "true leaves" test. I have jugs with quite a bit of soil left. Were I more patient and experienced I probably wouldn't have this question!

I felt the urge to both reduce the number of jugs I have to tend and get seedlings in the ground. I know container plants grow so much better once they're in the ground and I thought seedlings might be the same, so off to Terra they went.

Connie, maybe your salvias will have some friends in those jugs, too! It's only April.

Do not be too much in a hurry, only thing i have out is super hardies like poppies and bachelor buttons..

We are not done with our last frosts, most things will survive but not necessarly thrive in the very cold, I usually wait until may 10th or so, just to make sure.

Wait until you have the second stage of leaves as well, roots are much bigger that way..

Heck they are saying chance of snow again tonight!

Last year I planted tomato seeds in a cup with soil from a morning glory which did not germinate with the other morning glories. Surprise, weeks later the morning glory popped up amongst tomato seedlings.

I dump the soil from unsprouted jugs in garden areas in hope that I might find a late sprouted seedling as a surprise. If I have more seed that matches that in the unsprouted jug I will sometimes just add it to that container.

This winter I have been reusing soil from last year's large display pots for my ws.

Yep, I have reused it and it resulted it random tomatoe plants popping up all over the yard.

I do but I mix it w/fresh soil/growers peat mix leaf mold ect..

I got a free sample of ornamental grass seed and planted it in a 72 cell flat in the spring of '08. Nothing happened.

In the spring of '09 I reused the flat, soil and all, for annual flowers and the grass germinated.

I re-use the soil from my patio containers from year to year. Just dump the dirt in the wheelbarrow, pick out the dead vegetation, refill the containers and plant. I've not had any issues yet. It just seems like such a waste not to use it again.

I have several large containers in which I grow annuals for my patio. In the spring I remove old stems and roots, amend with some compost and replant. I usually dump the soil from small breakable pots in the garden. I have also used a container which did not produce seedlings for sowing my Hollyhocks which I do in summer. No problems so far.

Some of my containers (poppy, sweet pea, and chinese forget-me-nots) had quite a bit of soil left after I planted them out. I reused the soil in several of my larger herb planters. I know what you mean, all that good soil you just hate to to toss it in the compost. I usually wait for the end of the year before I do that.

I reused some potting soil and now I think there's a larkspur seedling in one of the tomato cups.

Lois in PA

I reuse all my WS soil in my containers - I have a system set up where I sift all soil from last years decorative containers and WS containers into a wheelbarrel and use it along with some fresh potting soil for this years decorative containers and windowboxes. I have had no problems with disease and sometimes get that 'happy' surprise. Sifting it allows me to remove stems and roots so the end result is pretty clean. Anything that doesn't sift through goes into the compost pile - I recycle everything except weeds that have gone to seed ......

Lynne

I reuse all my potting mix. I also get a lot of weeds: purslane, clover, grass, anise hyssop, for ex. I've trained myself not to get too excited by the first sprouts in my w'sow containers, cuz it's prolly not what I planted! Yet. Worth it to me, anyway. I do any adjustments necessary--peat, perlite, MVP. BTW composted leaves are a superior peat substitute.

Yes. There's always a pile of containers that- for whatever reason- failed to germinate. I dump them in the wheelbarrow, and do more sowing from it. Like you say- don't want it to go to waste!