You could...I used to, with peat moss, vermiculite and perlite when I needed allot, now I use less, a bag or two of Miracle-Gro works fine.

I make my own, Marcia. I screen the potting soil and add a bit of screened perlite (so I get just the smaller bits) and a bit of fine vermiculite.

For the screen I use the screening thing sold at Lee Valley but a sifter would probably work, too. Or one of those plastic collander looking bowls with slits in it (think dollar store).

I have always made my own starting mix using potting soil, perlite (vermiculite is better but not always easy to find) and peat moss. You can start seeds in pure peat moss as well but it should be moist as to allow for volume. I have also started seeds in just perlite but I find it more cost efficient to prepare my own mix and it works just as well. Good luck. :)

Ginny

PS The last couple of years I have stocked up on soil , perlite and peat moss while the stores have them in stock or on sale. Last year I bought about 2 dozen potting trays with peat pellets half price at Can. Tire in the early summer. Great if you have room to store them. :)

Have you tried your local feed stores Marcia? Sometimes they carry bales of sunshine mixes or pro-mix. 100 klicks from our town is a larger city and it has an Art Knapp's nursery there that is open year round where I can get bales of various pro-mix but one of the larger feed stores carry sunshine mix year round too.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll see if i can get some peat moss tomorrow and some vermiculite or perlite. I may have a bit of vermiculite - not sure. I'd really like to get started on some winter sowing....

Oh - what about proportions? Just mix things together until they feel right?

Savona, i think you may have mentioned that to me as well about feed stores and i may have told you that there aren't any around here, but i just recalled a store in a farming community between here and Dryden that carries feed. I'll give them a call. We'll be passing by tomorrow, but they'll be closed.

Ginny, i keep telling myself every year to stock up on the seed-starting mix once they get it, but it never seems to happen!

Hi Marcia.

You may have found something already, but, do you have a Peavy Mart anywhere near you? I saw their flyer the other day and they were advertising some type of seed starting mix. I recall last year that it was the only place stocking it when I wanted it. Hmmm. Reminds me. I need to get at it soon, too =:)

Home Hardware is advertising it but we went to town today and they weren't open. >:( So i got some potting soil, perlite and sphagnum moss (no peat moss in the store). I hope that doesn't make any difference.

NAF, no Peavy Mart here - pretty much just Walmart and Canadian Tire, and two garden centres that don't open until a lot later.

Happy seeding Marcia! Sphagnum moss is just a form of peat moss. :) Works great! What are you starting?

Ginny

I bought a half-cube of Sunshine Mix at Home Depot this winter. I can't remember exactly which month it was, but I was surprised to find it because it's an outdoor seasonal product too and they usually don't have it in the winter.

Our Walmart is just re-setting to spring seasonal right now, so if you hang on it will probably be out soon.

I'm sort of liking Jiffy Pellets this year. They're so easy and clean. I'll be transplanting to pots after things get a little bigger.

I have some peat pellets but i wanted to do some winter sowing and i've never used them for that. Not sure what i'm going to start - i took a few things from the Box of Seeds that i can WS. Lord knows why - i don't have enough room for anything new! Of course, when i told my granddaughter that, she said "You can just put them in buckets!" LOL

Oh yeah I wouldn't use Jiffy Pellets for WS either. I bought a bag of lightweight potting soil for that. It's mostly peat moss anyway. I haven't WS for years but I'm enthused this year, with all the milk jugs the weasel seems to be producing. :/

The milk jugs here are more expensive than the bags, so i don't have so many. But with my son living here this winter, we'd be going through a jug every other day - i'd be rich! LOL