Top soil (any type) is dense and retains too much moisture.

You risk your seeds rotting or being compacted and unable to break out of the soil.

I would choose a better draining medium.

Just my opinion,

Bill

Seconded. Bill is absolutely correct.

Josh

Guys it's the complete opposite. It does not hold the moisture very much at all. I water them almost everyday because it tends to dry out pretty quick.

Please post the brand / name of this top soil you're using.

what you described doesn't sound like any top soil I've encountered?

Curious

Correction on my first post. I meant to say besides not holding moisture. Sorry Im using my phone because I do not have a computer at the moment.

TOPSOIL can vary in more than one way. If it is taken from a well amended established garden , it can have a lot of organic matter. It can be sandy, loam , clay or any combination.

I have made my own starting mix using garden soil(screened, mixe with dry crushed tree leave) . And on occasion with some added peat moss.

Lets look at it this way: You can always direct sow just about anything in the garden, weather permitting. And they all germinate and grow fine.

Having said all that, a soil less mix is a BETTER option, IMO.

This post was edited by seysonn on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 23:53

I feel like the topsoil is a bit sandy and being that it drains easy and does not hold moisture for very long that it probably does not hold nutrients very well. I decided to go get MG's Organic Choice and I'll mix in a little bit of the topsoil with that.

organic top soil usually isn't sterilized because it will kill the "beneficial microbes". So you can be at higher risks of diseases, molds, fungi, pests, stuff that like that.

I had a friend nurse a friends house plants in there green house only to get a spider mite infestation. Learned the hard way. Dont bring anything questionable into your grow aria unless your one of those people who like to learn the hard way. A bag of worms might be good for your soil but once it escapes you can find yourself seeking a lot more opinions. Sometimes the short cut is the longest way home.Just my opinion. If your looking for beneficial microbes add some worm castings to 5-1-1 and use that. Have you ever had to deal with Aphids? Things that can come in in soil can be a lot worse. Nematodes, Mites, Slugs,Ants,etc. etc.