Espoma Organic Seed Starter Premium Potting Soil Mix - All Natural & Organic Seed Starting Mix with Mycorrhizae. For Organic Gardening, 16 qt, bag - Pack of One

This is the product I have used for years for seeds and propagation of African Violets. Always satisfied. Good drainage . Perfect function for root development. I experienced occasional development of moss, which means I overwatered. I scrape it off the moss and allow some drying with resolution. Rich brown color.

I have used this seed starting mix for the past 3 years. It is awesome product.

This seed starting mix was light and airy. It allowed the seeds I planted to germinate well. It also held water well without being soggy. This soil mix is of high quality and appears to look really good. Some other mixes I’ve purchased tended to have pieces of mulch wood in them. This mix doesn’t have that filler and is top notch!

After removing the many sticks and clumps of something brown this worked great for seed starting. I think of seed starter as being very fine so the tiny seeds don't have to fight with large pieces. In that regard it was more like potting soil. It's a real plus that it is organic.

As an avid gardener I have learned that the most ideal and possibly the best garden soil has to have the right mixture of chemical components, physical components and biological matter to achieve optimum results. 1. Chemically soil must contain adequate amounts of essential nutrient contents, (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), be of suitable acid-alkaline reaction (pH levels), and free of substances toxic to plant growth, (such as herbicides). 2. Physically soil should allow water to drain through and air to gain ready admittance, but not so loose that it does not retain enough moisture and nutrients for the plants’ needs, (in other words moist well drained soil). 3. Biologically soil should contain an abundance of favorable organic matter (humus, which is what remains after extensive decomposition of organic matter), and other helpful soil organisms (such as earthworms) and a minimum of harmful ones, (such as nematodes). When the above three conditions are met, the gardener now has rich organic soil to successfully grow and harvest a variety of crops. Espoma Organic Seed Starter Premium Potting Mix has all the above components; it is dark, rich with organic matter, moist, soft and light. I was able to successfully grow and reap a bountiful harvest of tomatoes, hot peppers (serrano and habanero), lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots and a wide variety of herbs and flowering plants, using this seed starter mix and followed up with Espoma Organic Potting Mix. This is the best organic potting mix I've used and it gave optimum results. A+

I am an avid vegetable gardener with many years of seed starting experience. Over the years I have literally started many thousands of vegetable plants and flowers from seed. I use this mix just as it is. I do not add anything to it. The mix is very fine and suitable for starting small seeds like tomatoes and tomatillos. I started some Sweet Million seeds in this mix which are very small and as best I could tell every seed germinated. This is an ideal mix for bottom watering. I use 1020 trays and 32 cell flats. I fill the cells to the level the seeds are to be planted at and tamp the soil down. I use an extra cell for this that I cut out of an old tray. After that I add the seeds and then fill the cells to the top with seed starting mix. Then tamp down the mix again. At this point I bottom water. The soil mix absorbs the water all the way to the top of the cells within an hour. If it takes longer than that its only because I did not add enough water to begin with. I use bottom heat and a humidity dome and in a few short days things are sprouting. A litte seed starting advice. Use new cells and trays or wash the ones you have with water and bleach. One Tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water. Once cleaned be sure to rinse them with clean water. This is to lower the risk of molds and fungus's growing in your trays. Use bottom heat and a humidity dome. The bottom heat will greatly increase your germination rates and the speed at which your seeds germinate. Use a spray bottle to keep your humidity dome damp. Remove the humidity dome after your seeds have successfully sprouted. If you don't you will increase your odds of having a problem with molds and fungus's. Once the seeds are up and the shell of the seed is separated from the seedling the dome has done its job anyway. The tender seedlings may be somewhat dependent on the higher rate of humidity though so remember to remove the humidity dome gradually. Turn it a little so air can flow under it or cock it on one end. Then remove it entirely for half an hour to an hour at a time. In less than a day most seedlings will adjust and you can leave the dome off thereafter.

I used this soil for the last three years and had great success with my seedlings. Something was different about it this year. I don’t know if they changed the ingredients but every single one of my seedlings stunted and were completely destroyed. I planted hundreds of seedlings, and none of them developed their first set of true leaves. Unfortunately, these were all varieties that cannot be bought at garden centers. The seedlings would dry out multiple times a day and not retain the water well at all. I’m so disappointed and will not be purchasing this product again.

Any chance I get to buy Espoma products, I will! It's great quality and and a great value.

Well packed for shipping. Arrived quicker than expected. Soil is a nice dark colour, light in texture, and smells clean and earthy. My seeds began sprouting 3 days after planting, and are growing well. It's everything I had hoped for so will order again.

My alyssum seedlings are already sprouting!

It would dry out multiple times a day making it hard for seeds to sprout