Soil Block Maker Tool Kit

This is far better than plastic trays, compressed peat pots, or any of the DIY methods like egg cartons, egg shells, or origami newspaper pots. The whole block goes into the prepared planting bed and you are done. I use the minis for small seeds, such as lettuce or wildflowers and plant them out as soon as they are well-sprouted.The larger one can be used for corn, cucumbers and similar size seeds, or you can put a sprouted mini into the hole in the 2-inch block to keep the plants growing indoors longer.

I was so excited to try soil blockers, but after 2 seasons I'm not so sure. It's a lot of work to make the blocks, and many of them fall apart. (And yes, I have followed the soil mix instructions explicitly.) The large blocker was out of whack when it arrived - one connecting point is not quite right so it slips out of a slot and I had to figure out what was wrong and push it back into place to use it... It still slips out sometimes when I push hard - which is part of what you have to do to compress the blocks so they are firm.

This is an excellent set for any serious gardner concerned with quality and cost. The sturdy quality of the set should provide many years of soil blocks for my garden needs. I love the fact that I can control annual cost using the soil block maker and that I know exactly what my soil blocks are made of. Excellent well built product!

Product worked as advertised well designed and built made seed starting very simple and easy. A very good addition to any home gardener.

The potting blocks starter kit was an experiment that turned into a positive experience that I continue to enjoy today. I used to buy starters for the garden and starting seeds was never very successful for me.Now I enjoy the process of seeing that first moment of a sprout emerging from the soil, and marvel that on my first shot making the blocks , I yielded a full tray of successful seeds, and in a faster than expected turnaround with a seed starting tray on my side.Keep in mind, seeds are not my forte, and I all but gave up on this process, never knowing why the seeds didn’t sprout in pots, or which ones they were jumbled in with all the weed sprouts in the ground. I even ran side by side (direct sow in soil vs potting blocks) testing to see which grew heartier, better and more successfully with beets, a seed I had heard grew best when direct sowing. Potting blocks blew the competition out of the water. And I knew which sprouts were my real plants, and eliminate all the weeds around it- not at all like the seeds I direct sowed.What did I start on my first round? Tomatoes, Basil, bunching onion, peppers, cosmos, chrysanthemum, lupine, melon, beans, squash, corn, beets, sunflowers, kale, parsley, cilantro, eggplant. And the list goes on. I love that this kit is an all in one, only requiring you to buy the seeds and the soil.I would like to preface that I took many hours getting the soil mixture right the first time. It takes practice to learn what the right mixture is without knowing it first. But you can tell when you get it because the blocks don’t fall apart and they don’t crumble from, being too dry.Now I can just add the soil by look and feel, and know if a block will hold up or not after one dip.IF you are considering the pros and cons of buying this item, I would consider these factors:1. You can watch the seeds start- it’s very fun and is very joyful to see the little plants emerge.2. You can save money if you use blocks for all your plant starting needs.3. You can save hassle by eliminating the wonder of if it’s a weed where you planted the seed.4. You no longer contribute to plastic pot accumulation/recycling of starters.But also:5. It will take practice to learn how to make the soil blocks correctly.6. It is not like the surefire of a starter plant- it takes time for the seed to develop into larger plants.7. You need to have an outdoor (or easy to clean) indoor work space- I have done blocks while watching TV.8. Initial cost is higher than buying a season of starts. But if you plan to garden more than one season, you will save money.

I've tried growing plants from seeds before, with more miss than hit. This year I've got seeds started in peat pots with seed starting mix, pellets, rockwool, and soil blocks. The winner for the most seeds germinated, by far, is the soil block.I like that I'm able to make my own mix so I can control what's put in it. And it's fun to play in the mud. The blocks are very quick and easy to make, and if they don't turn out I just put the mix back in the pile and start again. I use the 20 block for tiny seeds, the 2" blocks for larger seeds, one seed per block, and have gotten almost 100% germination. It's also great that I can pick up a block and not have it fall apart in my hands, thus no need for plastic pots.