What's the best seed starting mix for onions? Should I use a soilless one, like "Jiffy"? And then just use weak water soluble fertilizer after they get going? All suggestions welcome. I'd search the forums instead of bothering you with this, but the search function is gone (temporarily, I certainly hope).
--Joan
Seed starter mix for onions
Joan -- I can't say what the "best" mix would be, but I've been using Miracle Grow potting soil for starting my onions and other seeds for quite a few years with good results. Not if you're growing organic, and I know potting mixes with fertilizer are just basically not recommended for seed starting, but I didn't know any better when I started using it and the one and only time I actually used a mix made for seed starting I had terrible germination.
Maybe someone else has more insight into what would be considered the best for this purpose...
Happy growing! Spring will come even to us northerners eventually.
Sandy
I have 5 trays of onions on the enclosed porch. as always miracle grow potting mix for the onions. I've tried other things like sarter mixes.. for the onions I would only use the MG pottig soil.
I save the soil less and peat for summer veggies.
good luck..
-joe-
Soilless mix is what I always see recommended. You're also correct about the weak fertilizer after they develop their first true leaves.
It's also important that the mix is sterile. Here's a good article on that: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/277/
More seed-starting articles, if you're having trouble getting to them: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/search.php?q=seed+starting&submit=Search+articles
People have success with all different kinds of seed-starting mediums. But my most successful seed starting has been with coconut coir, which comes from coconut husks and is "sustainable," as you hear a lot of people saying about certain things lately. I found it in bricks (you wet it with water and it fluffs up) at my local big box hardware store. You can also order large quantities online if you need lots. You can get a good quantity out of just one brick, though.