How To Make The Best Seed Starting Mix and Potting Soil

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Back again with Steven Cornett of Nature's Always Right. In this video I asked him to share how me makes his potting soil and seed starting mix in bulk.
We go through his entire process of making his mix from scratch along with the reasoning BEHIND why he does it the way he does it.
In short:
- 1/3 peat moss
- 1/3 perlite (medium and fine grain)
- 1/3 home-made compost
- Handful of Azomite
- Handful of kelp meal
- Home-made worm tea to moisten and inoculate
It's a powerful mix that starts your plants out with LIVING soil instead of store-bought sterile soil. This is really important in Steven's farm - he wants to play WITH nature's systems instead of against them...and the living soil potting mix is a huge part of it.
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[@epicgardening]

0:00 - Introduction 1:05 - Recipe Overview 2:35 - Filling Compost 6:47 - Filling Peat Moss 10:08 - Filling Perlite 11:05 - Mixing 13:00 - Adding Azomite 14:29 - Adding Kelp Meal 15:55 - Mixing in Worm Tea 17:50 - Final Thoughts

[@freshciviclifemightyhonda3954]

Epic Gardening you guys are interesting. I like how professional you try n make the videos by narrating. That guy steven is cool too he seems to really know a lot.

[@dms4946]

Thank you for the list

[@skitzabod7727]

10:13 - Temporarily Suffocating 😂

[@nonhlanhlazondi3454]

Fantastic

[@Possumcods]

It looks like Steven grew his eyebrows in his secret potting mix😂😂😂

[@gretailagan2394]

sorry i laughed so hard with this comment...

[@myrenewablelife]

hahahahahaha...was jsut about to comment the exact same thing!

[@kusumgurung5109]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@lutikalyngdoh294]

🤣🤣🤣

[@davidstrickland-maan2567]

Healthy caterpillars lol

[@MrSponar]

This is the real knowledge to be learned in school!

[@epicgardening]

yes indeed!

[@OptionalDilemma]

Epic Gardening horticulture particularly ?

[@rajeshk1138]

If they educate and elevate at schools, who will eat all the processed packed garbage foods?

[@d3s1r3dpk]

@@rajeshk1138 Trilions of dollars of processed waste lol. Someone has to eat it

[@brannoncpa]

Excellent vid. Thanks so much guys. I've been looking for this vid!! Really dig Steven's eyebrows. :)

[@dufreebell]

You are doing such a good deed in making this video and education viewers. Great content, useful tips, for happy and healthy life.

[@J87Visuals]

Great video. Wicked to see others out there doing it

[@GingeDSI]

I’ve seen a lot of videos of people making and mixing their own potting mix and using a wheelbarrow, a tarp sheet, or some kind of large plastic box to do the mixing, but why not use a tumbler composter to do it? Just fill the tumbler with all the ingredients, close it us and then spin it slowly, quickly, whatever, until it’s all mixed. All you gotta do then is put a wheelbarrow under it, open the hatch, and pour the mix out. It’ll save a lot of physical effort and won’t give you a bad back.

[@mattallen5494]

I want that t-shirt!

[@sammyamm5276]

Thanks, very informative. When you shift compost what happens tothe worms, mass murder?

[@winstonlau194]

those eyebrows thicc.

[@adamt195]

$15 for that giant bag of perlite. "thats an OK price" I live in the city and decided to just walk to Ace only a block away. Bought a small bag of perlite (8 qt) for $9.

[@robinhardison5817]

I had gone through 3 of the 8qt bags of perlite @ $5/bag at Lowe's when someone suggested checking with the local co-op. I bought that same 4 cubic foot bag of perlite for $11 and some change. That's equivalent to about 14 bags of what I had been buying. At $5/ bag that's $70 worth for less than $12. I still get bothered thinking about spending $15 for 3 bags of the other stuff.

[@nimimerkillinen]

@@robinhardison5817 imagine you would have done that for years lol, you figured it soon

[@maribelayala6746]

Yes, $15 for that giant bag..nice

[@tien90802]

Whats a local co-op? Any in southern cali?

[@cassieoz1702]

K is potassium (potash) necessary for flowering and fruiting. N (nitrogen) for leaves, P (phosphate) for root development

[@bobuncle87]

Warning, not a good seed-starting mix! It will kill your seedlings! This is just an ok *standard* soil mix (needs lime for pH adjustment to make sure the nutrients are available to the plant). But all professional *seed starting* mixes delete the organic components to reduce damping off and other fungal disease that so readily kills seedlings (check any seed starting mix bag at your home center). He has a special circumstance that allows him to use this fertile mix: he's starting in warm weather in pots so the seeds don't need a dome or humidity protection, he can plant right outside (it's better for the plants to just plant in the ground instead of pots in this weather). Most regular people (not plant sellers like him) who are starting seeds in pots, not in the ground, are doing it to get an earlier start while it's still cold weather. This creates a need for protection, heating, and artificial humidity like a dome or cold frame or greenhouse, which will kill seedlings in this mix from damping off, unless they have absolute perfection of humidity and air movement. This is NOT a seed starting mix.

[@_j_a_d_e]

Bob Uncle what is a good seed starting mix recipe?

[@vickyfarquhar3476]

Bob Uncle Aha! Thank you for that. I am new to all of this and started off my seeds and seedlings at the beginning of the year in bought seedling mix and nothing grew and I found it became very hard, almost crust like on the surface. I even had the seed company I bought from , experiment with the same batch of seeds. Theirs seemed to grow fine. Having much better results now with seedlings, and have not used that same seedling mix purely because it was expensive but I think you solved my riddle of why things did not grow, or struggled to grow, before. I had put that batch off seeds aside, but I'm going to try them again ...

[@jodielynne3687]

Thank you for your knowledge, I appreciate you

[@zelbinian]

As a beginner, I found this pretty intimidating. Hopefully there are easier ways! But I do look forward to being a few years on in this journey and being able to look at this video and go "Oh, yeah, that's not so bad."

[@eSheeep]

You can always start with some high quality store bought potting mix until you feel comfortable doing your own mix. But in all honesty its just getting all the ingredients once and mixing them together. - Coco coir/peat moss, you can get them in dried compressed cubes, adds no nutrition but holds moisture - Compost, adds structure, nutrition, even beneficial bacteria (especially worm compost). We have disposal centers selling these for almost nothing, if you can't make your own or your own isn't sufficient. Or get something of your choice. If you have, you can additionally toss a handful of any granular fertilizer of your choice in there. Same effect/purpose - Perlite, basically little rocks. Helps drainage so things dont get sopping wet. Just order a big bag for a good price, it'll last you years That's basically the same ingredients for store bought potting mix. By mixing it yourself you can get away cheaper (basically by dodging the premium for acquiring and mixing ingredients) and also can control the quality yourself. And that's everything you have to know for starters.

[@dannynoel993]

Just buy it,lot easier.

[@tnmtnmorning1178]

Gardener Scott has a super simple mix. Look him up.

[@katjoy9921]

@@dannynoel993 yes but don’t forget the g.dust, kelp meal and tea.

[@SnailHatan]

What is so intimidating about this? You realize you can just buy whatever you need from a store and mix it up, yes? Or just buy pre-packaged soil?

[@kristina_mko]

Awesome video! I also just put out one on making potting soil, though it's more for visual calming vibes

[@johncampbell2573]

Any peat moss that comes from anything smaller than a 3.8 bag is sterilized. You really wanna get the big 3.8 bags. Also you should try out rice hulls and pumice instead of perlite. The perlite will break down over time and float around in your soil. Loved your channel!

[@epicgardening]

Good tip there John - what's your mix if you incorporate pumice and rice hulls vs. perlite? Also, where are you sourcing that volume of rice hulls?

[@johncampbell2573]

I usually stick to the 1/3 method but the 1/3 of aeration is 1/3 pumice and 2/3 rice hulls. There are a few companies that sell them, Buildasoil is one of them but there are a few on Amazon. I personally got lucky and I have a friend who has a soil company so I can get it at a homie discount from him. I also split my compost 1/3 in half, one half compost from my rabbit/chicken deep bedding and the other half my homemade worm castings. You guys are awesome, love both of your channels! thanks!

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Thanks! Interesting, I wonder if that's why the sungrow 3.8 bag I just bought was way more expensive. $30 vs $13 for a 3 cuft bag at home depot. Thanks for the tip I'll check both of those out for replacements for perlite. I don't really like using peat and perlite, but they work well and for the price it's just hard to beat. Definitely working on ways to eliminate their use completely.

[@johncampbell2573]

Nature's Always Right yea man, I learned this from Clackamas coot but with the peat moss, anything that is in the smaller bags or soil mixes cuts cut from the bog and brought to a processing plant where it's sterilized in a kiln and ground into a uniform size, the bigger bags (3.8 bags and up) just get cut and wrapped on site so it's as fresh as it gets and is still has an active microbial life. They talk about it a bit on the KIS organics podcast, which if you haven't checked out it's a wealth of amazing information.

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Wow no way. I had no idea. Thanks so much for sharing this with me. I'll check out that podcast I don't know it. Cheers!

[@MOHANKUMAR-qj4ce]

super from uk n india

[@jameslamont9672]

I apologize for the person who mentioned your eyebrows. That was kind of mean I feel like

[@KG-if2oc]

That looks more like 1/8th inch hardware cloth to me. I use 1/4" and i end up with bigger chunks in my mix. Not so smooth & uniform but a LOT easier to sift.

[@user-uj6sc7ls9y]

Ratios: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium. Just remember...alphabetical order.

[@GaryAyre]

eh

[@erickuester3705]

The soil sifter will last much longer with a layer of 1" hardware cloth installed under the 1/4" cloth.

[@katherinejones850]

Thx

[@NumairAbbasi]

is this mix only for starting seeds? Once i have all the potted plants and herbs all grown do they have to be transferred to a different mix/composition?

[@eric4946]

Compost tumblers are a great soil making tool if you don’t have compost in them. 😁

[@reshma1561]

Very useful video

[@marygagliardi5315]

I’d love to know where you purchase perlite in those big bags! I can’t find it in anything but small bags!

[@Seany-boy]

Caterpillar eyebrows , very apt for gardening lol.

[@denisezimmerman4208]

Thanks 👍💙

[@kan-zee]

Excellent mix...gonna try this mix . Love his easy to understand , explanations of the components. 14:37 = Nitrogen 1 - Phosphorus 0 - Potassium -2 (N) Nitrogen = Leafy greens (P) Phosphorus = Blooming / fruiting veggies (K) Potassium = Root plants/ bulbs 16:25 Never seen a TEA made like this...very Cool I usually just do 1part vermiculture worm tea to 10 part water and stir vigourously for 5 min with my power drill mixer...and apply to my plants roots...

[@brotharuss]

Replace the p moss with coco coir.

[@reneeoriginals199]

Just found this video and it is sooo helpful. I do have a question, how long would this mix keep and be good for? I live in a colder climate and so I would be starting seeds indoors during winter, I would love to make a batch of this ahead of time and then pull it out when I'm ready for it but just wondering if that would be a viable option?

[@alan30189]

You’ll be fine making the compost soil mix, with the three parts that he described plus the Azomite and kelp meal, then store that until ready to use. Then when you’re about to pot something or start seeds, mix in the active compost tea. Cheers!

[@TheOriginalMarimoChan]

I couldn't concentrate on the video...because eyebrows (I'm jealous BTW).

[@tmprrycptl]

EyebWOWs!

[@thaliabudai2013]

If you start in small cells, this mix would dry out too fast, so I would use less perlite.

[@James-mv9qx]

Love these videos, especially how you're both commentating, there's so much knowledge being dished out. Great work!

[@fazliyaumar6004]

It is great video thank you for your wonderful information thank you

[@epicgardening]

Thanks for watching!

[@ethelmcclintock]

Steve, I think you have awesome eyebrows, I wanted to comment on this old video, Borax has boron in it which is very beneficial to the stem structure of new plants. You may already know this, I live in tucson arizona and I usually just grow in my own mulch compost.

[@astonesthrow]

Great to see this sort of high brow content on KZbin.

[@highlandscommunityclub1160]

If you wet the perlite slightly before you dump it, it won’t dust up. Really bad stuff to breathe!!

[@Twosevenboy1]

them eyebrows thicker then a snicker

[@gayleollila3879]

Where do you get a large bag of perlite for $15? I’d love to know.. I’ve purchased it from various places but it gets expensive.

[@deesbeesknees]

who is the man referenced in the part about screening the compost? bill buck?

[@jennifergriffin3690]

I saw you did not sterilize the mix against fungus gnats. Don’t you have eggs in the compost?

[@ae9074]

What is the benefit between perlite and vermiculite? Would it make a huge difference between the two? I agree this soil is amazing.

[@vickyfarquhar3476]

A E As I understand it, vermiculite retains moisture, whereas perlite retains a little moisture and air so perlite makes the soil lighter and less likely to compact.

[@trishschmidt8530]

Thank you for sharing! Does anyone have any tips for direct sowing seeds? I want to give them the best chance with direct sowing them. I can't do the starting seeds set up right now because I don't have those supplies & containers. Could I use a layer sterile mix/soil over the fertile or fertilized mix/soil so the seeds are free of possible fungus gnats? Or will the fungus gnats go right up through that layer of sterile soil to get to the seeds when they begin to sprout?

[@brendahinton1540]

What about roly-poly’s

[@adanielleani]

Can you skip the worm tea if you do not have worms? What impact will this have?

[@larrisalewis8558]

What do you do if your mix has fungus giant eggs?

[@robmitchell3633]

Guinness world record holder for biggest eyebrows

[@_j_a_d_e]

So not to confuse the title of the video, this is good for seed starting AND potting soil?

[@lisakukla459]

I wish 4 cu ft of perlite was still $15. Ugh.

[@helmimaruru7932]

All my questions answered in your videos... wow 👏👏👏👏 u guys jave gone through this step by step and understand how a new gardener thinks, and questions, thank you so much... am sure my trees and plants will start looking better from now.

[@klu222]

Question, will there be bugs in the compost? I bought compost, but before I start seeds inside I wanted to know.

[@PNH-sf4jz]

Maybe a bit late for you Kristen, but if you or others would like to look up "Dealing with fungus gnat and spider mite in bought potting mix" you will find some useful tips. Two ways of dealing with the pest eggs and larvae are to steam or 'cook' potting soil before using it.

[@sirbobdesign]

is perlite the white popcorn specs when you buy a potted plant at the store?

[@totodile493]

yeah many people do soil by hand to prevent killing the worms.

[@biancs0207]

Thanks for your very informative video. It helps a lot of beginners out there including my self😊 please continue to make videos like this😊 Congratulations and more power👏

[@arielmetamorphosis]

Will vermiculite work instead of the perlite

[@beccagiessing3890]

Would love another video on his worm farm and casting

[@brownguy9920]

Dudes chopping the holy bageesus out of those worms running that shovel over that screen like that. You could just shake it a tiny bit and do it in 10 seconds. Less time....and death 😮

[@kansasgardener5844]

I think any mix that contains compost is hard for people to replicate because most don't compost and the stuff they sell at stores is a crap shoot! I'm simple 3 parts peat moss to one part vermiculite! Works great.

[@shazarahmohamudally3088]

Can we use sand instead of perlite? Please advise

[@kellysoo]

Do you have books on citrus pruning? I am checking out your books. I am a permaculture believer. Doing my very best to feed my land. Your passion for pruning and composting is deeply shared by me. 😅😅😅 thank you for the bloopers!!!😊😊😊 I am glad I am not making videos. 😜😜😜

[@napoleonsmith7793]

Peat moss is endangered and non replenishable. Soil from your house, do u ship that?

[@gegounaris]

WTF, Fernando Alonso with a hat!

[@YarrHarr11]

Damn! Murderin some worms there bud.

[@MyViewFromTheWoods]

Great video! Just made my own seed starter mix. Need to find a source for azomite & kelp.

[@epicgardening]

+My View From The Woods best wishes with the seed starting!

[@ValSpringer]

Can you use vermiculite instead of perlite?

[@davidschmidt270]

Where does this guy go to get his perlite??? For 15 $ ??? Mannnnnn......sweet deal

[@thedaydreamer7972]

You guys put out really good content, but good lord, when you put that perlite in it was cringe worthy, dont breathe that crap in guys,,,,,I do the dump and and run method

[@worganyos]

Perlite is about $50 now, I really thought that seemed higher than it used to be, and this video confirmed it when he said that he paid $15 at 7:20

[@francesherman9083]

If I don't make my own compost, do you have any suggestions on what I should purchase?

[@earthkindsanctuary]

four cubic feet man you guys measure things weird in the states hahaha by area squared. In the UK its done by weight.

[@francesherman9083]

Would love your measurements of your worm tea. Thanks New grower

[@Gepajay]

Can I used LAB in the soil instead of the formula that he put on the mixture soil .

[@meand3786]

Thanks a lot I am living in very hot climate Oman muscat do we need different soil mix thanks

[@reubenpilli6549]

I thought it is better to use Vermiculite for Seed starting mixes, because it absorbs and retains moisture and therefore prevent fluctuations of moisture content in the mix (which is not good for tender seedlings).

[@jesicamedina2854]

Could I use the same mix for peppers and any winter seeds?

[@maestoso47]

Pretty sure it can be used for mostly all seeds. Unless your seeds need a specific medium to grow.

[@dizzycartoon7552]

I'm in love with your eyebrows 😻💕

[@Joey-vw1id]

Kevin this was a great video! I've always wanted to know how to make my own soil, Now I do!! Thank you, JW.......☺️

[@plantsoverpills1643]

Great advice! I usually throw my unscreened compost back onto the pile. As a long time gardener, I strongly recommend the use of a mask when mixing soil so that you too can become a long time gardener!😉 FYI..... "If someone has really full, thick eyebrows, it means many things: they're very decisive, they have a natural self-confidence, and they feel like they can figure anything out," "They're very logical people and tend to be kind of linear (sequential) in how they do things. They also like to be physically active."

[@ortenciahill5848]

Is it true that WORMS don't like peat moss??

[@rosetealatte9282]

He must have put miracle grow on those luscious brows.

[@frieddrexler4625]

Can I use Gardners Composted Chicken Manure?

[@todousa6317]

Hello guys, great job, thanks a lot for all your videos. roughly how much money do you make off your small lot of land?

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

It depends on the season and this is my first full season. So next year I will be much more dialed in and will be growing microgreens. My goal is to make 20k gross sales on this property form veggies and microgreens alone. According to my current numbers I'm making that will absolutely be possible, especially once I introduce microgreens. I'm also going to be selling nursery stock as well. My actual grow bed space is about 3,500sqft or 1/12 acre.

[@DennisHawkinsOnline]

Best video I have encountered so far on the subject. Hat is off to you two.

[@epicgardening]

Thanks Dennis!

[@jcfm1629]

I just want to know what he puts in his eyebrows cos mine are thinning

[@catsincredulous9998]

Love Steven's video's. Find of the month.

[@epicgardening]

Couldn't agree more!

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Thank you so much Cat! Such a nice thing to say :)

[@watermelonlalala]

Thanks for the recipe. Easy. You didn't have any clay in there. Just kidding, haha. Clay is what I have got plenty of.

[@watermelonlalala]

@cosa nostra Yeah, I use containers. A hugel bed, too. Mulching the wet part of the yard with shredded oak leaves seemed to help crumble the soil but I haven't planted anything yet. I have seedlings about ready to go in. I also fill the bottom of the containers with clay and kitchen scraps. Worms get in there through the drainage holes and help out.

[@johnspence8141]

Dust from perlite is dangerous, wear a mask.

[@sherriefoster3145]

Awesome video! Looking for this 🤙👏😉

[@tomcatt998]

R his eyebrows real ?? Asking 4 A friend

[@janetcorey3518]

I don't have the tea but I'm anxious to make my own soil.

[@greenlizardballs]

plant people are the best people :)

[@Duke12687]

Can you substitute vermiculite for perlite?

[@francesherman9083]

How do you make the potting mix? Thanks

[@59acres]

Why did you compost your chickens? Did they stop laying?

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Oh I must have miss spoke, I just mean composting their manure and bedding. But I have actually composted one of my chickesn that died from an unknown cause. I first put the carcass in a bokashi composting system, let the bacteria pre-digest then I put the carcass in a compost pile to go through the thermophillic process.

[@59acres]

JUst pulling your leg :)......nice job with the gardening......cheers from deepest darkest Canada.

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Lol ya I think way too literally. Cheers to you my friend! Spring is coming hold on!

[@dsassy2000]

Great video. Very helpful. Thank you

[@BubbaStewart-lm5sg]

Your not potting tomato your growing green tree’s bud

[@timothylovegrove4601]

Loved the video. I usually buy bales of the sunshine potting mix, however this season I was thinking on making my own since I tried my first batch of raising worms this winter. Thanks for the recipe it seems like a good one for me to try.

[@epicgardening]

Yeah, I used to do something similar Timothy - I'm making my own mix from here on out as well!

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Nice Timothy! Nothing is more beneficial to your garden than raising worms! Good luck!

[@bigpapi3636]

I like adding worms to the compost pile when it goes cold. I'm using a 3-bin system where I transfer the original pile after about 3 months and there's zero activity after that. Good idea. I have a particular garden plot that's loaded with worms that need to be put to work.

[@epicgardening]

Set them free! 😊

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

YES! I love doing that as well. Worms are the best thing going!