DIY seed compost

Hi,

I had the same problem. The compost gets very water-logged but then I found it dried out too fast too.

I now add both sharp or silver sand and perlite or vermiculite to ordinary peat-based m/p and it seems to work very well for me.

3 or 4 parts m/p to 1 part of sand, perlite, or vermiculite: you can vary the proportions according to what you can get hold of re soil 'improvers', the type of seed and how free draining / moisture retentive you want your compost. Also depends on the specific type/brand of multi-purpose you use as well, I would think.

Generally I use 4 parts B&Q m/p to 1 part sharp sand and 1 part medium vermiculite and then cover them with sifted mix or fine vermiculte. I find this drains well when watered but doesn't dry out too quickly afterwards.

I just played mud pies, til it 'felt' right

Also if you don't firm the seeds into the surface, I found the seedlings don't come up evenly and often fall over....on the other hand if you over compress the compost, it excludes air and causes water-logging and that can cause them to fall over too....I found it's not as easy as it seems, this seed sowing lark is it?

Red