It really is so beneficial to the environment through your reduced household waste and your plants with LOVE you! (PS it’s not stinky or gross. So if I haven’t convinced you yet to start your own compost or vermicompost system then please reach out to me and tell me why you don’t think it is for you. I would love to know if there is a way I can help you find the perfect system big or small to get you going. All of this means I am a much happier gardener and find a lot more ease in the process! It has simplified my seed starting methods and the amount of attention I need to give my plants. Simplified Seed Starting ProcessĪs a gardener growing in Zone 3A, which means starting a lot of my plants indoors, this keeps my plants happy, healthy, strong and saves me all the stress and headache dealing with plants that are behind, or die after transplant. Which is pretty amazing!Ī local brand of worm castings I purchased when I ran out. They sometimes out run my ability to keep up with transplanting them. My plants still surprise me sometimes as how well they respond to being planted in worm castings. It turns my household yard and food waste into something super beneficial for my plants while r educing my households waste significantly. I am a broken record on compost and vermicompost. It’s easy, fool proof and benefits your plants in so many ways. They unlock the nutrients for your plants. So it’s a win win on all fronts. The microbes are like little gatekeepers. Why Use Compost or Vermicompost First Always?!Ĭompost and vermicompost help retain moisture, creates fluffy soil that can breath well, and brings in lots of great microbes into the soil. You can’t shock your plants which means much less room for error.

This is another reason I love worm castings. Seedlings especially when they are very small require no stronger than a 1-2 for the nutrient strength. If you can’t find a fertilizer with this you can dilute it down to this when watering. Whether you can’t get worm castings or you don’t have enough, there will be times when you need to supplement with other options. I will share both methods using worm castings and also alternative organic liquid fertilizers. We need to make sure we’re giving them what they need to grow without delay, being stunted and to survive transplant without too much shock once you transplant them outside. You want them to not skip a beat and go on to be strong healthy, vigorous plants that produce well for you. It’s a very different story than in those tiny little pots. Outside in the ground they’re exposed to a lot more soil (nutrients) and moisture. The plants, in their tiny little pots, will eventually run out of nutrients vs a plant growing right in the soil outdoors. Growing indoors over the winter and/or also starting your plants indoors for your outdoor garden can be tricky. Potted Starter Plants Will Run Out Of Nutrients If you watch on YouTube be sure to like & subscribe so the algorithm can send out the video to other like minded gardeners.

When to fertilize seedlings