Espoma Organic Seed Starter Premium Potting Soil Mix - All Natural & Organic Seed Starting Mix with Mycorrhizae. For Organic Gardening, 16 qt, bag - Pack of One

arrived quickly, and was moist...not overly moist, not dry. However, I left the bag open and it got VERY dry (my fault). Just run hot water in the bag (in the tub) and mush the dirt around and let it sit... maybe a half gallon. I tried doing this in the starter cells... headache, just do the entire bag. Will be ordering more. Lots of happy baby plants with more to come.

I had great germination using Espoma seed starting mix. This was the first year I switched over to organic soils and Espoma has a great product.

This seed starting mix was light and airy. It allowed the seeds I planted to germinate well. It also held water well without being soggy. This soil mix is of high quality and appears to look really good. Some other mixes I’ve purchased tended to have pieces of mulch wood in them. This mix doesn’t have that filler and is top notch!

After removing the many sticks and clumps of something brown this worked great for seed starting. I think of seed starter as being very fine so the tiny seeds don't have to fight with large pieces. In that regard it was more like potting soil. It's a real plus that it is organic.

I am an avid vegetable gardener with many years of seed starting experience. Over the years I have literally started many thousands of vegetable plants and flowers from seed. I use this mix just as it is. I do not add anything to it. The mix is very fine and suitable for starting small seeds like tomatoes and tomatillos. I started some Sweet Million seeds in this mix which are very small and as best I could tell every seed germinated. This is an ideal mix for bottom watering. I use 1020 trays and 32 cell flats. I fill the cells to the level the seeds are to be planted at and tamp the soil down. I use an extra cell for this that I cut out of an old tray. After that I add the seeds and then fill the cells to the top with seed starting mix. Then tamp down the mix again. At this point I bottom water. The soil mix absorbs the water all the way to the top of the cells within an hour. If it takes longer than that its only because I did not add enough water to begin with. I use bottom heat and a humidity dome and in a few short days things are sprouting. A litte seed starting advice. Use new cells and trays or wash the ones you have with water and bleach. One Tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water. Once cleaned be sure to rinse them with clean water. This is to lower the risk of molds and fungus's growing in your trays. Use bottom heat and a humidity dome. The bottom heat will greatly increase your germination rates and the speed at which your seeds germinate. Use a spray bottle to keep your humidity dome damp. Remove the humidity dome after your seeds have successfully sprouted. If you don't you will increase your odds of having a problem with molds and fungus's. Once the seeds are up and the shell of the seed is separated from the seedling the dome has done its job anyway. The tender seedlings may be somewhat dependent on the higher rate of humidity though so remember to remove the humidity dome gradually. Turn it a little so air can flow under it or cock it on one end. Then remove it entirely for half an hour to an hour at a time. In less than a day most seedlings will adjust and you can leave the dome off thereafter.

Arrived in good shape, no defects and the soil was moist but not damp or dry

Perfect for planting your seeds, great water absorption.

I have been a farmer and I have been a gardener. In 50 years I had a clear understanding that seed starter was Fine-grained to allow delicate roots to spread easily, whereas potting mixes are coarser. Normally Seed starter is primarily sphagnum peat moss or coconut coir plus perlite or vermiculite for drainage. I had bark and course pieces of wood over 1 inch long and wood chips in the bag. It was light and airy but I spent 1/2 hour sifting the soil into a tote where i ended up with roughly 70% usable soil; soil I would consider seed soil. This was nothing but a homogony of light material which allows fungi and mold, not to ignore fungal gnats, plenty of space to grow and kill the roots of seeds. I apologize to those who like it, I am glad you do, but this is my professional review of a product I shall never buy again. I am highly disappointed.

Well packed for shipping. Arrived quicker than expected. Soil is a nice dark colour, light in texture, and smells clean and earthy. My seeds began sprouting 3 days after planting, and are growing well. It's everything I had hoped for so will order again.

My alyssum seedlings are already sprouting!

It would dry out multiple times a day making it hard for seeds to sprout