My fall seeds are sprouting! And I may or may not get unreasonably excited when I have new seedling babies! Anyone else feel that way?? I feel like it's the equivalent of puppy or kitten photos, but for gardeners 🤣 Bonus points if you add a photo of your fall seedlings!

Once you know this, you'll probably never buy a pre-mixed bag again. 😉 I was mixing a fresh batch of seed-starting mix for my fall seeds yesterday and wanted to share my process with you so you're well-equipped to head into this planting season! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯 𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 🥥 𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗿 – This is the base of the mix. It's the fluffy, fiber-based stuff coconut husks are made of. It's sterile (no bug eggs or fungal spores hiding in it), affordable, and way better for the environment than peat moss, which comes from bogs that take centuries to reform. 🌋 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 – These are little white volcanic rock pieces. They keep the mix from compacting so water (and air) can move through it. 🪨 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 – a mineral that soaks up moisture and nutrients like a sponge, then releases them slowly so your seedlings get a steady supply. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝘁: Hydrate your dry coco coir with water until it passes the 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 — if you squeeze a handful, it should hold together but not drip. Think wrung-out sponge. For every 𝟰 𝗰𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗿, add 𝟭 𝗰𝘂𝗽 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 and 𝟭 𝗰𝘂𝗽 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲. Mix it all together with your hands (or a trowel if you're fancy) and fill your trays. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁: - It's cheaper (so I have more money for seeds 😜) - I can make up a batch whenever I want (no relying on the store or making a trip out) - I know exactly what's in it (yay, transparency!) - I can control the quality (not sure what to put here, but all the other bullet points have parentheses, sooo... 🙃) 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼-𝘁𝗼?

Today’s harvest: lemongrass, basil, lemon balm, chocolate mint

Maybe I should have stuck to gardening when I got home. lol. We had to leave early this morning so the tent and tarps were wet when we packed up the car. Got home and set the tent up to dry out before folding it back up and putting it into bag. Well, the tent frame decided to spring shut with my two fingers between the two metal pieces. We couldn’t for the life of us get the frame to open back up. I literally had to pull my fingers out from the very tightly clamped frame, hurt like crazy and is now throbbing. Thankful the pain has subsided some, just throbbing on a scale of 1-10, maybe a 2 or 3. So next time, I think I’ll leave the tent to the hubby and I’ll go do some gardening. lol.

Just started some more seeds today! Lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, celery, herbs, and more! What's on your fall growing list? Have you started your seeds yet?