Materials - soiless transplant mix

I could buy a soilless mix for growing transplants, but it's more economical to mix my own. My recipe is based on Cornell's potting mixture for their greenhouses. One bucket hold  3 gallons.

Soiless mix

• 12 gallons peat moss
• 6 gallons vermiculite
• 2 1/2 cups  dolomitic lime

 Soilless mix

• 2 quarts peat moss
• 1 quart vermiculite
•  1 2/3 tablespoons dolomitic lime

  1. Measure 12 gallons (4 buckets) peat moss or compost.

    2. Measure 6 gallons (2 buckets) vermiculite.

  3. Measure 2.5 cups pulverized dolomitic lime.

  4. Add peat moss, vermiculite, and lime to a 20 gallon plastic container.

  5. Mix together.

  6. Before filling pots and containers, add 1 quart warm water to 1 gallon of mix.

Growing onion and scallion transplants

Germinating onion seeds

1. Add about 1/4 inch of vermiculite to a plastic container.

2. Spray with water.

3. Scatter onion seeds on top, and then press them into the vermiculite.

4. Cover container and place on heating pad at 75 degree Fahrenheit.

5. Check seeds daily. Spay with water to keep vermiculite moist. After about 12 days, the sprouts are ready for transfer.

Transferring sprouts to pots

1. Make paper pots.

2. Fill pots with growing mix.

3. Make a hole about 1 inch deep. Gently lift 4 seedlings and hold together. Push roots into the hole with 1/2 inch of stems buried.

4. Pull the mix around the stems.

5. Sprinkle vermiculite on top. This reduces any damping off problems.

6. Place seedlings under indoor lights or outside in a cold frame. After 12 to 14 weeks, the transplants are ready.