Wasted $80 on fancy potting soil that killed my seedlings

I spent $80 on this premium organic potting mix from a garden center in Portland thinking it would give my tomatoes a head start. Turns out it was way too dense and held water like a sponge. All 12 seedlings rotted within two weeks because the soil wouldn't drain. I should have just mixed my own with perlite and compost from the local nursery. Has anyone else had bad luck with those expensive bagged soils? What mix actually works for starting seeds indoors?

2 comments

2 Comments

fionaw541d ago

Cringed when I read "Portland" because I bet I know exactly which fancy shop you’re talking about! I dropped $60 on their "heirloom blend" last spring and ended up with a solid brick of mud that killed my basil in like a week. The bag said "premium" but it was basically just heavy compost with no perlite whatsoever, you know? I almost cried because I had such high hopes for that expensive dirt. Now I strictly use a standard seed starting mix from the hardware store and add my own vermiculite and coarse sand like a peasant, but at least my plants live. Sorry you got burned too, it's honestly such a rip-off when they charge that much for something that clearly wasn't tested for indoor use.

rosebennett1d ago

Ngl I was kinda judging people who spent big on soil before this, figured it had to be better than the cheap stuff. But reading about your Portland boujie blend that turned into a mud brick has me rethinking everything. I always thought paying more meant better drainage and stuff but clearly not. Gonna stick with my janky homemade mix and save the $80 for something that actually works.