When it comes to gardening products, I am a sucker for all things sustainable, organic, pesticide-free or free-range.

Unfortunately, what tugs at my heart strings also tugs at my purse strings. A trip to Mother Earth Gardens can cost twice as much as a trip to Home Depot — But the staff is so smart and eco-friendly, just eavesdropping on another customer’s question makes me feel like a better gardener.

When I asked about seed starting, the dark-haired, sinewy sales clerk behind the counter asked if I had ever used a Coir Brick. She reached for a brown rectangular rock the length of her hand and asked “Would you believe this brick of coconut fiber expands to 1/3 cubic foot of soil?”

Um, no. (Being a sucker for informercials, she had my complete attention… Yes, tell me more about this magical product that can fold my laundry, scoop all four litter boxes and do my taxes. I’ll buy two for a free copy of “Yoga Booty Ballet.”)

“Sometimes, peat from Canadian companies is actually stripped from bogs in Eastern Europe with minimal regulation. Under the right conditions, peat could be renewable. Under the wrong conditions, it’s anyone’s guess. The Coir Brick is made from the coconut fruit, not the tree. It’s totally a renewable and eco-friendly alternative to peat moss.”

And not to mention, affordable. I bought one. (Later I found Coir Bricks for a dollar less at Midwest Hydroponic and Homebrew… more about this adventure later.)

After soaking in water for 20 minutes, the brick produced more than I expected — Way more than I needed. I added it to my seed starting mixture, marveling at the dirt under my fingernails (yes, red eyes = marveling).

I filled up two Jiffy flats with plenty of seed starter to spare. To make sure I didn’t forget anything, I hopped online and reread all your great advice (Thank you! Thank you!). Then I planted my very first tomato and pepper seeds.

I watered the flats, misted the lids, and slid my little seeds into the CPPC. Keep your fingers crossed. (For some real seed starting action check out Lorika’s secret farm.)

Now it’s time to price out some heating pads!

This entry was posted on Monday, April 10th, 2006 at 9:31 pm and is filed under Seed starting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.