Search...
Home Subscribe
Pie
Home Subscribe
Recent topics Flagged topics Hot topics Best topics
Search...
Search within soil Search permies
Advance search Google search
Register / Login
world domination gardening
  • Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
Master Gardener Program Permies Book Reviews Green Living Book permaculture bootcamp design Paul Wheaton Tour of Wheaton Labs movie
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • Timothy Norton
  • Nancy Reading
  • r ranson
  • Jay Angler
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Tereza Okava
  • AndrĂ©s Bernal
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • M Ljin
  • Matt McSpadden

Soil blocks

 
Mart Hale
pollinator
Posts: 1111
302
5
I like...
tiny house food preservation cooking rocket stoves homestead
posted 5 months ago
  • Likes 7
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
This is promising... This is the first time I have tried to use the new soil I have made from bolivian sunflower stalks, it is holding together much better than other soil mixes I have used before, the water really helps, but I believe I have a bit too much water but I will set these out in the sun to dry a bit. At last this tool is useful to me!

Making soil blocks with soil blocker tool.

2025-03-11-13-22-12-081.jpg
making soil blocks for seed starting
2025-03-11-13-22-15-266.jpg
[Thumbnail for 2025-03-11-13-22-15-266.jpg]

Life on a farm is a school of patience; you can't hurry the crops or make an ox in two days.
Henri Alain

 
Trace Oswald
pollinator
Posts: 3985
Location: 4b
1443
I like...
dog forest garden trees bee building
posted 5 months ago
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I bought one of the tools to make those a few years ago and just never got around to trying.  I'd be curious to hear what worked, what didn't work, etc about making the blocks.

A build too cool to miss:Mike's GreenhouseA great example:Joseph's Garden
All the soil info you'll ever need:
Redhawk's excellent soil-building series

 
Matt McSpadden
gardener
Posts: 2823
Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)
1358
I like...
homeschooling kids trees chicken food preservation building woodworking homestead
posted 5 months ago
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I have use these for several years. I use Eliot Coleman's recipe, which does have peat moss in it. But it works well.

I have made it too wet before. I just let it sit for a day or so and it dries out enough for planting.

Would you share your recipe? I've been looking for a substitute for peat moss.

"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis
Visit https://themaineingredient.com for organic, premium dried culinary herbs that are grown, processed, and packaged in the USA.

 
Mart Hale
pollinator
Posts: 1111
302
5
I like...
tiny house food preservation cooking rocket stoves homestead
posted 5 months ago
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Trace Oswald wrote:I bought one of the tools to make those a few years ago and just never got around to trying.  I'd be curious to hear what worked, what didn't work, etc about making the blocks.



The one element I was missing to make it work was water....

Before you use the tool dip it in water...    

Also you need to add water to your soil mix at the right amount....       All I can say is I was adding too little the first time and I gave up, now adding water I am getting results, I think I have too much water but that was key...

Life on a farm is a school of patience; you can't hurry the crops or make an ox in two days.
Henri Alain

 
Mart Hale
pollinator
Posts: 1111
302
5
I like...
tiny house food preservation cooking rocket stoves homestead
posted 5 months ago
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Matt McSpadden wrote:I have use these for several years. I use Eliot Coleman's recipe, which does have peat moss in it. But it works well.

I have made it too wet before. I just let it sit for a day or so and it dries out enough for planting.

Would you share your recipe? I've been looking for a substitute for peat moss.



At the end of the year after my Bolivian sunflowers have died after the first frost, I cut them all down with a chain saw, and run them thru my electric wood chipper.

After this happens I fill up 55 gal barrels with the chopped up sunflowers.     On the top of this I start adding banana peels, and any other food scraps I have,     Then like magic I had black soldier flies show up and start turning this mixture,    Then after a years time it became like black gold, I have used this with air layering and it worked awesome.

But that is my mixture for my soil,  I may add just a bit of sea salt for minerals to feed the soil as they do in Korean natural farming, but that is it....


2025-02-25-11-28-58-381.jpg
I fill up 55 gal barrels with the chopped up sunflowers

Life on a farm is a school of patience; you can't hurry the crops or make an ox in two days.
Henri Alain

 
Mart Hale
pollinator
Posts: 1111
302
5
I like...
tiny house food preservation cooking rocket stoves homestead
posted 5 months ago
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Trace Oswald wrote:I bought one of the tools to make those a few years ago and just never got around to trying.  I'd be curious to hear what worked, what didn't work, etc about making the blocks.



Craig is a master of this art ->

https://rumble.com/v13lvql-making-smaller-soil-blocks-part-2-of-the-soil-block-series.html

Craig has like 5 videos on this subject,  I suggest watching them all if you are interested in this method.

Life on a farm is a school of patience; you can't hurry the crops or make an ox in two days.
Henri Alain

 
E Sager
pollinator
Posts: 92
Location: New Hampshire
55
I like...
duck forest garden trees chicken sheep wood heat
posted 5 months ago
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
An excellent alternative to peat moss in soil blocks is Wool Pellets. That is raw wool made into pellets, not the other kind of sheep pellets.

Come to think about it, you probably could both kinds of pellets in soil blocks.

My favorite source for wool pellets

Full disclosure, this is a product from my farm.

https://againfarmstead.com/ | @againandagainfarmstead

 
Mart Hale
pollinator
Posts: 1111
302
5
I like...
tiny house food preservation cooking rocket stoves homestead
posted 5 months ago
  • Likes 6
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Results of using soil blocks...

I really like how these turned out,      will be putting more effort into making soil.

2025-03-28-11-55-47-932.jpg
[Thumbnail for 2025-03-28-11-55-47-932.jpg]
2025-03-28-11-55-43-318.jpg
[Thumbnail for 2025-03-28-11-55-43-318.jpg]

Life on a farm is a school of patience; you can't hurry the crops or make an ox in two days.
Henri Alain

 
Derek Thille
gardener
Posts: 480
Location: Southern Manitoba...bald(ish) prairie, zone 3ish
226
2
I like...
transportation hugelkultur monies forest garden urban books food preservation cooking writing woodworking
posted 5 months ago
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I've been using soil blocks for a few years now and really like it.  I have used just a potting mix thus far most of the time.  I just haven't had materials I like on hand to be able to put something together.

As for moisture, my first exposure to soil blocking was from Jesse at No-Till Growers (YouTube channel).  My recollection is to get it moist enough to hold a shape in your fist and drip just a bit.  I probably generally have mine a bit drier when I form them.

I formed 44 2" blocks today to sow celery and tomatoes.  It's out of control....

Working toward a permaculture-strong retirement near sunny Sperling.

 
Mart Hale
pollinator
Posts: 1111
302
5
I like...
tiny house food preservation cooking rocket stoves homestead
posted 4 months ago
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I have had mixed results with the soil blocks,    the peas have done great in my aquaponics...

The beans I put in sprouted then died...      They were not covered and out in a humidity dome....     I am not adding vermiculite to the top and using a spray bottle on top to wet done the seedlings.

I have watched several videos about how to do soil blocks effectively,  picked up many good tips.

Bought some stainless steel cookie sheets to put the soil blocks on...    This method is really..... growing on me ha ha ha..
2025-04-22-10-07-49-978.jpg
[Thumbnail for 2025-04-22-10-07-49-978.jpg]
2025-04-22-10-07-44-099.jpg
[Thumbnail for 2025-04-22-10-07-44-099.jpg]
2025-04-22-10-06-32-671.jpg
[Thumbnail for 2025-04-22-10-06-32-671.jpg]
2025-04-22-10-06-01-332.jpg
[Thumbnail for 2025-04-22-10-06-01-332.jpg]
2025-04-22-10-05-54-783.jpg
[Thumbnail for 2025-04-22-10-05-54-783.jpg]

Life on a farm is a school of patience; you can't hurry the crops or make an ox in two days.
Henri Alain

 
Mart Hale
pollinator
Posts: 1111
302
5
I like...
tiny house food preservation cooking rocket stoves homestead
posted 4 months ago
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
In making the soil for the blocks.

Make the mix very wet, if too wet then add soil to fix.

Use 55 cut off tube with drill + auger to mix the soil.

Getting the seeds started,  use the spray bottle or 2 gal sprayer.

Mark the trays with the seeds as you won't remember what you put in.

Cotton balls can help start seeds.

Use the concrete pan with flat bottom for making the blocks swipe side to side and up and down

Before removing the block after the swipe,  press down to form block better.
with the plunger

Water only what the blocks need as too much water will drown the roots.

Peas do well, so do beans.  

Start plants in the shade as they can't take the sun, or water alot if in sun.
IMG_20250428_120334.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_20250428_120334.jpg]

Life on a farm is a school of patience; you can't hurry the crops or make an ox in two days.
Henri Alain

 
Goodbye moon men. Hello tiny ad:
All of the video from the Eat Your Dirt Summit
https://permies.com/t/106759/video-Eat-Dirt-Summit
reply
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
Boost this thread!
Similar Threads
More...