Kyle Shedd

I am opposed to the mining practices of perlite/vermiculite. I have read that the mining of perlite is not too hard on the natural environment, but it still makes me wary. Thank you both for your replies!

Hello All, I'm fairly new to all this and would appreciate any advice. I would like to begin making soil blocks, but I am not fond of the idea of using perlite or vermiculite. I know Eliot Coleman uses perlite, and every farmer that I've worked for also used it. So, I have two questions:

1. Are there alternatives?

2. Can anyone suggest a soil mixture that has worked well for them when planting from seed?

I apologize if there is a thread already answering this question!

Cheers, Kyle