to reduce plastic in the garden one of our favourite practices is to use a tiny press called a soil-blocker to make cubes of soil to sow seeds and raise seedlings in. we make up a very wet mixture of potting soil with the consistency of cake batter, which always makes me crave chocolate cake. it makes a nice little spot for a seed to germinate in and a rich little house for a seedling to get growing. we just cover the seed with fine soil. smaller blocks can insert into these blocks, which can also insert into a larger block where we grow the plant on for a while before they go out in the garden, ideal for a larger plant like a tomato or squash.

the idea with them is that the roots get going and when they reach the air they ‘air prune’ — get to the edge and stop. it means we aren’t needing to squeeze plants out of a container and we find they don’t suffer the transplant shock of that experience.

we like to have a good line-up of starts ready to pop in when something is harvested and this way we can keep an eye on our plants in the nursery or in the coldframe instead of always sowing direct, which does get away from us sometimes. with the seedlings in free-standing blocks, there’s zero waste being generated as we go. it’s a small thing but it adds up quickly.


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