Johnny's 20-Block Soil Block Maker: The Perfect Way to Reduce Garden Waste

Last year I started looking for ways to cut down on the waste that I was creating through my gardening every year. After all, I do not garden just because I enjoy it, but because I have slowly started to adopt a green lifestyle. After starting seeds for my organic garden and visiting local nurseries for new varieties of plants, I noticed that I had a mountain of plastic trash until I found out about Johnny's 20-block Soil Block Maker.

Johnny's Seeds is a company that specializes in seed starting products and selected seed for all your gardening needs. The soil block makers offered by the company, allow you to make your own soil blocks to start your seeds in. Making your own blocks eliminates the need to buy a bunch of seed starting plastic cells every spring.

In addition to being able to eliminate a huge part of the waste involved in seed planting, the soil block makers eliminates the shock to plants that comes from transplanting. The new seedlings can just be added to a larger pot of soil or soil blocks without disturbing the plant roots.

If you don't already grow your own plants from seed, this is the perfect time to begin. Using the soil block maker is quick and easy, and you can grow plant varieties that local nurseries might not carry.

The 20-block Soil Block Maker was one of the smaller models of soil blocks available from the Johnny Seed Company, but the size is very manageable for a home seed starting operation. The design is very sturdy and well made, I was worried about it being too heavy or hard to manage with smaller hands but that was not an issue.

To use the soil maker you just need to push the maker into your soil and then turn and lift, that easy. To empty out the blocks just place it where you want to keep your soil blocks and then push the spring handle down, which will eject the soil. I was able to fit twice as many seed starters in the same amount of space that I always use because of the customization and free form offered by the maker.

Overall I like the twenty block model, but I do hope that a ten or eight block model is added to the line. Even though I was able to make more seedling starters than when I bought the bulky plastic containers, I did have plenty of space left over. It was difficult to make a partial block of soil because of how large it is.

For the first time seed grower this is the perfect way to learn how to grow seeds and do everything the way you want. Experienced seed growers will quickly see the benefits that come along with using their own seed block maker and beginning their garden.

The Johnny 20-block Soil Block Maker is available online from the Johnny's Selected Seeds. ($32, www.johnnyseeds.com)