Already in the post Sowing I have explained to you step by step how best to proceed so that your plants really germinate. Recently, I came across the information that you can also sow with the soil from the molehill. Because really, those mounds make us nervous, don’t they?
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Earth from the molehill
But why would this work well? Actually, it is obvious! The soil from the molehill is.
- Loosened, the digging around has already been done for you
- Weed-free – after all, it comes from below the turf and no seed will go there
- Mixed with sand and gravel – so the soil will be water permeable
- Black and full of nutrients or microorganisms.
- This is ideal soil for making new seeds, whether for vegetable plants or flowers.
Suitable seed pots
I have already discussed suitable seed pots for sowing one time or another. However, since I don’t expect you to read all my posts and commit them to memory, here’s a little reminder.
Coconut Source Tabs*: With just a few simple steps, you’ll have a growing container that you can later plant in the soil with
- Plastic flower pots, in which you have bought plants in the garden center during the year.
- Cultivation trays with lids: Keeps the humidity high and ensures higher temperatures.
- Toilet paper rolls filled with soil from a molehill: Conveniently, almost everyone has these rolls at home.
- Yogurt cups are also perfect for seeding
Earth from molehills in winter
Let’s face it, how many of you busy gardeners are waiting for the temperatures to get milder in March/April to start sowing? Oh, please! I know you guys, you’re just like me!
February, for example, is when you sow peppers. You should do that if you want to harvest fruit before the September/October frosts kill your plants.
But how many of us have frost-free soil in the garden in January or February? Almost no one! That’s why molehills are perfect! You can save yourself the trouble of working the frozen soil with a spade. Instead, go to the molehill with a hand shovel and lift it sideways! Of course, mounds of voles work too!
It surprised me too, but the amount of force required to turn over a frozen molehill is surprisingly low – even my kids could do it!
Once the mound is turned over, there is cold but not frozen soil in the middle. Even from the frozen soil you can knock down pieces. You’ll fill this soil into your growing pots and bring them inside. I gave them a sip of coffee water to soak up the soil and then thaw it.
Sowing with soil from the molehill in milder temperatures.
Of course, if it’s no longer freezing outside, you can always help yourself to the molehill. However, if possible, you should poke a fresh mound, so that seeds of weeds can not lay on it. As some of us know, in the mild winter the weeds grow first. You certainly don’t want to risk the seedlings robbing our precious plants of nutrients, water and space.