For many home gardeners, it's fun to get a head start on the upcoming garden season by starting seedlings indoors. The growing medium should be porous and free of disease pathogens. Home gardeners can use commercially prepared soilless media, such as Jiffy Mix, or prepare their own by mixing equal parts garden soil, peat, and perlite. Homemade soil mixes should be prepared in the fall before the ground freezes and then stored in a plastic bag for use in winter. Homemade soil mixes should also be pasteurized before use.
Pasteurization destroys weed seeds, insects, and disease pathogens in the soil mix.
To pasteurize, lightly moisten the soil mix, place in a shallow baking pan, and bake in the oven at 180 F for 30 minutes. Allow the soil mix to cool before using or storing in a plastic bag. Various containers can be used to germinate and grow transplants. Gardeners can purchase flats, trays, pots, compressed peat pellets, and other commercial products. Cut-off milk cartons or plastic jugs, paper cups, and egg cartons can also be used to start seeds.