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Soil blockers

David787David787 Posts: 2
in Tools and techniques
Recently Monty demonstrated soil blockers on the programme. Does anyone know where they can be got hold of in this country; the only ones I can find online seem to be from American companies with prices in dollars.
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Posts

  • LynLyn DevonPosts: 18,558
    eBay has them, why do you want them,? I’ve just bought these, 10 trays for £3.00.
    i don’t watch Monty but I suspect he’s only advertising them, doubt he actually uses them.

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • FireFire LondonPosts: 10,954
    He says he does use them and that they are great.
  • B3B3 Posts: 18,774
    I've never heard of them before. They look like a good idea to me. 
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 26,281
    I just googled soil blockers and found a UK site called, funnily enough, soilblockers.co.uk

    They mention Monty's recipe for the compost mix but spell his name wrong.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • Kevin134Kevin134 Posts: 15
    You can get them from
    Along with some other useful and hard to find tools

  • David787David787 Posts: 2
    Thanks for all the really helpful responses. I have places to go and look now.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 6,565
    Yup, e bay, thiking of getting one for next year, not only for the plastic cells that are actually falling aprt, they arent cheap, but expect they would last for ever.
  • debs64debs64 West Midlands, on the edge of the Black Country Posts: 3,742
    What are they? 
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,763
    They are a device for creating small square soil 'bricks' that you can start seeds in, growing without plastic cells.  The idea is the 'bricks' will keep their shape for the weeks and months until it's time to plant out, air pruning the roots and making planting out simple and easy.. and most importantly, using little or no plastic (depending on what you use as the base).  

    in my opinion, they look tricking and difficult, and likely to lead to much failure.  Over wetting will lead to 'bricks' loosing shape, keeping them moist looks difficult, and I expect rewetting them if they get too dry will be near impossible.  I am interested to see if anyone has had good success.  

    Personally, I've never bought seed starting pots or cells.. I just reuse cells from previous years purchased bedding plants, or small pots from other purchases.. or yogurt pots, etc.  My town only recycles cardboard, paper, and magazines.  No glass or plastics.  So I might as well use what I already have.
    Utah, USA.
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,763

    Lyn said:
    i don’t watch Monty but I suspect he’s only advertising them, doubt he actually uses them.
    That is a bit unfair.  Monty has been featuring a variety of ways to reduce plastics in the garden, soil blockers being one of many, and is trying them all himself this year.  I look forward to his reviews at the end of the season.  Some look rather doubious, but others have good potential.  
    Utah, USA.
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