Sterilizing Soil Is It Required

Question: Is it necessary to sterilize the soil in which spring and summer bedding and garden seeds are started when growing them in the house? If so, how is this done for small quantities of soil? G. F., Iowa.

Answer: If fresh soil is taken from the garden or field and mixed with leaf mold, peat and sand there is no need to sterilize this soil before using it in the seed flats. Other than killing the weed seed present sterilization would have little practical value. It might destroy certain harmful bacteria, nematodes, etc., but likewise it would destroy beneficial bacteria which are present in all good soils. It is only when the same flat or bench of soil is used over and over that it is of proven advantage to sterilize the soil.

I would use a bagged mix for starting seeds and plants instead on mixing soil.

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