The medium you use is very important. A good seed starting mix is just one part of the equation. Ive found starting seeds indoors can be tricky if the lighting is not in the proper spectrum. My best results have been from high pressure sodium vapor lamps. The yellow orange color mimics sun light best. I'm sure this will be debated but my personal results have exceeded all other lamps. As For established plants, good black top soil or composted cow manure. What ever you use for the soil, I've got a great mix of starting/biweekly maintenance liquid for indoor or garden plantings. In one gallon of water add: 1 tablespoon of miracle grow 15-30-15 1 tablespoon Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide 3% It may sound strange but it works great for all seeds. Also for transplanting as well. The hydrogen peroxide acts as a soil oxygenate and kills fungus/molds also the fizzing helps loosen the soil. One important factor in most fertilizer, it needs natural bacteria in the soil to break down the nitrogen fertilizer into a useable form. peroxide aids in this by adding oxygen to the soil which the good bacteria need. For tomatoes and roses the Epsom salts work very well to add sulpher and magnesium to the soil. If your a sceptic try it, it will cost pennies and most likely you have the products already in your house not to mention it's health friendly. As a side note you must use the liquid mix quickly. Peroxide breaks down rapidly in sun light or open air. Roses and tomatoes work very well with this mix, but most vegetable crops respond well. Just water with the solution every 2 weeks in-between regular irrigation. Also add 1 cup 3% peroxide to a gallon of water for a foliar spray that kills fungus on sick house plants and gardens as well. Again it can't sit on the shelf after mixing. Peroxide will loose it's effective properties quickly and turn into plain water. The last item is choice of fertilizer. Miracle Grow general purpose 15-30-15 is a good all around product. But if you can find a farm and feed supply you have many mor options. Fertilizer has 3 components the first number is nitrogen. * NITROGEN  makes plants grow green and tall but to much nitrogen on flowering or vegetable producing plants will be counter active. A tomato plant with only nitrogen applied will be 10 feet tall but never bloom or bear fruit. but for lettuce, Spinach, turnip greens, cilantro ETC. it produces great results. * PHOSPHORIC ACID the second number is the bloom and fruit key component. This promotes healthy stems, roots, and blooms. Too much on leaf crops will cause smaller plants that tend to go to seed. * POTASH the third number. Potash is beneficial to plants for drought resistance, healthy root and stem, and helps with disease resistance. So what does all this mean..... Well a fertilizer such as 6-24-24 is great for a flowering plant, and vegetable crops. A balanced agricultural 12-12-12 or 19-19-19 is a good balance for all crops (found at farm supply stores). If you can locate a 46-0-0 or also known as urea you will have spinach 2 feet tall in weeks with out any seeding, but you can burn a plant very easy with too much nitrogen. Keep in mind this is a lot of info. Not all these products are available in most stores. And like everything applying the proper amount and the correct combination is key. But a box of Miracle Grow is pricy. A 50lb bag of 19-19-19 is $20 which goes a long way. Just be very carefull of using products like Scotts Fertilizer. Unless the brand you use says "for vegetable or agriculture use" it may contain pesticides or weed preventers. I hope this helps, it's a lot of info but nothing in life is truly simple! RJ
