Is this FULL TRAY Soil Blocker a Game Changer? 

Vinegar does wonders when it comes to rust.

FYI, An anti-rust treatment like Evaporust gives a longer lasting result than vinegar.

​@@ellellbee fyi that doesn't remove rust and literally any oil will prevent rust. Just use some olive oil, or vegetable oil or whatever.

Good to know!

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That is exactly what I thought, the old aluminum ice cube trays. I might try this with ice cube trays, but still would have to poke holes for seeds which would take time, or just lay on top and poke it in with a pencil or dibbler? Wish they were less expensive also, but putting on my wish list :)

@@sn232 I'm very inexperienced with this stuff yet, so maybe this wouldn't work, but couldn't one build a dibbler thing out of like 1/2in. board and lil tiny furniture feet ( like the size one might find on the bottom of a jewelry box or other small item) or dowel sections. To whatever specs you need. Obviously, making it would take awhile, and u may have to use linseed oil now n then to protect it, but I'm thinking that some partnership with a local high-school shop class, a 4H or homeschool kid or group project, scout's woodworking project...maybe get some kids to make it for you/me... ! Could be interesting and inspirational for them, so, a win-win !

was thinking the same. maybe some fall out?

That's what I've been doing. Load it flat on my table, then lift it into the tray to press out

Yeah someone else suggested that as well. It's worth a shot as long as the mix is not too wet, the blocks should stay in place.

That's the first thing I thought as well. Maybe build a solid tray form. To help speed up scraping the tops and eliminate the excess on the sides.

Depending on the stability of your wheelbarrow, you could load the bottom tray on a board resting across the wheelbarrow directly, letting you scrape any excess from the tray (and the board between trays) directly back into the pile. All in all, gives me a strong "brick pit scene" vibe from _The Ten Commandments._

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You should do it! I'm loving mine so far

​@@YouCantEatTheGrass So funny you answered! Have a great day.

What trays are you using? Any recommendations?

Ha ! " The struggle is real".. . I'm a former dairy farmer ( with my Dad/family) and our farm & family had some extra, extra financial and otherwise hard times during my teens n 20s. I was the oldest there during that era ( have an older sis, 'nother story) and my many little siblings were still very little or being born, so, me and my next down sibling, brother, were the work-force. My mom drove tractor a lot too. I was main barn-area person during 3 seasons and we had a farm stretched out on a ridge, too. So busy, some of those years are still just a blur. Anyways, we practically ran everywhere, some years. I was so used to looking at the time, trying to keep things rolling (milking on no more than a 12 hour schedule matters for milk production)..I became addicted to looking ta my watch, then it broke ( coming between a slamming cow and pipe will do that to even a reliable $12 K-mart Casio... RIP, sweet friend !). I wasn't able to get to town to get another right away ( & we did have a clock in the middle of the barn) and then gave it to my brother when he needed it suddenly and more. So, I gradually broke my obsession, and while my ability to manage well suffered slightly, I was able to start ton relax a tad. Once I quit farming, I also learned that not everyone does their job at a fast walk... little annoying a times... but also nice to also not have others expecting that to be normal. It's not and it shouldn't be ! IMO :) . At times, yeah. Not being a slow-poke or shovel-leaner, sure. Plz. But not taking a pushing hard during a seasonal peak, or during hard time, and making that a 365 normal and holding everyone to that ! Burning out people's adrenals.. . Anyways, I have some understanding, I think, and hope you're recovering, without losing the cool skills ( incl. the gitRdone mindset) too much !

Funny you say that. Did they make those capsule makers illegal? Can’t find them on eBay but tell our customers it’s the best to maintain purity for their turmeric in pill form

Wondering ... ( my husband's nephew has one and they're both very good at making things with metal), did you make the top part like seen here ? And if so, did you do dibblers, too ? If so, how so ? Thanks !

For some seeds yes. We did a recent video on seed priming in fact 👍

I don't think so? The mix is loose but it doesn't fall out super easy unless is too wet. I think the plunger part is kinda necessary

Sorry just seeing this nearly a year later. I was meaning at some point you showed that are different in size and hard to precision seed. You could also analyze this by weight. It's a boring trial but if you did a couple trays with each blocker type and then weigh each block individually you can measure how precise each one is. Overkill? Definitely. Worth it? For a shout-out yes 😅

We've done both. the slamming method has just done well for us to quickly and evenly fill the blocks.

Had the same thought. Blocks are VERY close

Absolutely - my employee is quite thankful for these.

Maybe something like that could be figured out but even little bits of scraps can get caught so 🤷

(10"x20"x.75")/12³ is a little over a half gallon of soil mix. Nerd

thank YOU 🙌

I've been using an Earthway seeder for cover crops and have been happy with the results. Better germination than broadcast and rake. There was a SARE funded study on using the Earthway for cover crops that has a chart with the proper plate to use for each crop (which honestly, was the same plate for most things).

For cover crops yeah we use the earthway or hang depending on the situation and the seed. If it's a broadcast situation, we'll just use our hands to broadcast the seed, then rake it lightly, and press the seeds in with a roller. I don't have the exact measurements in front of me. I would just write them? The dibblers are interchangeable 👍

I get it. We've tried both pretty extensively and I still prefer soil blocks for our system. Only place we use winstrips now is cucurbits for root separation

@@notillgrowers What do you mean about root separation? To keep them from going into the other soil blocks you would have made for them if you did that instead of the winstrips? Would love to know, and good to know :)

I don't know enough about these things but maybe that adds a greater expense?

@@notillgrowers oh I’m sure there are factors that make the rubber a good choice. But everybody likes options.

though now that I've watched to the end and you made the point about the 200 tray making blocks a bit too small...hmm. Let us know how lettuce compares in each size!

Yeah, sometimes I like the slightly larger blocks too because that adds a little more soil mix to he garden--it's sort of part of our fertility system.

That's an interesting idea, though I'd be curious if all the blocks would hold when you pick it up. Sometimes it may be too wet

@@notillgrowers I guess that that might happen. If it does maybe try turning/twisting the frame back and forth and then _sliding_ it off the table to break any vacuum instead of just lifting it directly.

I'm curious as well!

I mean it happens a little bit so we don't start cucurbits in soil blocks like this, but mostly it's fine. Never been a huge problem for us

I'm only a home-use grower so far, and I love my soil blocker. For all the reasons soil blocks are beneficial, preferable to most other methods ( watch Jesse's older videos on that) and space saving/maximizing for my seedling area, too. Obviously, getting even a cheapest one may not be in the budget/immediately worth it to many folks, but just sayin', even for those of us not doing them by the hundreds, they can be a worthy investment. I had little $, and so went with the size I though would be best for me, the 2 in. , in handheld, makes 4 at a time. That was before I saw how Jesse "up-pots" by hand into what he calls "soil balls" I think.. and how well that seems to work. I now wish I'd gotten the mini instead. That was also before I'd realized how much I guess I did want to start early, indoors. Like more flowers and herbs to interplant with, among other things ( I usually had learned to prefer direct sowing above all, it's so much easier than trying to learn to not kill, damage, etc. indoor seedlings... but I'm learning and also finally am making a cattle-panel hoop-house/greenhouse ). I'm in zone 4 WI btw. .

@@ajb.822 Thank You for the share. We have a smaller garden. Probably about 6,000 square feet. So like this year we are going to raise 34 tomato plants. Then doing corn in this method is not a good idea from all that I have read. If we did get a soil blocker, most likely it would be the one doing four at a time. I do agree as to potting up because we almost always do. Another "drawback" is that our grow light system and so forth is all set up in a specific manner. Which means that we have a lot of trays to start the seedlings. Yes as we are always learning as well. I do know that we will be purchasing a heat map for next Spring or even possibly to use for the fall planting. Does this learning process ever end? We are in Zone 7, Southern New Mexico. That said the weather has been so unpredictable. It was in the upper 30's this morning and tomorrow a high in the 80's. Again, Thank You for sharing!

Oh we've actually enjoyed it so far! We can hold and plant multiple blocks with one hand, which speeds things up. That said, it may be about the soil prep and conditions. Not sure. We've only done a couple rounds, too, so check back with me in a month or so.

I'd recommend going to his previous videos which cover all that. If not on their own playlist ( I don't recall), use the RU-vid search bar : " No-till growers soil blocks

Oh that parts easy. The roots bind the blocks together.

Oh yeah, same as with any soil blocker.

Oh I think Josh is just focusing on his cinematography stuff. He has a whole channel dedicated to it now

@@notillgrowers so he’s still farming but not making videos on it?

Maybe, but I also don't know what the cost of making one of these things would be or what it would cost to pay someone to install dibblers (or buy a machine) so I'll reserve judgment there. It seems pricewise in line with most tools of this scale I think

I have also learned that there are costs you wouldn't think of , for most things. Whether it was getting a patent or legal help making sure they weren't plagiarizing anyone/copyright infringement , etc. ( I'm NOT saavy in any of that stuff, so, sorry if some of those were ill-stated or not a thing) or if they had to start a business to use to make and sell these. My husband is currently starting one ( a niche hauling/transport thing) and yeah, expenses and time - esp. for those new to all this and who don't have any experts amongst family or friends- the costs start really adding up. Insurance is one. Obviously, they're not driving down the road with someone else's equipment like my husband will be, but I can imagine they have some sort. Sadly, inflation and excessive laws and tape etc. , imo, all make stuff a lot more expensive than it actually needs to be, esp. to sell it. To make it yourself just IS a lot cheaper, oftentimes. So, if you have the machine and can, go for it ! Otherwise, I'd ask a lot more questions of the people selling it before assuming anything about their profit margin, reasons for pricing and for leaving the dibblers off. Side note about the dibblers...does it take a man's/strong woman's strength to install them or can an older child be assigned this... ??

I have no idea but it kinda works right? haha

Not that I've seen, but it's all about starting with a good soil mix. It has to have a decent aeration element

@@notillgrowers Did you check under a microscope after some time?

Some people are using grain-hulls. you could search for that? Not sure about folks in your region.