Crafting with Jo: Soil Block Maker Tutorial

I know Wednesdays you are used to seeing recipes, but I planned on using the additional blog page for other homesteading activities like cooking, crafting, and other creative stuff. So no secret recipe today. Instead we are crafting! And better yet, we are repurposing and recycling items which would take a couple thousand years to compost.

I was looking at my soil block maker while we were sowing our indoor seed starting operation a couple of weeks ago, and thought it would be a nifty idea to make a small set of soil block makers for the smaller seeds like herbs and carrots. So I decided to bring you along while I make them.

The middle bottle

Since my pharmacy now fills some of my prescriptions for 90 days including one of my muscle relaxers (Dantrolene). I get 6 of these bottles every 3 months. While we have a slew of uses for these bottles, I have a medium size stockpile of this size bottles.

How to Make It

Tools
Exacto Knife
Scissors
Marker
Saw, if combining them
Drill

Odds and Ends Bits
1 pill bottle or other round or square container with screw on lid
1 Eye bolt, how long depends on the length of the bottle plus 3"
4 fender washers
4 nuts, sized for the bolt

Duct Tape, if combining them
Six-inch long piece of 1x4, if combining

Now take your marker and mark the bottle following the diagram.
1) You want to mark for your drill hole in the center of the top. This is where the eye bolt will go.

2) Mark around the bottom of the pill bottle above the curved bottom.
Cut along the bottom with an Exacto knife.

3) Save the bottom that you just cut off. You'll use it as part of the plunger attachment. cut around the bottom piece until it fits smoothly inside the pill bottle.

3) Drill a hole in the center of this cut cut down bottom.

 
4) Drill a hole in the top where you marked the center spot. The size will depend on the size of you eye bolt. Make sure the eye bolt can move freely through the hole.

Assembly

1. Take the cap off the bottle.
2. On your eye bolt, screw on a nut within 2" of the eye.
3. Thread on a fender washer onto the bolt.
4. Slide on the cap. 
5. Add fender washer and nut. Make this finger tight to the cap. Too much torque and the plastic cap will crack.
6. Measure your bottle from the neck to the cut edge.
7. Now measure you bolt and sbtract a 1/2". Mark your bolt.
8. Screw a nut onto your bolt so the bottom edge of your nut is just above that mark.
9. Screw the top onto the bottle.
10. On the eye bolt, add a fender washer.
11. Slide on the cut down bottom piece.
12. Slide on a fender washer.
13. Screw on the nut.
14. You should have about 1/4" to 1/2" inch clearance off the bolt showing.

This isn't mine. I googled this one for a finished product image.

Your soil block maker is ready to use. Pull the plunger all the way up. Fill with moist seed starting mix. Invert onto seed starting tray. I use a repurposed baking sheets. It had rusty spots. Or even a repurposed vinyl tablecloth lined box will do. Place seed in the depression made in the top by the bolt. Scratch the surface to cover the seed. I use a bamboo skewer or popsicle stick. Water from bottom up or gentle spray from the top.

How to Tell If Your Mix is Moist Enough 
It's not runny but clumps together nicely when squeezed in your hand.

BONUS
Now making a hundred pots one at a time is a bit tedious. I make 4 to 8 bottles at a time. I'll mount regular bolts instead of eye bolts onto a 1x4 piece of lumber. This way I fill and unmold 4-8 soil blocks at a time. I'll use duct tape to stabilize the bottles together.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Jo