Wooden Soil Block Trays – 30 Minute DIY

Soil blocking is my new favourite way to start, grow, and transplant seedings for many reasons. If you are experimenting with soil blocking, you will quickly learn that the dense soil blocks are HEAVY- especially after a good watering! After trying to use my standard black 1020 greenhouse tray, I realized that I needed something much stronger. Cue the homemade wooden soil block trays!

My husband had a few small sheets of plywood laying around; so we decided to make some quick DIY wooden soil blocking trays. These trays have three sides and a solid base.

There are many benefits to using wooden soil blocking trays including overall strength, water retention, flat surface area for small 3/4 inch blocks, and easy to transport. Each tray can hold 32 2-inch soil blocks or 240 3/4 inch soil blocks (perfectly fits 12 mini soil block forms). Read on to find out exactly how to make your own wooden soil blocking trays in 30 minutes or less.

Materials:

Plywood: Use at least 1/2 inch thick plywood. One 2’x2′ sheet will make two wooden soil block trays. We used leftover plywood that we had stored from other projects. Places like Home Depot or your local lumber store will have sheets on plywood that you can purchase. They come in different sizes including 4’x8′ pieces. Use what you have on hand or can find that is cost effective!

Finishing Nails: We used 1 1/2″ finishing nails for this project and found that they were easy to use and held the wood together nicely. We tried three different ways to fasten the boards together including air nailing, drilling + screwing, and using finishing nails. The finishing nails were so simple to hammer in and didn’t split the plywood apart. They also required little equipment (a win in my books).

Wood Glue (Optional): Wood glue will help to hold your soil blck trays together and will work with nails to make a strong held bond between the wood pieces.

Equipment:

Saw: Ideally you will use a table saw to make your cuts. A table saw will ensure that all of your edges are square so that the box comes together seamlessly. Other saws will work including a jig saw and skill saw but be as careful as you can to ensure the edges are square.

Tape Measure: I used a tape measure to accurately measure all of the sides and base.

Hammer: We used our son’s small hammer for this project! Any old hammer will do.

Straight Edge: It was important to use a straight edge when drawing our lines in between measurements. We used both a small ruler and the edge of our level. Use what you have handy.

Benefits of Using Wooden Soil Block Trays

Strength: Unlike greenhouse trays and other trays made from recycled bread containers, these wooden soil block trays are STRONG! Soil blocks are much more dense than peat pods or plug trays which make them heavy. Plastic trays and other recycled trays easily fold and bow under the pressure, making them harder to move around.

Water Retention: The three sides on these wooden trays helps to hold in moisture and to keep your seedlings happy. Some people opt for flat slab trays with no sides but they are more prone to dry out and will be harder to keep damp.

Flat Surface Area: Small 3/4 inch soil blocks need a nice flat surface to sit otherwise they will tend to lose their shape and structure. The wooden base on these trays works perfect to keep the blocks rigid and shapely.

Easy to Handle and Transport: When it comes time to transport your trays to and from the house, garage, greenhouse and garden these trays are superior. Initial setup is a breeze because you can form your soil blocks and stack trays in preparation for seeding and the 2 inch sides are easy to grab and move around.

Downfalls of Using Wooden Soil Block Trays

• They are heavier than a normal 1020 greenhouse tray- if you are transporting a lot of these trays at a time, they could start to feel heavy.

• They aren’t water tight which makes using them in a house or garage to start seeds a little bit more tricky. With the 3/4 inch blocks I almost always opt to mist from the top which really negates any water leakage issues. These trays fit perfectly inside of a 1020 greenhouse tray should you choose to use them indoors and have concerns about water leakage.

Maintaining Your Wooden Soil Block Trays

Wooden trays naturally repel fungi and bacteria but it is always a good idea to wash them down with warm soapy water in between seasons to remove any excess soil and to let them dry out.

Tutorial

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