Here's how it works. The planting block is constructed of expanded polystyrene, 3 inches tall by 2 1/2 inches wide by 6 inches long, with 18 pre-drilled holes. Into each hole is set a planting cylinder, a sponge-like medium of pasteurized, disease-free peat moss held together with a flexible binder that holds several times its weight in water. When you are ready to start your seeds, simply soak the cylinders in lukewarm water for a few minutes, drop a few seeds into the pre-formed hole in the top of each cylinder, and set the cylinder into the polystyrene planting block. Place the watering tray beneath the block and water from below (which encourages the roots to grow down instead of wrapping themselves around the new seeding). Place the block in a warm, lighted area. It's that easy!

When you're ready to transplant, just push out the cylinder from the bottom. Your seedlings come out with every root intact, and the root ball won't crumble or fall apart as they so often do with other methods! Plant it right into the soil, and you'll have healthier plants that start growing fast. Because the sponge-like growing medium doesn't break up when it's handled, you can transplant small plants with only a few roots!

And with each Park-Starts® shipment, we send you a free package of soluble seedling food, specially formulated to keep your seedlings growing into vigorous, healthy plants!

I said earlier that I recommend Park-Starts® for experienced seed starters, and I want to elaborate on that here. If you know your way around a seed -- as far as light, temperature, and air flow requirements -- you can do no better than to start your entire garden with Park-Starts®. (After all, when you purchase the 24-pack of Park-Starts, each seedling costs you LESS THAN 10 CENTS! That's like something out of a 1964 catalog, for heaven's sake!) On the other hand, if you're new to seed-starting or are working with tricky seeds that are difficult to germinate in ordinary conditions, I'd recommend you go with Park's Bio Dome, which helps you control heat, humidity, and air flow more precisely.

Park-Starts® are compact, lightweight, and easy to store when not in use. (Is there ever a time when we hardcore gardeners aren't starting SOMETHING, though?!) They're just the right size for windowsills, office desktops (many plants love those fluorescent lights!), and small spaces where big seed flats cannot fit.

When all is said and done, Park-Starts® are simply the best value in seed-starting that I have ever seen -- without messy soil mixes, flats, and pots! You can sow your seeds in minutes and be on your way to the next garden chore, secure that your seedlings will be up and growing their best in no time!

Purchase Park-Starts® in multiples of 3 (each 3-pack starts 54 seedlings). For replacement cylinders, click here.