Fort Vee

Fort Vee is a compost-based potting mix that is excellent for seed starting in soil blocks. This living soil holds its shape after being blocked, even through repeat waterings.

Fort Vee also excels as a germinating and potting-up mix for trays, plugs, and potted plants.  Professional growers rely on Fort Vee for sustained nutrition and exceptional texture to grow vibrant, sturdy transplants. 

When you transplant a seedling grown in Fort Vee into your field or greenhouse, you improve your soil health by adding slow-release minerals, mature compost, and a healthy community of bacteria and fungi to your beds. 

Fort Vee or Fort Light? While both are excellent choices for seed starting and potting up, most growers have a preference between the two. You may want to choose Fort Vee if you are looking for a robust soil mix that will retain moisture and perform well in soil blocking and larger-celled trays. 

Unlike Fort Light, Fort Vee contains vermiculite, which is a naturally occurring mineral that we add to increase aeration and drainage. These characteristics help with healthy root development, as well as providing ideal habitat conditions for many living soil organisms. In fact, Fort Vee got it's name when “Fortified with Vermiculite” was shortened to “Fort Vee.” Fort Vee also includes a mix of finely ground granite and basalt, which provide slow-release minerals in your fields for years after transplant.  

Ingredients: All ingredients used in Fort Vee have been approved for certified organic production. Our composting process meets the National Organic Program (NOP) standard requirements and our products are approved by Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF), the certification branch of NOFA-VT.

The backbone of all our potting soils is the mature compost that we craft on site. To that foundation, we add high-quality, organic inputs selected to produce reliably outstanding soil.

Our soil recipes are iterative, as we frequently re-evaluate suppliers and ingredients against our goals of minimizing our environmental impact and producing a premium potting soil that growers can afford. For specific questions about product formulations, please contact us at info@vermontcompost.com.

Uses

• Seed germination
• Soil blocks*
• Transplanting vegetable, flower, and cannabis starts
• Potted houseplants

*Note: as Fort Vee is screened to 1/2", the use of mini soil blockers may require additional screening to meet mini blocker specifications.

Best Practices

Prep For Use

Wet product with warm water prior to filling trays or soil blocking. This allows the soil to stabilize and prevents soil from washing out of pots or trays.

Handling

Avoid drastic changes in moisture/saturation. Store undercover, out of direct sunlight. Protect from weed seed, petroleum products, and other contaminants.

Supplemental Fertility

Usually, no additional fertility is required. If roots have filled the container and fertility is needed, top-dress with Compost Plus and water in.

Storage and Shelf Life

Store in a neutral environment which encourages moisture retention and protects from UV light. For optimal performance of living soil, we suggest using it within 6-9 months from the date of purchase, although it may perform adequately for up to 12 months. For more detailed information, please refer to our article on storage and handling. 

"The phrase, “feed the soil, not the plants,” is why we choose Fort Vee. The seedlings we produce are healthy and robust. Once seedling production is over, we flip our greenhouse benches, fill them with 2 ½ inches of Fort Vee, and plant salad mix for the winter. We're usually able to get 3 cuttings with no supplemental fertility!"

-Greg Maslowe, Newton Community Fam, Newton, MA

"We have used Fort Vee potting soil on our farm for over 20 years. The return we get with healthy, vigorous plants makes this investment an easy business decision."

-Richard Wiswall, Cate Farm, Plainfield, VT