On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 20:23:55 GMT, Phisherman typed
these words:

I've baked soil before. If it is not damp enough, it will stink.
There should be enough water so that when you press down on the soil,
it will ooze up though the fingers and ther will be a little water
standing on top. It is the conversion of water to steam that does the
effective job of sterilizing. Use a temperature of 275 and bake for
about 1.5 hours for each half bushel of soil. The top should start to
cake then it will crack near the end of the baking process. There
will be a slight odor, but not objectionable. It smells something
like caramel and disappears quickly. The soil will need to be
screened to fluff it up. The beneficial bacteria will quickly return
to the soil after it cools down.

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice. What I want is a quick
alternative to buying a bag of potting soil. g I'll let you know
what well saturated dirt smells like when it's baking...

Julie in KY
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http://www.bobsloansampler.com/