I haven't seen Ron's starting mix, so I don't know what is in it. I use Jiffy peat pellets. Soak them until thoroughly expanded, squeeze as much water out as you can, cut off the mesh, and crumble it into a fine, fluffy peat. I put this in a lidded plastic deli container about 1 inch deep, and sow the seeds directly on top. Close the lid and you have a mini greenhouse. Put in bright light and wait. And wait. And wait. In 2-3 weeks you should start to see some tiny leaves. Keep the peat damp but not wet.

Good luck.

Barbara

Thanks Barbara for your feedback! I was also looking for this recipe for jiffy peat pellets but, could not find it on the internet.Thanks again. Angela

I have never seen Mr. Nadeau's mix, but what worked perfectly for me was equal parts of sifted vermiculite and sifted peat moss as shown in the link below. No special mixes to buy - just use what you probably already have.

Here is a link that might be useful: Janetâs Low-Tech Method For Starting African Violets From Seed

Donna, thanks for the link to Janet's Low-Tech Method. From searching the internet I have seen lots of ways to start africn violet seeds.I've noticed 3 basic ingredients(give or take)peat moss,perlite and vermiculite.I've tried before with growing african violets from seeds and came up empty. I usually get mold and green stuff (algae?) on the top of my soil mix. Maybe I should use boiled water over the mix?? Angela

Boiled water isn't necessary but it wouldn't hurt to use it. It sounds like maybe your mix was too soggy. That's where the picture of the hand squeezing the mix helped me. It should be moist but not soggy. To reduce algae keep the seed bed out of direct sunlight. Good luck Angela - it's lots of fun to grow from seeds!