For flower farmers, veggie growers & gardeners

Start every seedling in a better block.

Give your seedlings air-pruned roots, zero plastic, and no transplant shock — from one tray on the bench to two hundred blocks for the field. Stainless steel, handmade in Michigan.

4.79★
from 75 growers
Made in Michigan
stainless steel, built to last
Zero plastic
no pots, no cell trays
Home → field
one system, any scale
See it in action

Growers put it to work on camera

grown for growers

Whatever you're growing

Dahlias and zinnias, tomatoes and peppers — whatever fills your rows and raised beds, it starts in a Swift Blocker.

A soil block with a thriving seedling and roots air-pruned at the block edge
See the difference

Roots that air-prune at the edge

A dense, fibrous rootball instead of a circling, rootbound knot — so seedlings settle into the garden with no transplant shock.

Real footage from our farm · handmade in Michigan

In good company

Trusted by the people who wrote the book on growing

Buying a Swift Blocker is one of the best investments we've made on our farm. Swift Blockers are the definition of lean—they increase productivity and profits with less work and waste.
Ben Hartman Author of The Lean FarmClay Bottom Farm
Loved by growers

What growers are saying

4.79 out of 5 · 75 reviews

Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Easily one of the best purchases I've made for the farm. It blocks really well and saves so much time as compared to conventional blockers. Plus no strain on the hand or wrist!
Katja AndreoSwift Blocker 50
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Absolutely a game changer. I can't wait to stop using winstrip trays. The swift blocker saves us time forming blocks and I am sure it will save us time transplanting those blocks.
Linh AvenSwift Blocker 128
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
So well made! I'm looking forward to many years of use.
Brenna EstradaSwift Blocker 72

Made by growers, in Michigan

We built the Swift Blocker on our own farm — potting up dahlia cuttings and starting trays of cut flowers every season. Today those same blockers start everything from zinnias to tomatoes — on flower farms, market gardens, and backyard beds. Every blocker is stainless steel, made to order, and designed to be the last soil blocker you buy.

Soil blocking, answered

What is soil blocking?

Soil blocking starts seeds in free-standing cubes of compressed mix instead of plastic pots. Roots air-prune at the block's open edge instead of circling, so seedlings grow a dense rootball and transplant with almost no shock.

Which Swift Blocker size should I choose?

0.9" blocks (Nano 25, Mini 75, Commercial 200) suit tiny seeds and most cut flowers; 1.5" blocks (Nano 9, Mini 27, Commercial 72/128) are the workhorse for veg, herbs, and flowers; 2"+ blocks (Nano 4, Commercial 50) handle large seeds like sweet peas and squash. Choose bigger if you can't water often. Not sure? Take the 60-second size quiz and get a recommendation.

What soil mix works best?

A fine seed-starting mix kneaded with warm water to a "mashed potatoes" consistency — fully saturated with no dry pockets. Err on the side of too wet rather than too dry; excess water presses out as you form the blocks.

How do I water soil blocks?

Bottom-water only. Set the block tray in about ¾–1" of water for 1–2 minutes, roughly 2–3 times a week, then drain. Top-watering with force erodes the wall-less blocks.

How long until seedlings are ready to transplant?

72-cell-size blocks are usually ready in about 4 weeks. Well-packed blocks can sit up to roughly 6 weeks before they need potting up or planting out.

Are Swift Blockers made in the USA?

Yes — every blocker is stainless steel, made to order in southeast Michigan. Every model ships on about a one-week lead time.