REPURPOSED ITEMS YOU CAN USE TO PLANT SEEDS (DIY SEED POTS)
- You can use a number of paper and plastic items from your recycling bin as DIY seed starter pots-as long as they drain water!
- Paper Products: Egg crates (esp. great because you can plant right in the ground because they're biodegradable!), paper towel and toilet paper roll cores, cardboard boxes
- Plastic Products: Yogurt cups, plastic water bottles, keurig coffee cups
YOU CAN EVEN MAKE SEED STARTER POTS OUT OF NEWSPAPER!
- Lay a single strip of newspaper and measure 6 inches from side edge of paper, cut full length
- Roll Bottle and wrap the bottom 4” of bottle with newspaper (with 2 inches of newspaper extending from the bottom of the bottle
- Fold in the bottom 2” of newspaper in towards the concave area of bottle
- Remove bottle and push the inverted flaps of newspaper down inside the “cup” so it lays flat
- Fill with seed starting soil, mist and plant seed
HOW TO PLANT PRE-SPROUTED SEEDS:
- Take the pre-sprouted seeds (stuck to the paper towel), just cut away the paper towel piece, lay seed on soil and cover with a fine layer of soil
- Mist and place on top of seed heating pad or on a warm appliance until leaves emerge: keep soil moist
- Move to a sunny area once the leaves emerge. Continue growing until ready to plant outdoors
Tip: Start seedlings indoors 6-8 weeks before planting outdoors Tip: Use "seed starting mix" instead of regular potting soil, it is a soil-less mix
WHAT TO DO WITH ANY UNUSED SEEDS:
- You save them for next year! They’ll stay in great condition if you keep them dry and out of direct sunlight.
- CD jackets are great for storing seeds because they close tightly and securely. Take plain CD covers and insert colored construction paper as a jacket to label and write notes.
- Use different colored paper to represent different seed types: yellow for tomatoes, green for herbs, etc.
Shirley’s DIY Seed Starter Pots
Check out Shirley Bovshow’s Garden Designing Expertise at EdenMakers.com, and follow her on Twitter @EdenMaker.
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