Use paper towel and toilet paper rolls and egg cartons as seed starting containers. Clip the bottom as shown below.
By Lin Johnson
You can save money starting your own seed, especially when you can make seed starting containers with recycled materials. Homemade trays are easy to make by recycling commonly used items around the house. Here are 3 options for making homemade seed starting containers using recycled materials – free!
Cardboard paper towel and toilet paper rolls make incredible starting cells. Cut the cardboard rolls into 2″ sections. Next, cut four ½” slits into the bottom of the 2″ roll, and overlap the strips to make a small container. Snip up 1/2 inch in four evenly spaced locations, and fold to create a bottom edge. Then just fill with a quality seed starting mix, and plant with seed. Use baking pans as trays to hold the cells upright as they grow. Cardboard is biodegradable, meaning you can plant the entire seed and cardboard sleeve together!
Egg cartons can be used to start small seeds. Cut the top cover half off of the carton, keeping only the egg cell side. Poke a hole in the bottom of each cell, allowing water to drain. Multiple cells make it easy to group plant varieties together in each carton. Next, fill the cells with a seed starting-mix, and plant with seed. Cardboard trays work best, allowing moisture to escape and wick out. Cardboard is biodegradable, so just scissor each cell away and plant the entire thing.
Yogurt cups make larger, more spacious cells and plants can develop larger roots before being transplanted. Clean and rinse the cups with dish soap and water, then place holes in the bottom. Then just fill, plant and watch them grown. The larger size allows seedlings to grow strong roots before transplanting. Replant seedlings that have outgrown smaller cells into these. Take time to label them as you plant or transplant! It is easy to get plants confused as they grow.
Advanced Garland County Master Gardener, Lin Johnson, volunteers with GC Master Gardeners of the UofA Div. of Agriculture, Cooperative Ext. Service. Master Gardeners pool skills and resources to improve home horticulture, stimulate interest in plants and gardening, and encourage beautification. For more information, call 501-623-6841 or email adykes@uaex.edu. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution.
