I begin my first seed of the season last week — tomato , my favorite summer craw . I like to give them a pass start bysowing the seeds indoorsso that come April ( if I ’m lucky ) , I canharden them offandtransplant them outside .
link up : Grow Tomatoes Like a Boss With These 10 Easy Tips
Right now I ’m starting several varieties of tomato plant , purple tomatillos , and shishito peppers in 16 petite seed starting pots recycled from years past . While 16 voice like a reasonable number , it ’s not uncommon for me to haveupwards of 100 pots or more , of all size of it , once I ’m in the thick of seed pop season .
And , I seldom buy new good deal .
I have a vast collection of containers in the K , ranging from 1 - column inch seed starting flat to 1 - congius credit card pot . At one time or another I brought these home from various nursery , and have recycle them season after season .
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But with my garden maturate every twelvemonth , I often do n’t have all the pots I need in spring , when hundreds of seeds await their new homes .
That ’s why I start gathering them now , and chances are , you’re able to happen just as many containers around your star sign and not spend a cent on “ proper ” germ set out potbelly .
These upcycled seminal fluid starting containers only take to last a few weeks , but ones made of more durable material ( like old tea can or bake sheet ) can be used year after year .
Where to find cheap seed starting containers
1. Newspapers and eggshells
If you ’re the wily case , you could easily make your own pots fromnewspapersandeggshells . Cranking out a season ’s Charles Frederick Worth of newspaper pots is an especially well suited activity for a rainy solar day or movie night . ( stress this with toilet paper tubes too . )
And while my shell now get crushed up and fed to my volaille as extra calcium , they still make great containers for starting just a few seeds on your windowsill .
2. Empty food containers
Here we have a few thing from my kitchen this hebdomad , which normally would ’ve been tossed in the recycling bin . But , they are perfect for seed starting !
I ’ve saved a cardboard testis carton ( which you could plant in the garden with your seedling , as the paper will rot naturally ) , a bathtub that previously held a city block of tofu , a carton that had feta in it , and a container that once had off cream .
You ’ll need to poke a few holes in the plastic containers for drainage ( a nail work well ) and can congeal them on top of a baking sheet or other repurposed container to catch dripping .
3. Empty beverage containers
Along the same lines , you could upcycle paper milk cartons , plastic juice jugs , plastic body of water bottles , and plastic soda ash bottles by cutting off the big top and leaving 2 to 4 inch on the bottom for planting , bet on how all-inclusive your container is .
When you ’re done with them , you could hive away and reuse them next season ( if they ’re still in good shape ) , or finally send them to recycling .
4. Take-out containers
Take - out containers are useful too , and the atomic number 13 ones are respectable for sour into dripping tray as well as seeded player trays .
I also care deli take - out containers ( the same 1 you typically see in meal preparation ) as they ’re inflexible enough to last all time of year ( so you could start a few wad of seeds in succession ) .
5. Rotisserie chicken containers
If you buy rotisserie poulet from the grocer , the container it comes in urinate an idealistic mini greenhouse . Warmth speeds up germination , and this provides a warm and snug surround without the need for a heating plant mat . Simply poke some holes in the bottom tray , fill up it with soil and seeds , and place the blanket over it .
The cover already has holes for ventilation , so your greenhouse is ready to go . In a couple of weeks , remove the cover to allow more air to hang between the seedlings ( and reduce the probability ofdamping off disease ) .
6. Plastic clamshell containers
What else makes a good greenhouse ? Those plastic clamshell box that your salad viridity and Berry came in ! This is truly coming full circle — using an old salad container to grow new salad .
The containers are fair cryptic , so fill them halfway withseed starting mix , poke cakehole in the bottom , sow your seeds , and closemouthed . Once your seedling have sprouted , you could leave them uncovered in a affectionate and gay spot .
7. Ordinary kitchen supplies
Unwanted kitchen tool , like shabu third power trays , muffin tins , and broil dishes , are not only a decent size for startle seeds , they ’re much more long-wearing than slight plastic recyclables . You ’ll need to drill holes into these denser cloth , but they ’ll last for many year even as you use and shout them outside .
I hope some of these ideas will have you seeing your “ trash ” in young ways this get time of year !
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This post updated from an article that originally appeared on February 3 , 2014 .
