How to Make Seed Starter Cells From Egg Cartons

Watch seedlings sprout in an egg carton seed starter.

Egg cartons are an inexpensive and environmentally-friendly way to start seedlings. Instead of buying costly starter kits, consider making a round of omelets and saving the eggs' packaging. Not only do egg cartons provide perfect cells for seedlings to grow, they also make it easy to transport the plants into your garden. Egg cartons are a wonderful tool for starting herbs, annuals and vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers.

Things You'll Need

• Empty egg carton
• Needle
• Seedlings
• Plastic wrap
• Spray bottle
• Potting soil or composting mixture

Instructions

1. Cut the lid off of an empty egg carton. Use scissors or knife to trim along the sides. With a needle, poke three or four holes along the bottom of each egg cell. This will help to drain the cells.

2. Spray the egg carton with water from a spray bottle until it is moist.

3. Fill each cell with potting soil or a composting mix until it is about a quarter of an inch to the brim. Drop one seedling into each cell. Then cover again with a fine layer of the soil mixture.

4. Place the egg carton with the seedlings in a warm, sunny place. You can also place them in a plastic bag or cover them with plastic wrap to preserve heat and moisture. This creates a small hothouse for the seedlings.

5. Spray the seedlings with water when soil becomes dry. Sprouts usually appear after seven to 10 days. Once sprouts appear, remove the plastic covering and place the egg carton in a sunny spot.

6. Observe the sprouts for growth. When the first true leaves appear, it is time for the sprouts to be transplanted. The true leaves grow above the leaves that first push out of the dirt. This usually takes about three to four weeks. Seedlings should be around 1 to 2 inches tall.

Tips & Warnings

• Peel the egg carton away from the seedlings with your finger, and place the seedling into the prepared holes. You can also cut the individual cells off a paper egg carton and place the cell directly into the dirt.

• Eggshells are also helpful for growing seeds. Place seedlings into eggshells, or break the eggshells and scatter them into the soil.

• Use wooden craft sticks or other markers to label your seeds.

References

• Ed Hume Seeds: Starting Seeds Indoors
• Families.com: Using Egg Cartons in the Garden; Mary Ann Romans
• Horticulture; Reader's Tip: An Egg-Carton Seed Tray; Meghan Shinn; February 2009
• Murray Halloms Practical Aquaponics: Egg Carton as a Seedling Raising Tray
• The University of Arizona; AZ Master Gardener Manual; Plant Propagation: Sexual Propagation; 1998

Resources

• National Gardening Association
• Garden Web
• Planet Green