How to Save Money on Seed Starting Containers

If you are trying to grow some of your own food this year to save money, don't spend a lot of money on the seed containers. You can save a bundle by starting your own seeds in some recycled containers.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• clean plastic containers from yogurt, sour cream, milk, vinegar, cottage cheese, etc.
• toilet paper cardboard rolls
• egg shells
• egg cartons
• old plant container from store
• news papers
• sharp scissors
• a large nail with a wide flat head or knitting needle
• tape

1. 
    
   Making drainage holes

   Recycled plastic containers:
   Choose containers that have flat sides and are made out of pliable plastic such as yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese containers, milk jugs and vinegar jugs. Wash them thoroughly. Using a large nail with a flat head or a knitting needle, pierce the bottom of the the container multiple times. This allow water to drain, so that your plants don't drown. When the container is filled with soil and seeds place it on top of it's lid, which has been turned upside down.

2. 
    
   Cardboard tube containers

   Toilet paper roles:
   Make six or seven 1 inch cuts on one end of the tube, making tabs. Fold the tabs in toward the center of the tube. Folding opposite tabs together will help with stability. Use a piece of tape to hold it shut. The end with the tabs is the bottom. They don't stand up easily on their own, but if you pack a bunch of them into a flat or glass cake pan and they will hold each other up.

3. 
    
   Cardboard egg carton with top removed

   Egg shells and cardboard egg cartons:
   Remove the top half of the egg carton. Wash the eggs shells. Place the shells in the egg carton and fill them with damp soil and your seeds. You can also just use the egg carton. Fill it with the damp soil and seeds and place it on something to catch the run-off water. This method works for seedlings that you plan to transplant into a larger container after they've sprouted.

4. 
    
   Used store bought container

   Used containers from the store:
   Wash them in hot soapy water and then sterilize them in a bleach water solution or a grapefruit seed extract water solution. Fill them with damp soil and seeds and place on something to catch run-off water.

5. 
    
   Newspaper seed starting box

   Newspaper boxes:
   Fold two or three layers of newspaper into a box. Follow one of the links at the bottom of the page for instructions on how to make a box. Fill the box with damp soil and seeds and set it on something to catch the run-off water.

Resources

• Shallow Origami Box
• Newspaper Seed Starting Box

[From-the-Heart]

on 2/2/2009 These are great ideas on seed starting containers. Nothing better than saving money and recycling at the same time.