How to Build Seed Starter Trays

Starting plants in a starter tray helps them grow.

Seed starter trays provide a safe, controlled location for growing young garden plants, from shrubs to flowers to trees. Starting seeds helps ensure the plants will grow well when transplanted outdoors. Seed starter trays give gardeners the opportunity to monitor the early growing stages of plants and control their growing conditions, from seeds to seedlings. Building a seed starter tray for use at home is a way to save money.

Things You'll Need

• 4 pieces of 2-inch thick lumber, 8 inches long by 4 inches wide
• 4-inch nails
• Hammer
• Piece of 2-inch thick lumber, 8 inches long by 8 inches wide
• Drill
• 1/16-inch drill bit
• Soil
• Plastic bin

Instructions

1. Place the 2-inch edge of one 8-inch-long piece of wood on the face of another 8-inch piece of wood to create an L shape. This will be part of the tray's frame.

2. Attach the two pieces of wood with 4-inch nails. Hammer the nails through the face of one piece of 8-inch-long wood into the 2-inch edge of the other.

3. Place a third piece of 8-inch-long wood at the other end of the L-shaped part of the frame to make a U shape. Attach the third piece of wood with 4-inch nails.

4. Add a fourth piece of wood to the U-shape to close it off and form the upper part of the seed tray. Attach the fourth piece of wood with 4-inch nails.

5. Drill holes in the 8-by-8-inch sheet of lumber with the 1/16-inch drill bit. These holes will allow excess water to drain out of the seed starter tray. Space the holes so that they are an inch apart. Do not drill holes along the edges of the sheet.

6. Place the frame on top of the sheet. Attach them with nails to form the seed starter tray. Hammer the nails through the 8-by-8-inch sheet. Hammer in 4-inch nails along all four sides of the frame; put one nail every 2 inches along each side to hold the frame in place.

7. Fill the seed starter tray with soil and place it on top of a plastic bin. The bin will catch water that drains from the seed starter tray and stop it from making a mess.

Tips & Warnings

• This tray will be 8 inches long, 8 inches wide and 4 inches deep. Vary the size of your seed starter tray by using different dimensions of wood to accommodate the types and numbers of plants you intend to grow.

References

• Mother Earth News: Seed Starting
• Vegetable Gardener: Seed Starting Strategies
• Penn State University Extension: Sowing Annual Seeds

Resources

• Gagazine: Making Your Own Seed Starter Trays from Recycled Materials