You've probably seen those cute little biodegradable seed starter pots at the garden center that let you just sprout your seeds and then plant the whole thing into the ground! Very cool, but also really easy to make out of household items.
Find out how simple it is to make your own DIY seed starter pots with recycled items.
We absolutely adore our easy to keep, no weeding, no watering garden system. Part of the process that we really love is the direct in ground planting! That means we just plant the seed directly in the ground and let it do its thing.
Usually that works really well, but this year we got bit by the method with our ridiculously short winter! That led to an early spring, which meant that our winter garden didn't have a chance to really reach maturity before the weather got too warm.
So, looking ahead to our early summer garden, I decided that I needed to go ahead and start some plants inside to give them their best shot at producing some food for us.
But you know how much I hate spending extra money on things I don't need, so I took a look around the house to see what I could turn into some makeshift seed starter pots.
DIY SEED STARTER POTS FROM RECYCLED MATERIAL
It didn't take me long to find a box from my bathroom; a Tom's of Maine® toothpaste boxes at that!
Before starting I needed to check the box to see if it would be a good fit, and in doing so I saw that their packaging is all recyclable through TerraCycle®. So not only is the product made without artificial colors, flavors, fragrances or preservatives (and without any animal testing!) but the packaging is recyclable too! Win!!
So, having found a great candidate I got to work making these sweet little seed starters!
Step One
Take your empty box and cut it into 3 sections. Using a marker, place a line where you'll want to cut. I like to do 2 1/2" in from both ends, which makes the middle a little longer (you'll see why in step two!).
Now that you have your box marked, go ahead and cut the sections. I used a craft knife, but you can use scissors too. Just be careful not to crush the box.
Step Two
Prep the middle section for planting. Take the middle section of your box and cut 3/4 of an inch up on the four creases of one side to create 4 flaps, as shown below.
Once all four sides are cut, fold them in and crease the fold to create a bottom for the middle section.
Step Three
Plant your seeds. Take your potting mix and fill each seed starter half-way, then place 3-5 seeds on the top of the soil, then fill with a bit more soil on top.
Step Four
Water in the seeds. First, place the seed starters on a plate or in a shallow container so that the surface below doesn't become water damaged. Then give the soil a good soaking to give the seeds a little head start. Note: This should be the only watering they need.
Step Five
Wait for the seedlings to show up. After 7-14 days, depending on what you planted, the seeds will sprout! After they are a few inches tall, plant them in the ground wherever you choose.
More Seed Starting Information
Make sure you're starting seeds at the right time for your area by using my free seed starting planner download.
And grab your seeds from one of these amazing Heirloom Organic Seed companies, both of which I highly recommend!
Monica says
This is absolutely genius. I’m about to go digging in my recycle bin…just in time for seed starting!
Carl says
I use toilet paper rolls cut in half. I get two seed pods from each roll. These fit nine in each direction in standard flats that the local hardware store gives to me. I start a lot of my plants this way such as tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melons, corn and beans.I do not fold in the bottom portion since my experience is that the root system will hold the soil in the roll. The rolls break down real fast in the flats so I have to get them in the ground quickly once the plants appear. Where I live we have about a 90 day growing season so I try to gain a little time where ever I can. If we have a temperate fall I might get a whopping 120 days.