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bonniepunch

Long - How to make cheap/free pots for starting seeds

bonniepunch
17 years ago

I usually post this in the spring as that's when we're getting into things.

There are a million different sorts of pots and systems out there for starting your seeds, but I might be able to save some of you a few bucks. I don't buy those peat pots or plastic thing-a ma-jigs - I make my own pots out of newspaper. They're not perfect (everything has it's good and bad aspects), but they cost basically nothing, and for many sorts of seeds, they are far better than those peat pots.

I don't like peat pots for many reasons. Peat pots are supposed to break down in the soil, they're supposed to allow the roots to grow through, and they're supposed to breathe well. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. They're not deep enough for many seeds that put out a tap root. They're too dense for fine rooted plants to break through, and they can form a barrier once planted in the ground that prevents water from reaching the root system of your seedling. But most of all they can get expensive if you buy a lot of them (I'm cheap!)

Newspaper pots can be made as deep as you want. Mine have no bottom, so the roots don't have to be disturbed at all, they can grow straight down and out. Wet newspaper tears away very easily, so you can make gaps in the pot and remove much excess paper when you plant the pot. And it's free! I don't use one of those 'blocker' things you have to buy - why pay money if I don't have to.

The main disadvantage of my pots is that because they have no bottom they are difficult to move around if you want to shift seedlings from one tray to another (it can be done if you're very careful). I just plan ahead a bit - I don't sow lobelia next to tomatoes :-)

Here's how I do it:

First, I cut a bunch of strips from newspaper. I make mine about 4-5 inches wide, and this is how tall my pots will be. I then hold one of the strips and wrap it around my fingers to form a tube.

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I seal my tube with a strip of masking tape - it peels off easily when I want to plant the seedling. I now have a tube of newspaper about 2 inches in diameter. You can make them as big or as small as you want (if you make it bigger, use more layers of newspaper).

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I make as many tubes as I need, and then I place them in my prepared trays (Anything will work, as long as the sides are roughly as high as the newspaper pots).

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Now I fill the tubes with seed starting mix, and I tamp it down lightly.

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I water the trays carefully (too fast will make the pots float at first!) and I'm ready to go!

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If I need to cover anything I cut out small squares from a plastic bag and place them on any individual pot needing covering.

When I am ready to plant the seedling I carefully remove the pot from the tray and tear off the top bit of newspaper. Usually by this time the roots have grown down to the bottom of the pot and will hold the soil together, but sometimes the roots haven't gotten that far and the bottom of the pot will fall out - it's no big deal. I just tear off any extra newspaper and plant it.

Sometimes a fine mold will grow on the newspaper - that's fine. The newspaper is just breaking down a bit, and it won't hurt your seedlings or cause damping off (that's caused by a different fungus and too much moisture)

BP

Comments (15)

  • jroot
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Always a good lesson, Bonnie. The photos really make it clear for all.

  • HomeMaker
    17 years ago

    Thank you for the very good instructions. The photos really help.

    Guess what I'm going to do today... LOL

  • sammyqc
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the idea. I've always used the plugs, and the peat pots for stuff that doesn't like to be moved. Your idea is much cheaper, and eliminates the need for peat pots. I'm going to use it this year. Thanks.

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm always glad when I can save someone a few bucks - they can put more of their gardening budget towards the plants and seeds that they really want :-)

    Some people use paper towel and toilet paper tubes instead of newspaper, but I prefer the newspaper ones because I don't have to store the tubes - I don't have a lot of space. One newspaper is all you need for a few hundred pots. Also you can vary the diameter of the pot - bigger ones for tomatoes and small ones for lobelia. The toilet paper tubes are more rigid though.

    BP

  • ctlane
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Excellent idea. I'm new to starting flowers from seeds. I usually go to the nursery every year and spend a fortune. This year I am going to do the seed thing. This is going to sound like a really stupid question, but in order to plant in June, when would I have to start this process? And can they just be put in front of a window? And how often do you need to water? Any help would be great.

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    ctlane - if you're new to starting seeds I would recommend you do some reading and not plan on doing everything that way at first. Not that starting plants from seed is hard, most are easy to grow, it does save you money, and you have a much better selection of what to grow than what the average nursery or garden centre stocks. It's just that there are a lot of things that have to be done right - if you do it wrong you can get discouraged, and you'll have wasted the money you just spent.

    So... Go ahead and do it - you may love it and it is intensely rewarding to look at something and say to yourself "I grew that from a seed"! But don't go overboard the first couple of years, and keep your expectations realistic.

    Here's what I tell people that are new to the process:

    1. Seedlings need light, water and air.
    *Light - A sunny window is not usually a good idea. Even though it seems nice and bright, the amount of light your seedlings will get is not enough, and they will get long and spindly. If you have a huge window or a 'greenhouse window', then it might be good enough, but they will do better under fluorescent lights. A four foot shop light from Canadian tire or Home Depot is ideal. It can be put in the basement, garage, of spare room - whatever you have available. Don't waste money on expensive specialized plant bulbs. Cool white bulbs are all you need. Seedlings should be one to two inches (yes that close) from the bulbs.
    *Water - One of the biggest killers of seedlings is a fungal infection that is usually called 'damping off'. The stem gets a pinched look and the seedling keels over and dies. Overwatering is the main cause for this fungus to get out of control. Keep the seed starting mixture only damp - not wet. Amount needed varies from plant to plant and the age of the plant.
    *Air - A lack of air circulation is another major cause to damping off. A fan placed a few feet from the seedlings will both circulate the air and help the seedlings grow sturdier and stronger.

    2. Seedlings need a lot of attention.
    If you cannot check on your seedlings at least once a day (preferably twice or more), then you will not be able to monitor them as they grow. They will need to be watered, thinned, and moved away from the light as they grow taller(the tops of the plants need to remain close)

    3. All seeds are not the same.
    Some need to have been started months ago, many need to be started now, and many more need only be sown outside and not started indoors at all. Many seeds need a cold period (called stratification) in order to germinate. This can be done in your fridge or outdoors using a process called wintersowing. Figure out what you want to grow and ask specific questions about those seeds.

    So this spring, buy a couple of sorts of annuals or veggies you'd like to have, and give it a try. Use a sunny window, or get a light and go for that - whatever you want. Note what worked and what didn't, and ask for feedback. You'll probably still need to buy plants at the nursery this spring as it'll take a couple of tries to get the hang of it. But then, look out - you'll be taking over the basement with the seeds :-)

    BP

  • ctlane
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the advice. I will be able to check on them as much as needed. I only want to pick one or two kinds and give it a try this year. Like you said I can learn from this years crop:) I am interested in petunias as I love these and usually end up with this kind anyways. Also geraniums.

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Geraniums really needed to have been started a couple of months ago. I'd recommend keeping the plants you buy this year over the winter - they are easy to store in paper bags and you can start them up again next spring and take cuttings to make many more. It's easier than seeds.

    Petunias need to be started right now (preferably a week or so ago) in my area. The seeds are very tiny and it is easy to plant too many per pot, so be ruthless in thinning them. The seeds require light to germinate so they shouldn't be covered with anything other than plastic film (loosely) while germinating.They need to be pinched back frequently to obtain the bushy plants one sees in nurseries. This might be a good one to try next year - but you can do it this year too to get a feel for them.

    Calendula, Coleus, Zinnia, and Nicotiana are good starter seeds - easy to grow and it's not too late to start them at all. Take a look at Vesey's to get a feel for seeds you might like and ones that you still have plenty of time to start. Anything that gives 6-8 weeks or less as a minimum amount of time needed to start the seeds before the last frost are potentially good candidates. Stick to annuals, veggies or herbs for now - perennials are a bit more complicated and rarely bloom in the first year. As long as you live near a garden centre or nursery, you should be able to get seeds - you don't have to order them.

    I would also recommend starting a new thread asking for advice if you want it - you'll get much more help that way. Only people interested in making cheap pots will read this thread :-)

    BP

  • Crafty Gardener
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    excellent idea - great photos and instructions - thanks for taking time to post it all - really informative discussion

  • thorngrower sw. ont. z5
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    great idea and excellent instructions..!!!

  • sheryl_ontario
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have done the newspaper pot thing for years, but this year I just have way too much to plant! I started making pots but ran out of time and got so tired of making all those pots. So I went to just planting full trays and separating the little plants when planting out or transplanting into 4" pots. I just don't have time for the newspaper ones anymore with hundreds of seeds to plants.

    It has worked well for the tomatoes so far, I don't know how the brassicas will fare when plant out time comes in a few weeks. If this works ok it will save me a lot of time. It may work for some things and not for others. This year is an experiment in a lot of growing methods.

    Here is a link that might be useful: My Country DIY Blog

  • sheryl_ontario
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    However, the newspaper pots worked great for years with less numbers to plant and would be great for someone with just a few trays of plants to start indoors.

    Good pictures and directions!

    Here is a link that might be useful: My Country DIY Blog

  • ianna
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I used to make my own paper pots but after I got too much mold, I decided not to use it anymore. In anycase I do still need plastic trays so I started using those compressed peat tablets for my pots which have worked well for me. This year I'm growing mostly tomatoes and annuals. Far too many perennials in my garden and I'm removing many of them.

    Sheryl - got myself a new kitty too - as companion cat to my older cat, Sushi (or Sush as we call her). We've had her for a week now. You have cute new kitty yourself. Mine is a bit skittish too.

  • sheryl_ontario
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Shushi is a great name for a kitten! We still have not named our's. I call her "Little Girl" and "Sweetie" all the time. I guess that will do for now. Our other cat answers to "Little One" now too.

    I am sure the new kitties will settle in nicely. Our's is already a lot calmer and affectionate today. This has been her third day with us and we see a big difference. Have you named your new little one?

    Here is a link that might be useful: My Country DIY Blog

  • ianna
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks. Sushi and sometimes we call her Sushkabob. (obviously we are fond of food). My daughter named the other one Cupcake. I would have preferred BOO since she is still quite skittish. We had to give her a collar with some bells so we can track her in the house.

    The older cat that passed a way a few years ago was named Mischief (she got into lots of trouble)

    At least yours is affectionate. Mine is just beginning to warm up, but she does run away every single time we approach her. However I'm told that she needs to be touched a lot in order to get her used to being handled - so that's what we've been doing. Seems to work. At least Sushi is having fun with her and vise-versa.

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