Gardening is an excellent way to obtain food frugally, as most of the equity in a garden is labor. Frugal gardeners can do many things to avoid purchasing expensive gardening tools and equipment. Peat pots are convenient containers for starting seeds, but if you have discarded newspapers and an empty can, you can make all the seed starting pots that you could possibly want, all for the cost of an afternoon's time.
Lay out a single sheet of newspaper on a table or other flat surface. Cut or tear the newspaper in half along the center seam. You now have two half sheets of newsprint.
Lay one half sheet of newsprint on a flat surface and cut or tear it in half along the center fold. You now have two quarter sheets of newsprint.
Lay one quarter sheet of newspaper on a flat surface so that the longer sides are at the right and left and the shorter sides are at the top and bottom. Fold the bottom edge up until it meets the top edge. Sharply crease the fold that you have created.
Fold up the bottom fold about one inch. This will create an inch-high flap in the paper. Sharply crease this fold.
Turn the paper sideways, keeping the folds in place, so that the longer sides are at the right and left. Lay the soup can so that the can opening is even with the flap edge of the paper and aligned along the bottom of the paper.
Roll the paper up with the soup can inside. Make sure that the can rolls evenly, so that the folded and flapped edge of the paper is even with the top of the can.
Hold the paper securely and stand the paper-wrapped can up so that the opening is on the table. You will have a tube of paper with a can inside of it.
Fold the excess paper that is standing up around the edge of the can so that it is level with the bottom of the can. Create four or five folds to get the entire amount of paper folded flat against the bottom of the can. Secure the folds together with a small piece of masking tape.
Turn the can upside-down so that the opening is at the top. Secure the side of the paper with a piece of masking tape. Gently remove the can from the paper. You now have a starting pot, ready for potting soil and seeds.