If the weather outside is
still too cold for gardening, seedling can be started indoors. Just about any
container (milk jug, liter soda bottle, etc.) can be cut open, punctured with a
few holes at the bottom and turned into a seedling pot. Unfortunately when it
comes time to transplanting the seedlings to new ground or larger pots
disturbing the roots can be an issue, unless you make and use your own
eco-friendly biodegradable seedling pots.
Making your own eco-friendly
biodegradable pots is surprisingly simple and inexpensive (practically free).
Another wonderful surprise is that the two most popular DIY eco-friendly
seedling pot materials used to make these eco-friendly seedling pots: newspaper
and toilet paper rolls, are common everyday household materials. So, the
material is abundant, easily accessible and requires no additional cost to use.
How: making pots out of
newspaper is easy. To prove it, I
tried it myself after watching a few how-to YouTube videos and reading a few
how-to articles on the subject. The simplest method is to fold a half sheet of
newspaper into thirds and then cut the thirds into strips. Place one strip on a flat surface in
front of you and then place a can half way on top of the strip near one end of
the strip. Take that end of the strip and hold it in place on top of the
bottle. Some people like to use tape, but I like to keep it as eco-friendly as
possible and go without.
Next the can is rolled to
the other side of the strip. Hold or tape that side in place. The remaining
newspaper hanging under the can should be folded under and then pressed firmly
down. The rolled up paper is then gently slid off the can, placed in a tray,
filled with dirt and seed and then watered.
Making seedling pots with toilet
paper rolls is even easier. All it takes is a few longs cuts up the bottom of
the roll with a pair of scissors. The strips are then folded in. Like the pots
above these new pots are filled with soil, seeds and then they seeds are
watered. Toilet paper rolls tend to be thicker than newspaper so it may take a
little longer then the newspaper to biodegrade but they will biodegrade and the
roots will break through the roll.
Watering: the idea I liked
most was to fill the tray with water. The newspaper pots in the tray soak up
the water and help keep the soil moist, leaving the seed undisturbed in its
Transplanting: when the time
comes to transplant, the seedling with the pot are planted in the ground. The
pot will biodegrade and the healthy roots will breakthrough.
Poisonous ink and other harmful
chemicals: today many newspapers are printed on recycled paper and with soy
based ink. If you have any concerns about the newspaper you are using contact
the newspaper to find out what they use. With toilet rolls companies like
Seventh Generation make theirs out of recycled material.
For detailed instructions for
DIY seedling pots, take a look at the links below.
Garden: Gardening: Making Paper Pots Homemade
Starter Pots Out Of Newspaper Newspaper Planting Pots