10 Unbelievably Creative Seed Starting Ideas You’ve Got To Try

[MoonShadows]

10 Unbelievably Creative Seed Starting Ideas You’ve Got To Try

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to start your seeds this spring then we have a great post sharing creative ways in which you can use old and used items to do just that.

You can use lemon peels, eggshells, newspaper, toilet paper rolls, milk jugs and much more!

Take a look at these creative seed starter ideas and get growing!

A Citrus Peel Starter Pot For Seedlings – Half a lemon can provide a perfect first home for any seedling. Robust yet decomposable, there is no need to even take the seedling out when re-planting outside.



Egg Shell Pots – Instead of throwing old egg shells into the compost, rescue them by giving them another job – a great home for chive seeds.

K-Cup Recycling – If you are fan of those little K-Cup coffees then you will probably realise that they are perfect for starting little seeds off in.

Newspaper Pots – Are you not a fan of transporting matured seedlings into a planter or your garden? Then this is the ideal solution for you! These are biodegradable and require no transferring!

Plastic Bottle Pots – Another brilliant way to use old items and recycle them with another use. These can be used time and time again!



Toilet Paper Rolls – Who knew that these were so versatile? This particular way of starting seeds is a great one for kids on the weekend – simple and effective!

Paper Pulp Seed Starters – These require a little effort, but once made will make a great seed starter! Again you are using old items that are destined for the recycling pile!

Milk Jug Seed Starters– If you want your seeds to have a little more room then this is the diy for you. Old milk jugs create a perfect greenhouse effect to keep your seeds moist.



Ice Cube Tray Seed Starter – If your ice cube tray breaks or develops a crack – don’t throw it out, turn it into a mini-seed starter tray instead!

Seedling Starter Tray – What happens if you take coffee filters, a garbage bag and old cardboard box? Well follow this tutorial and you will end up with a fantastic seed starting tray!

 

[CJ1]

Interesting ideas. I liked the citrus one especially. But choose your seeds wisely. Lemon has a pH of around 2. So if the seeds like an alkaline environment then they won't like that starter pot very much.

 

[CJ1]

Sorry for the double post. But I love this type of thread.

The first part of the following video is the same way I make my seed starters. But just be aware, you should contact your local newspaper and find out what kind of ink they use. Some do still use petroleum based ink and other not so friendly types. If they use a good biodegradable ink then have at it. If not then the gentleman in the video also shows how to make other types.

 

[MoonShadows]

This year I used "cow pots"...seed starting pots made from cow manure. I bought 12 dozen and got them for a great price.

 

[CJ1]

Ohhhhh. That is fabulous. I never thought of that. The neighboring owner has tons of cattle. I know what I'm doing next year.

Do you have a how to anywhere? And can you do the same with horse, goat or dog piles?

It might take some convincing for my guy. He loves gardens and food plots and what not. But he's a directional driller and I'm a millwright. So he is of the mindset "We make more than enough to start them with bought items. Why use crap?"

 

[Mini Horses]

First, wouldn't use any dog manure for fertilizing, etc. Next, goats poop is pelletized, dries quickly and would require a good amount of manipulation. Horse, larger pellets (horse apples ) and contains more fiber than other type matter, so not good to form with. Hog...not something you want to deal with either....consistency of dog scat and who knows what they've eaten.

Actually, a cow pile could be harvested from a field after a day or two of sun and used easily. Don't let it sit out too long as the dung beatles invade them. Being more liquid than the manures you mention as alternatives, if you collected the scrapings from a dairy you could use the soft manure and form you pot, let dry. Done.

Personally, I prefer newspaper or small cardboard cups and add the composted manure to the soil.

 

[MoonShadows]

I've never seen a how to on making them. I bout 12 dozen 4" pots online for about $0.42 a piece. I transplanted my tomatoes and peppers into them from the plastic containers they were in at the nursery. Kept them moist for a week to 10 days, and then planted them pot and all.

 

[sumi]

Peat pots is another idea, if you can get hold of some…

I have a bag full of toilet paper rolls that I couldn't bring myself to throw out for some reason. I'm going to start some seeds in them and see how it goes. Also, the darn birds have been messing with my bean sprouts, it'd be interesting to see if this will deter them.

 

[Denim Deb]

If you're going to try to make your own manure pots, make sure you're not getting it from steers. Their poop tends to be high in salt.

 

[CJ1]

I've read that you shouldn't use dog poo for fertilizing but never saw an explanation on why not.

I feed mine a raw diet. Sice I started doing that it dries within hours and vanishes within a couple days. It's a noticable difference vs when they ate dog food.