I recently “potted up” all my seedlings, and this year I tried something new – newspaper pots!
The little wood tool I used to form the pots is available at many garden centers, and it’s also available at Amazon and Gardener’s Supply.
After a little experimenting, I discovered it’s best to cut the newspaper just a tiny bit (half an inch) wider than what is indicated on the directions. This way, I could fold down the newspaper about a half an inch at the top to help reinforce the pot.
As I wrapped the newspaper around the form, I tucked the one end of the pot top into the fold on the other end so it fit nice and snug.
Next, I folded in the newspaper on the bottom. I found the more little folds I made as I worked my way around, the better. If I just did three or four folds, it flopped open really easily.
Lastly, I fit my pot into the base of the mold. This helps shape those folds so they stay put.
And that’s it! I churned out about 20 of these bad boys and put them to good use with my seedlings last weekend. So far, they are holding up well. They seem to retain just enough moisture to keep my “sproutlings” (as my son calls them) happy, without the container breaking down, yet. The plan is to pop these guys right into the next container, be it another pot, or the garden itself, where this container will eventually break down.
Here’s one of my Cherry Lizzanos one week after potting up.
What’s your favorite seedling container?
Well, you are looking at the very beginning stages of a new raised bed garden for our backyard. Because of the abundance of deer in our yard, Hubberman is tricking this raised bed out with a screened in framework to keep out critters both small and tall.
I started my seeds a little differently this year. For the past two years, I planted seeds on a very small scale, using just a few peat pots and a 
Dad has decided to garden 100% from plants this year. No seeds. So he packed up his Burpee grow light and heating mat and gifted it to me! Score! I’m using these with a moisture wicking mat I already own and it’s working great. Just enough heat and moisture to keep my seedlings happy.
I also tried some new seed starting containers this year. Instead of peat pots, I’m using seed starting pellets which expand with the addition of about an ounce of warm water on each pellet. Just in case the pellets were a total fail, I used an egg carton for a dozen seeds as well.
