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Thursday, June 25, 2020

How To Make A 5 Minute Recycled Seed Starter



You can make your own seed starter in just five minutes with a few basic materials that you probably already have on hand at home. 

These seed starters act like mini greenhouses, creating just the right environment to help sprout your seeds into little seedlings and help them grow into little plants that you can later transfer to your garden or into plant pots.

This project only takes five minutes! 

For this project you will need:
  • Recycled plastic clamshell containers that are see-through, such as those that you buy fresh fruit in. I love to use the ones that my strawberries come in because they are a nice size and they have some holes in them so that air can circulate. 
  • A few sheets of old newspaper
  • Water
  • Peat moss
  • Potting soil or garden soil
  • Seeds


Use insert-sized newspaper, or cut full sized sheets down to be just a bit larger than the plastic containers you will be using.


These plastic clamshell containers work perfectly. The lid is attached and folds over. The lid can then be snapped into the base to keep the container closed. 

 Step 1: Wet your newspaper by running it under your water spigot.


 Step 2: Place the wet newspaper into the bottom of your plastic container and then use your fingers to press the newspaper down so that it takes the shape of your container and makes a nice, fitted liner. It is possible to line the container with dry newspaper, but wetting the paper makes the paper more pliable, allowing it to be shaped exactly to the contours of the container. 


Step 3: Add one or two handfuls of peat moss to the bottom of your container on top of the newspaper liner. Add enough to cover the bottom of your container and so that it is 1 to 2 inches deep.


Step 4: Now cover the peat with one to two handfuls of potting soil or garden soil, adding another one to two inches of soil on top of the peat.

 Step 5: Gather your seeds and decide what you are going to plant. Read the directions on your seed packets. There you will find information for how deep the seeds need to be planted.


Step 6: Now you are ready to plant! I just use my finger to poke holes for my seeds, add the seeds, and then lightly cover them with soil. 


Step 7: Use a spray bottle to lightly water your seeds. Close the lid and place in a sunny window or outside in warm weather away from birds and chipmunks.

That's all there is to it! Happy planting!

  
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Have a great week!
Laura

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Article copyright ©Laura Beth Love 2020 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author. For any link corrections please leave correct info in comment area.

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