As the weather starts to warm up, you might be getting ready to tackle the spring jobs in your seed sowing schedule. Whether you choose to sow seeds indoors, in a greenhouse or outdoors, you'll need a container to germinate your seeds in.
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Many gardeners choose to use trays, like these seed trays from Amazon. They're designed for successful germination, with different segments for seedlings to grow in and humidity domes to create warmth and encourage the seeds to sprout.
If you like a bit of DIY and want to incorporate more sustainability into your gardening tasks, you can easily make your own seed trays by repurposing everyday household items. We've put together a list of DIY seed tray ideas that you can make at home, with advice from experts to make them effective for germination.
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5 DIY seed tray ideas
Seed trays are designed to help with germination. There are many available on the market but why not consider making your own? Repurposing household items to make seed trays is fun to do - plus, it involves recycling materials that would otherwise be thrown away. Here is our expert list of DIY seed tray ideas for you to try.
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Something we are all quick to recycle or throw in the trash, but can easily repurpose are empty toilet rolls. These are ideal for growing seedlings in because they can act as the individual segments you find in a seed tray.
'For plants that develop a long taproot, or resent being handled excessively during transplanting, an empty paper towel or toilet paper roll makes an excellent option for sowing indoors,' says Meredith Bishop, sustainable flower grower and owner of Bloom and Bounty.
You can cut the bottom of the empty toilet rolls to make four flaps and fold them into each other to create a base. Proceed to fill each roll with your potting mix and then sow your seeds and water. Soon, you will see sprouts appear out the top of them.
'Additionally, the cardboard will break down in the soil and can be planted directly into a prepared bed once the seedling is hardened off,' says Meredith.
Empty toilet rolls are ideal for sowing sweet pea and bean seeds. You can also group multiple toilet rolls together with twine to create a tray. This will also encourage stability so they don't topple over when being watered.
Meredith Bishop
Flower ExpertMeredith Bishop is a sustainable flower grower specializing in old-world blooms grown from seed in her gardens in urban Nashville, Tennessee. She also operates a retail design studio in Nashville, and enjoys teaching, speaking and writing about all aspects of flower gardening.
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This seed tray alternative is perhaps the easiest to create. All you need is an empty egg carton.
'Take an egg carton and cut its lid off. Poke holes in the bottom of each egg cup with scissors or a knife,' says Vladan Nikolic, houseplant expert and founder of Mr Houseplant.
You can then fill each cup with well-draining potting soil, like this organic potting mix from Garden Goods Direct, sow your seeds and water them.
You may choose to cover the egg carton in a clear plastic bag or humidity dome to retain warmth. It's also a nice idea to label each cup, like with these wooden craft sticks from Amazon.
'Put the cartons in a place with plenty of bright, indirect light,' says Vladan. 'Once the seedlings have a few sets of true leaves, you can transplant them into bigger containers or directly in your garden,' he adds.
Some growers also choose to plant seeds inside egg shells within the carton. Once your seedlings have sprouted, they can be planted with the eggshell which will biodegrade.
Vladan Nikolic
Plant ExpertVladan Nikolic is a houseplant expert with over 10 years of experience. He is the founder of the houseplant care blog Mr. Houseplant and is a social media influencer for houseplants with over 500,000 followers.
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You can get DIY seed tray ideas from your everyday snacks. Plastic food pots are ideal for sowing seeds in because they provide a small container for seedlings to grow.
'Wash yoghurt pots, remove the labels and let them dry completely,' says Vladan. It's always important to use clean tools and equipment when working with plants to ensure you don't transfer any harmful bacteria.
One of the most common seed sowing mistakes you can make is overwatering. Seeds need plenty of moisture to germinate but oversaturation limits airflow and can lead to fungal problems that can kill seedlings.
'Use scissors or a knife to carefully poke a couple of drainage holes at the bottom,' Vladan suggests. This will help ensure the potting mix can drain well for the seeds to germinate.
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If you don't have the space for a greenhouse, or want an alternative to an indoor greenhouse, you can repurpose a plastic milk bottle to grow your seedlings.
'Simply cut the clean, empty jug horizontally at the level of the handle, stopping short of cutting through the handle,' says Meredith. 'The intact handle will serve as a hinge, which will serve to open the jug completely,' she adds.
Once again, it's important to create some drainage holes in the bottom of the jug before filling it up with your potting soil.
Meredith suggests placing your milk bottle seed tray outdoors. 'Place the jug where it will receive southern sun and exposure to rainfall. Check periodically for dryness, and water if necessary,' she says.
You can then plant up your seedlings once they have a handful of true leaves.
For more information, please visit Leak-Proof Seedling Trays.
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Clear reusable food containers are ideal for germinating seeds in, especially if they have lids. You can use it as you would use a planter and the transparency can help you to observe the growth.
Make sure to keep your containers in a warm spot with bright, indirect light, such as a windowsill. Like with milk bottle seed trays, this will create a greenhouse effect.
One thing to be aware of if using this method is that you may not be able to create drainage holes. Water moderately and allow the potting mix to mostly dry out before watering again to avoid oversaturating the soil.
FAQs
There are many household items you can use to create containers to start your seeds in. While most containers will work effectively, it is arguable that the best containers are those that will biodegrade, so that you can plant them directly after the seedlings have sprouted. This may include empty cardboard toilet rolls or egg shells in an empty egg carton.
It's easy to come up with DIY seed trays ideas by repurposing different household items. With a bit of creativity, you can turn your waste into effective stations for your seedlings to grow. It's a good way to make your garden tasks more environmentally-friendly, just like these DIY watering system ideas which also involve using recycled materials.
Seed starting is a right of passage for most gardeners. However, there are so many different ways to do it, that it can be overwhelming! Compare the pros and cons of 7 different DIY seed starting trays that you can make at home. From using eggshells to toilet paper rolls for seed starting, learn which method works best.
The weather may be warming a bit and it&#;s been many months since we had our green thumbs digging in the soil, so it&#;s no surprise that folks are just itching to get seeds started. I&#;m hearing about or seeing a lot of different seed starting blog posts floating around the web, from rookies who picked up a kit at the local hardware store to seasoned pros with pretty sophisticated grow ops.
I decided it was probably time for me to chime in and share what I know to be true about seed starting as well, so I put together this series. I&#;ll share my experiences with all those super-adorable containers you can make at home (Part 1 &#; below) as well as some thoughts on the store-bought stuff (Part 2). So here goes, the good, the bad, and the ugly of seed starting containers.
In this post, we will cover:
Note: for more information on the whole process of seed starting, check out Seed Starting 101 for the basics. The following is more in-depth on only one of the topics covered briefly in that post.
You absolutely, positively, do not need to BUY anything to be successful at seed starting. Well, besides your seeds (if you haven&#;t saved your own) and some great sterilized seed starting mix, you can find most of what you need around the house. That includes homemade seed starter trays!
Not every oh-so-cute Pinterest-worthy repurposed container gives your seeds the best start though. And some are just unnecessarily time-consuming for the home gardener. Here are the facts so you can choose what the best trays are for you and your garden.
VIDEO: How to Make Newspaper Seedling Pots
These wildly popular little containers can be easily made by cutting strips of newspaper and rolling it around a small tomato paste can, glass, or a fancy-dancy pot maker to make cheap little starters. Make sure the paper you choose uses a non-toxic soy-based ink, especially when growing veggies or an herb garden.
Newspaper is biodegradable so you can plant your seedling out in the garden in the newspaper pot and it&#;ll break down naturally from the bacteria and other organisms in the soil. That in itself can make it a great growing medium.
Pros: cheap, readily available, plantable pot breaks down easily
Cons: can be flimsy when wet, can&#;t bottom-water delicate seedlings, time-consuming to make many, not a reusable seed tray
These pots are a bit sturdier than the newspaper pots and again readily available. We all use toilet paper, right? To make a toilet paper roll into a simple diy seed starting container, cut tissue roll in half. Then cut four ½&#; long slits on the bottom of one end, equally spaced to make 4 flaps you will fold over like closing a box.
In theory, the cardboard will break down in the soil so they can be planted out like the newspaper pots, BUT not all soil is equal. If your soil doesn&#;t have the necessary elements to break down this cardboard quickly the roots will not be able to spread and the plant will suffer.
If you do plant them in the ground, be sure to plant the whole container, because if the lip stays above soil it can wick moisture away from the roots.
This method of seed starting works well for cuttings and seeds that may take longer than average to germinate. But, remember, without the right soil, your seedlings will likely have to be removed from these before planting, so choose wisely.
Pros: cheap, readily available, sturdy, hole in the bottom for drainage
Cons: time-consuming to make many, too small to be useful for most seedlings, will likely need to be removed when planting.
Egg cartons can be a good option for starting plants with shallow roots that you want to plant in a row, such as peas or lettuce. By the way, we&#;re talking about the cardboard variety, not styrofoam egg cartons here. Styrofoam never decomposes&#;I avoid it at all costs.
Grab a box cutter and use it to score (not cut!) a line through the middle of the divets in the carton on the bottom of each cell. You are basically doing this so that all seed germination can happen all together, but later you can gently pull it apart to drop all the seeds into the dirt.
When it&#;s time to plant, simply make a trough in the dirt and place your egg carton halves inside. Pull the cartons apart so that the seeds fall through.
Pros: cheap, readily available, helps keep seeds spaced evenly apart
Cons: have to get the seeds from the container into the ground, which can be tricky
These are so adorable aren&#;t they? Using a cardboard egg carton filled with soil, you can find 12 little cells to start seeds. When you&#;re ready to plant you can theoretically just grab one and plant in the garden like the toilet tubes. And the eggshells couldn&#;t be more precious.
HOWEVER&#;I won&#;t even do a pros and cons list on them because that&#;s it for pros (cute) and never mind that you&#;ll have to remove the seedling from that shell and crush it before it hits the soil, they are just too darn small.
This means you will have to delicately extract that little seedling before it has its true leaves and plant it in a bigger, deeper container. I say, why not just start with a bigger container and save the seedling the stress?
They don&#;t have to be yogurt (shown here are cream cheese containers) but you get the picture. This is the equivalent of the plastic nursery cell seed pots. Just punch a few drain holes in the bottom and Bob&#;s your uncle. My only suggestion is to check your plastic for food safety to make sure it isn&#;t toxic to yourself or your plants.
Pros: cheap, readily available, sturdy, can last a lifetime, drainage holes for bottom watering, offer bigger pots
Cons: Unless you are fairly new to gardening, you probably have more nursery pots than yogurt containers, not all plastic is safe to reuse
The box that you buy pre-washed baby greens in will make a lovely container, as will a chicken dome or a cake tray. Anything that has a bit of a bottom on it and a wonderful clear plastic lid will create a mini greenhouse akin to what you can buy in retail.
Cut a few holes in the lid for ventilation and check it often to make sure seedlings don&#;t succumb to the dreaded &#;damping off,&#; a fungal infection that kills the seedling. You can either set all your little homemade containers in these or line the bottom with soil and plant directly.
Pros: cheap, readily available in different dimensions, sturdy, is a built-in greenhouse with humidity control
Cons: not all plastic is safe to reuse, you must keep an eye on greenhouse domes and vent regularly to avoid damping-off, need to prick out and transplant germinated seedlings one by one which will inevitably cause some loss
So, most like you don&#;t have a soil blocking tool around your home. But, they cost you about $35 and once you have one, it is the option with the least waste, because it requires no additional materials outside of your seed-starting mix.
To use this handy tool, combine your seed starting mix with water in a bucket until it&#;s the same texture as wet sand. Grab your soil blocking tool and press it into the wet mix. Then, press the handle and you&#;ll have perfect little blocks of soil that you can add your seed into.
Pros: no-waste option, easiest way to transplant seedlings into the ground
Cons: have to purchase a tool
That&#;s my list. As you can see, making your own seed starting trays can be quite rewarding! Please comment if there are other starter trays out there that you have used and loved or hated. What it really comes down to is a personal preference.
I&#;ve tried many ways and I have my favorite, trusted, old standby seed-starting methodology, but you will find that in Part 2 of this series. Check out Seed Starting Containers: The Real Dirt &#; Part 2 where I write up the pros and cons of the store-bought seed starters out there: peat pellets, fiber pots, and more.
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