If you are already interested in growing your own vegetables, flowers and plants you’re already doing your part as far as I’m concerned.  However, with anything in life, there is always room for improvement.

Before we get into the good stuff, let’s remember the three Rs – reduce, reuse, and recycle – and think of it in an order of operations type of way.  The first step, is to reduce.  The last step, is to recycle.  Right smack in the middle, is reuse.

I am not here to lecture you on reducing your purchasing of ‘stuff’ – I am far from perfect.  There are things we are going to accumulate, and we have resigned ourselves to the fact that atleast most of the stuff we are bringing home is recyclable. But let’s not forget the middle step.  Reuse.  So head over to your recycling pile, and see what’s there….. 

Egg cartons, yogurt cups, applesauce containers, and anything similar in size, be it plastic, or paper, is suitable for starting seeds in.

Sour cream, ice cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese and anything similar in size, be it plastic or paper, is suitable for starting larger plant seeds in ( such as pumpkin, watermelon and zucchini ) AND are also great for transplanting established seedlings into.

Juice and milk cartons are great for starting larger seeds in as well.  They are also great for transplanting established seeds into.  Plus, they also make great trays.

Pretty much, if it can hold soil, you can start a seed in it.  And really, why not reuse the refuse you have already set aside for recycling anyway. 

I am a big fan of making paper pots, as you may recall from this post (click to read) and I also reuse pretty much every plastic pot that I have accumulated over the years (as well as those that others have collected over the years). 

It shouldn’t cost a fortune to save money, and it shouldn’t cost a fortune to save the earth.