Pick through your recycling bin for your next set of pots for Seed Starting – Grow food, save the world.  And money, save money.
 

 

 Upcycle, Recycle, Reuse Anything and Everything from newspaper to plastic jugs to start your seedlings

That’s right, anything.

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.

Let’s go to the re-cycling bin…

Reuse anything from your recycling bin to start seedlings

Egg cartons, ice cream cartons, juice cartons… just to name a few, can all be used for starting seeds.

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.

Juice and Milk Cartons make great plant trays

Juice cartons make ideal trays.

Get Creative

Plastic juice jugs can make ideal green houses

Cut the bottoms off of juice jugs for mini greenhouses.

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). 

Upcycle, Recycle, Reuse Anything and Everything from newspaper to plastic jugs to start your seedlings

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

Want to read some more great ideas about natural food and gardening?  Click on the image below. 

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