How to Make a Seed Starting Pot Using Newspaper

This is the time of year to start those seeds that we won't be sowing directly into our gardens - tomatoes and peppers, perennial herbs, gourds, eggplant and flowers. There are a variety of options at any nursery or garden center for starting seeds, ranging from simple peat pots to full seed-starting kits. In the past I have spent a fair amount of money on different types of seed starting arrangements, until I discovered I can have what amounts to the same product for free! I have found there is no need to spend your hard-earned money on commercial seed starting pots, because it doesn't take a single cent to make your own newspaper seed starting pots at home.

Some garden catalogs or websites offer a wooden device for making newspaper pots. Most sell for around fifteen dollars. I have found that such a gadget is unnecessary to successfully create seed starting pots - you can use simple items you have around the house.

To make your pots, gather old newspapers (black and white pages only, don't use pages with colored ink), and a tall, thin can like a spray paint can. It helps if the can has a concave bottom as most spray paint cans do. Tear your newspaper into five-inch strips. Each strip will make one pot.

Roll a single strip of newspaper onto your can, leaving two inches hanging off the bottom of the can. Don't roll the paper too tightly, or the pot may be difficult to slide off. When the entire strip is rolled onto the can, pinch the bottom paper closed in a bunch, and thump the bottom of the can down onto a hard surface. Then slide the paper pot off the can.

Using your newspaper pots is simple. Fill each paper pot to the top with your seed starting mix. When you water, the soil will settle at a lower level. Add your seeds to the soil and then water well. The pots are best kept in a shallow tray with holes or in a wooden crate, so that excess water can drain out. The small pots dry out easily and must be watered often to keep the soil moist. When the seedlings are ready to plant out, all you need to do is tear open the bottom of the pot and plant. The remainder of the paper pot will disintegrate in the soil and disappear.