DIY Seedling Pots

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Spring is an ideal time to plant your summer vegetable seedlings and this is a simple way to plant them without spending a fortune on seedling trays. All you need is last week's local newspaper, a small jar (for rolling the shapes), a stapler, some seedling mix and the seeds themselves. This is a practical recycling activity and children will enjoy helping to make these too (you could let them choose the seeds to plant and watch them grow together).



Step 1 - fold the newspaper:

Fold a sheet of old newspaper into a long rectangle, measuring about 10 - 15 cms high.



Step 2 - roll the newspaper:

Take a small jar, to wrap the newspaper around. To ensure there is a base for the pot, place the jar inside one end of the folded newspaper, as if you're "tucking it into bed". Then roll along to the other end and carefully remove the jar.



Step 3 - staple the pot:

Try to maintain the shape of the jar, as you staple the top edge of the newspaper pot (these staples will be removed at a later time). If you do not wish to staple, you could tie each pot with string or an elastic band. Depending on how many seeds or seedlings you wish to plant, repeat steps 1 - 3 and make another ten (or maybe fifty) newspaper pots.



Step 4 - fill the pots:

Take some seedling mix and spoon some into each of your little recycled pots.



Step 5 - plant the seeds:

Plant your favourite seeds or seedlings in each individual pot, water them in, place them in a sunny spot and don't forget to nurture them until they sprout.

Step 6 - place in holes:

Once your seeds have become well established, you can remove the staple and place the entire pot in a hole in the ground. The newspaper will naturally rot away and the roots will find their way through to the surrounding soil to become bigger and stronger in no time. Best of luck and happy gardening.

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