Newspaper Seedling Pots

We're making seedling pots this morning. I'm always amazed at how many basic skills have gone by the way. So in case you thought you had to buy the peat pots from MegoMart or the seed catalog...here are the directions. Yes, you'll get newsprint all over your hands and you shouldn't wear anything you don't want stained.

Fold one sheet of black and white newspaper in thirds lengthwise. Tear the sheet on the fold into three long pieces.

Take one piece and roll it around a tomato paste can with about 2 inches over the edge of the can. Your local newspaper may not have downsized its page size so feel free to adjust as you deem fit. I like a fairly short pot. They're seedlings after all.

Once rolled fold the excess over onto itself to form the bottom of the pot. Give the pot a good stomp with the can in it to set the folds.

Fill with your favorite potting soil and place on a tray to transport. These will be sturdy enough to give the seedling a start but thin enough to decay in a well watered garden plot when it comes time to move the seedling from the cold frame to the garden. Or you can just pull it apart come transplanting time and pitch the pot in the compost pile.

This goes pretty quickly even if you do get the children to help.

And no, this won't become an all gardening blog.