Homemade Seed Pots

Most gardeners have already been scouring seed catalogs for a few weeks and in the coming weeks and months gardeners will buy seeds from seed racks at garden centers. Every gardener has their preferred method of seed starting and what seed pots they use. Frugal gardeners have know for a long time that many items around the house can be converted into homemade seed pots. Everyday household items can be made into seed pots as long as they can hold soil and have some drainage. I did a post on making seed pots from rolling a sheet of newspaper, you can start seeds in a plastic sandwich bag or make a seed starter from a soda bottle. If you aren't familiar with those cheap ways of starting seeds take a moment to read those links and add that seed starting information to your gardening arsenal.

Peat pellets and peat pots have a long history of being used as seed pots especially among organic gardeners. But peat isn't the most environmentally friendly product and many suppliers like GrowOrganic.com are providing coco (made from coconuts) coir seed pellets as an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative. I'll provide a cheaper tip below.

Eggshells are a classic homemade seed pot. Empty eggshells that have been rinsed out and carefully broken to hold a few spoonfuls of potting soil or seed starting mix make interesting seed pots. Remember to clean out the eggshell seed pot by rinsing it and setting it aside to dry. It would be a good idea to poke a small drainage hole at the base of the eggshell so your soil or seed mix doesn't become waterlogged. If you buy your eggs in a cardboard carton you can also use the carton as a seed pot or simply use it as a way to prop up your eggshell seed pots so they don't tip over or roll around. Once your seeds have sprouted and they're ready to be planted in the garden you can plant your eggshell seed pot in the ground; you can give the young roots and seedling a little help by crushing the eggshell seed pot.


Instead of discarding the cardboard toilet paper rolls you can easily turn them into homemade seed pots by filling them with soil or seed starting mix. Like the eggshell seed pot the cardboard roll seed pot is an environmentally friendly seed pot that you can plant directly in the garden once the growing season begins in your area. If you still have the empty cardboard rolls that held your wrapping paper in place they can also be used to create seed pots. I kind of prefer the wrapping paper cardboard seed pot because it is more durable and doesn't become soft so soon. With these seed pots there is no need to create a drainage hole since both sides of the cardboard tube are open. Keep your paper tube seed pots a minimum of three inches in length so when the seed sprouts there will be plenty of soil for the roots to grow into. If you cut your tubes too short you may find it hard to keep your seed pots moist and your seedlings growing.

Yogurt cups, Styrofoam cups, butter/cream cheese tubs and takeout containers also make good homemade seed pots. Just remember to poke holes in the bottom of the container and choose durable plastics that can last as seed pots for a couple of years.

I personally use a general houseplant potting mix to start all of my seeds but others may use a specific seed starting soil mix. The one thing I've learned after a few years of growing from seeds is to prep the soil mix I'm using with a little bit of perlite and to moisten the soil mix before using it. If you enlarge the eggshell seed pot image above you may notice that the soil mix is dark. That's because I moistened it before spooning it into the eggshell and cardboard roll seed pots. Lightly wetting the soil mix for my seeds makes it easier to handle so I waste less and can water easier than if the mix was dry.

The peat pellets tip I mentioned.

Both peat and coco fiber seed starting pellets are good products with their advantages but their drawback to me is price. The seed starting page for Burpee has 48 peat pellets selling for under nine dollars and the coco coir pellets can start at fifteen cents per seed pellet. While good products with their pros and cons I'd rather spend the money on buying seeds. If you visit your local pet supply store you can buy a brick of coco coir for few dollars. The Coco fibers is sold as reptile bedding and is even used by terrarium builders as a soil. If you buy a large brick and stuff either the cardboard roll or the eggshell seed pods with the moistened fiber it is basically the same thing as a peat or coco coir pellet, except it will cost you less.

If you're curious the seeds in the examples above are some Amaryllis seeds I'm currently sowing.

How To Get Free Garden Plants

The warm weather we've been experiencing in Chicago has got me thinking of spring and I've begun to think about the next growing season and changes I'd like to see in my garden. While I seem to be left out of the seed and garden catalog rounds this year it hasn't stopped my planning and desire for new plants in the garden.

My garden is on a small city lot and like many urban gardeners I don't have the luxury of large planting spaces. Because of the size of my garden I've started to think about plants that will have to be moved or given away to make room for new flowers and interests. The realization that some perennials or bulbs will be pushed aside for new plants has prompted this entry on how to get free garden plants for your garden.

Join a gardening forum

A gardening forum is a great place to not only meet fellow gardeners and learn about gardening but a place where you can come across generous gardeners that are willing to share extra plants. In the spring many gardeners will find themselves in the position I mentioned above. They'll be moving plants to make room for new plants or will be thinning out established garden beds.

If you join a gardening forum now and establish yourself as a member of the community, ask questions, post your garden photos answer questions where you can and make yourself known to the community- you could find yourself the beneficiary of new plants come spring.

Come out of lurker mode

The trick, if I can call it that, here is to become involved in the forum. Gardeners are generous but on-line they can spot who the people are who just joined because they saw the thread where someone was giving away free plants. Make sure you have an active history on the garden forum before responding to threads promising free plants. If you've been diligently reading a forum but not responding because you're shy or a new gardener break yourself of that habit now before spring arrives so you're not left out of the free plant giveaways.

Shortly after I joined GardenWeb I participated in a newbie gardener adoption thread. In the thread I was teamed up with an established gardener who had been on the forum for a while. When needed, my garden coach was able to answer questions, give me advice and of course; shared some extra plants with me. The daylilies in my garden came from the gardener I was partnered with and through this blog she's been able to keep up with the free plants she gave me.

Some garden forums don't look kindly on people posting asking for free plants especially if you are a new gardener on the forum. Most of the times though you are free to reply to offers of free plants-you just aren't allowed to solicit for free plants yourself. Whatever the reasoning behind this "rule" on many forums make sure you abide by the rules of the forum and comport yourself according to the norms of the gardening community there.

Free plants on other websites

Two websites you should add to your favorites if you're gardening on a budget or are a frugal gardener are freecycle.org and craigslist.org. While these two websites are not considered to be gardening related websites they are still good sources of free garden plants if you know how to use them effectively.

Visit these two sites now to get a feel of how to use them and in the early spring visit on a daily basis. Like on a gardening forum you'll find gardeners who are doing spring cleaning and are giving away plants because they are making room or just cleaning up garden beds. The difference with Freecycle and Craigslist is that the majority of the time plants are given free and clear. Meaning there is no need for you to try to befriend anyone or participate much in the community like on a gardening forum.

The bartering gardener

If you have some items around your house you have no use for or an expertise in an area barter those items on Craigslist for plants or gardening related items you'll need. I've seen an ad on Craigslist by a Bed & Breakfast owner bartering rooms for landscaping plants. Last year I had a used webcam that was in working order that I no longer wanted that I bartered for pots. Bartering it kept it out of a landfill and in return I got pots that I needed. I often see offers for "you dig plants" by gardeners or property owners that need to get rid of plants for one reason or another. In these cases you're expected to dig the plants yourself to save the gardener the trouble and time involved in digging out established plants.

Gardeners you already know

The best and most practical sources for free plants to start your garden or to add to it are the gardeners you already know. Unlike with strangers you shouldn't have any reservations of approaching a gardener in your area and asking if they'll be dividing plants in the garden. If asking for a whole plant doesn't seem practical ask for cutting of the plant that you can start a whole new plant from.

Plant rescues

Spring is the time people move from one dwelling to the next. Again, check your local freecycle or craigslist pages and keep your eyes open for people who need to unload items before they move. Drive around your community and check the curbs and alleys on trash days for plants that have been abandoned in the move. I'm always surprised at the number of houseplants I see that are left behind by an owner during a move. Even if you don't like houseplants or have room for an indoor garden rescue the plant and trade it for garden tools or plants that you do need. Lastly, new construction or remodeling are also a good places for frugal gardeners to look for free plants and plant rescues. Check with the owner of the property for permission or someone in charge at the construction site to make sure you're not violating any laws when you show up with your garden shovel and wheelbarrow to haul away plants that will be paved over or pulled out.