Repurposing Containers for Seed Starting

Starting seeds can become expensive if you're the type of person to grow and share seedlings with others.  There are several ways to cut corners on those costs by reusing items that would have otherwise been thrown in the trash or recycle bin to get your seeds off to a healthy start.  Today we used a container from Friday night's dinner: a plastic container used for a rotisserie chicken.  In the past we've also used cardboard egg cartons, yogurt containers, and the plastic containers we buy apples in from Costco.  The rotisserie chicken container pictured above is great for plants that prefer to get started in a mini-greenhouse.  A plastic container like this that is specifically made for seeds will set you back a few dollars. 

This particular container is not to share with friends, but specifically for my daughter.  She chose to sow Ipomoea lobata seeds today- aka "Exotic Love Vine", which you can usually find at Annie's Annuals in a 4" pot. I wish I could say she specifically picked out these seeds because she remembered their beautiful blooms growing on our fence last year- but no, she picked them because they matched the shirt she was wearing today (such a girl thing to do).

This project is simple: fill the container with seed starting mix, add water(much easier to do now than after you plant the seeds), poke a bunch of holes in the soil, push the seeds in, then cover it up.  That's it.  With these seeds we should see germination take place in about a week, but since I soaked the seeds for most of the day in water we might see them sprout a little earlier. 

She happily place her mini greenhouse in our guest bathroom where it gets a lot of light- and a lot of traffic, so we will remember to keep an eye on them.  These plants will be able to be transplanted outside in about a month (weather permitting, of course).