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Egg Carton Seed Trays

IgardenerA
12 years ago

I use egg cartons to start some seeds. My radishes are thriving in them, but I am not sure how the bulbs will be. If you have any good idears feel free to toss them on too!

Comments (9)

  • IgardenerA
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    {{gwi:52011}}

    I like to cut off the bottoms of bottles and use them as little greenhouses

  • Ginny McLean_Petite_Garden
    12 years ago

    I use pretty much anything that will hold water. Fresh fruit and bakery clamshells for little mini greenhouses, detergent and bleach bottles, yogurt containers, ice cream pails, pop bottles, chinese food soup containers, milk cartons or plastic jugs, muffin clamshells, even frozen dinner trays. I rarely throw out anything I can use to start plants in and when I am done with them I send them to the recycle. My latest containers are the big plastic barrels I get my dogs treats in. They look like huge mason jars but are light weight. Oh, and the styrofoam meat trays for drain trays! :)

  • capoman
    12 years ago

    We found egg cartons to be horrible planters for many reasons including too much water retention, and roots that dig in and get damaged when you try to separate them. if you plant them in directly soil, they don't break down fast enough. We found that folded newspaper planters work much better.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    12 years ago

    The little 4-packs or 6-packs that annuals come in can be used to start seeds or small cuttings over and over. I usually cut them apart so I can put them farther apart.

    You can even use a tin soup or veggie can since it's easy to make slit or triangle holes in the bottom with can opener.

    My son insists on eating those little plastic single-serve fruits like peaches and pineapples and he likes yogurt. Either of those (except the weirdly shaped "Y" yogurt) are great tiny containers.

    Toilet paper rolls plugged with newspaper. These can transplant directly, as mentioned above.

    How are the radishes doing?

  • pippi21
    12 years ago

    Why are you plugging the toilet paper rolls with newspaper before planting your seeds in it? I'm familar with using toilet paper rolls but I thought you folded them down under the bottom and taped them closed, then planted in them. Just curious! With the single serve peaches and pineapple cans/containers, are they deep enough? I know the 6-8 oz. size Yogurt containers would be deep enough. A lot of people use those to start seeds in.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    12 years ago

    Why are you plugging the toilet paper rolls with newspaper before planting your seeds in it? I'm familar with using toilet paper rolls but I thought you folded them down under the bottom and taped them closed, then planted in them. I like just pulling the paper out when I'm ready to plant them. The tape sounds good, too.

    With the single serve peaches and pineapple cans/containers, are they deep enough? It depends on what you are germinating, and how long you plan to wait before putting it in the ground/bigger pot. They worked well for myosotis (forget-me-nots.)

  • Valdo
    10 years ago

    Think I might shelve the 72 pod monster station I just got and try this out instead! Any luck or problems with peppers?

  • mommymammal
    10 years ago

    For several years, I've started seeds in eggshells, and it works great! I carefully crack off the tops of the shells, rinse them out, and punch holes in the bottoms with a metal skewer. Set the end of the egg on a sponge when you punch the hole; also, the hole punching should be done when you first empty the shell (once it dries, it becomes more fragile and shatters easily). Fill with dirt and plant. For ease of watering, I set the shells into styrofoam egg cartons that have 1/2" holes cut into the bottoms of the wells (these are reusable for many seasons), and set those into plastic trays. (If you get a rectangular sheet cake from a grocery store, the lid from the plastic container conveniently holds 2 egg cartons.) Water from the bottom. When ready to pot up or transplant to the garden, crack the shell all over but leave it intact and plant the whole thing. The plant roots grow through the cracks. No transplant shock!

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