No matter where you live, it is time to start seeds for your Victory Garden RIGHT NOW! Heather, I am talking to you! Even if it's only a few pots of basil, wheat grass, thyme and parsley in a sunny windowsill, that's something. Growing any amount of our own food not only connects us to the soil meaningfully and gives us the freshest possible produce, but it also regularly shaves dollars off our grocery bill. The only trouble is, if we do not watch out, the cost of seeds and gardening supplies can far outrun any possible profit. That does not have to happen. I'll discuss other frugal gardening measures all along, but today we're going to talk about seed starter pots. I welcome additional tips and any corrections from my frugal gardening friends, of which I know there are many, and with far more experience than I!
My rule on gardening and many other things is "Don't buy if you can make it with what's already on hand." I was raised by Depression-era grandparents who drilled into my head the mentality of "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." It was such a sacred phrase, I would have sworn it was a direct quote from The Holy Bible; most likely from Proverbs. Even to this day, I have trouble throwing away anything if there's the slightest possiblity I can re-use or re-purpose it. I must be careful or the clutter will overtake me! Yet and still, we are not about talking useless clutter here. I regularly "shop" my storage room, bins, totes and closets, which has saved us a bundle during these economically wild times. Even in better times, though, I aim to be a good steward of my God-given resources.
Seriously, though, when we're talking about starting seeds, how much better will seedlings grow in something store-bought "pretty" than something I tossed together from junk? Exactly! So here it is, instructions for free seed starter pots, all for the price of the time it takes to fold them. And no, I did not even buy the newspapers. A friend was about to trash them. Here is the very best youtube video I've come across to demonstrate how it's done-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNBHYrv4-Gw
If you're starting seed indoors, this pot is the perfect size for a stepping-up pot once the seeds have germinated. If you decide to start the seeds in them directly, you'll have to watch the moisture level carefully. With a larger pot like this, it's easy to flirt with damping off disease from keeping the soil too wet while you're trying to ensure that the seeds get enough top-level moisture to germinate properly. You can help avoid this if you will use a sterile seed-starting mix, fill the pot with dirt all the way up to the very top, and can keep a fan moving the air across the seedlings. The fan blowing on them will also make the little stems stronger.
Kate's pots are more rectangular than mine, so either her newspaper is sized differently from mine or I'm doing something wrong. Regardless, mine serve the purpose, so that's what we're using! Trust me, the pots look way more complicated to make than they really are. I recommend watching the video with a half sheet of newspaper in front of you, and make each fold as she does. Once I got that first pot right, muscle memory took over and I found I could work them off very quickly while watching TV....both with and without the help of my cats. In fact, I found a shortcut in omitting a few guideline folds, but I won't even try to explain how I did that. You'll figure it out on your own. Omitting them does make for a slightly sloppier pot, BUT it enables you to turn out the pots faster. KitKat, above on the ironing board with one of my newspaper pots, really enjoyed sticking her head into them. She likes to try to fit herself into small spaces, which I totally do not "get," but then I'm not a cat.
Here's a close-up view of the pot that's pictured with KitKat above. It's 3 1/4" square...more or less.
I trimmed a few straggly edges off some of the more sloppily/hastily made pots, but you probably won't find that necessary. The little ear flap things were worrisome to me, as they would catch on each other in the trays and try to unfold themselves, so I used tiny bits of masking tape to hold them down. That was more acceptable to me than either stapling them or using plastic tape, as the paper tape will biodegrade best.
The finished size of the pots obviously is determined by the size of the sheet of newspaper that you use. These pots are from our Mississippi Clarion Ledger, which is a standard-size newspaper. Depending upon how careful I am folding them, the finished pots run from 3 1/4" to 3 3/4" square. If you want smaller pots, either cut down each sheet or use sheets from a smaller, community-type newspaper.
Now there is another way to make newspaper starter pots which involves rolling a folded sheet around a drinking glass or a bottle-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW4t_6dTAvA. You may also buy a gadget for that purpose, which I think is completely silly. If we are gardening to be frugal, then let's don't buy a bunch of non-essential tools and toys. Beyond that, I don't care for these rolled up pots that much. Their bottoms are not stable and they are round, which means they don't fit together on a tray as well as squares. In fact, they don't even hold themselves together at all unless you tape them very securely or immediately wedge them together into a tray. I prefer good solid bottoms on my starter pots. However, these rolled-up pots are faster to turn out than the folded pots, so that's a vote in their favor. Use what works out better for you.
A good point Ms. Galloway brought up is about easing the plants out of the pot before planting them outside into the ground to avoid them being root-bound. Newspaper does take quite some time to disintegrate completely, and you want those young, tender roots to spread out effortlessly. If you can ease the pot off without disturbing the roots, then do it. Otherwise, I find it sufficient to VERY CAREFULLY slit or tear the square pots down the sides, tear out the bottom a bit and just slip it all into the planting hole. I have not used the round newspaper pots, but I think you could easily unwind them if they don't slip off easily. Definitely toss the spent pots onto the compost pile. They are fabulous "brown" matter to help balance your "green" kitchen waste. For a nice chart on which is which, here you go-- http://www.joyblooms.com/gardening/brown-green.htm
Whatever you use, JUST GO PLANT SOMETHING! I mean it. Right now. Have fun getting your hands dirty and growing something good to eat. I cannot wait to hear all about it from you.
Oh, and one more word. My three kitties said to tell you that if you have cats, especially strictly indoor cats like they are, you need to plant something special just for them. A small pot each of catnip and cat grass will do for starters. Any combination of wheat, oat or barley grass will be fine. They will love you for it. They will also expect you to keep it up from this day forward.
Frugally yours,
Barbara Houston Garrett
www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/barbaragarrett
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