Seed Starter Tutorial

It's officially gardening season! I kept seeing little seed starter pots all over Pinterest, and I decided to go with ones made from recycled newspaper and a soup can for a form. They're made pretty much the way you fold up the end of a roll of pennies. I've seen others that are origami boxes, which I can make with my eyes closed as I use them to package earrings I sell, but the soupcan/pennyroll method seemed faster. Though you're supposed to secure the side and bottom with tape, which would mean they're not fully compostable, unless you use washi tape!

Oh yeah... I went there. And obviously from the photo, I used a soda can instead of the soup can. Here's how to make them:

Assemble your supplies: a free newspaper, a soda or soup can, and some washi tape.

Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half (or as small as needed so it's an inch or so taller than the can). If you're going to be planting these the second the seeds sprout, you could cut the paper in half instead of folding it. The pots will be thinner but it makes the paper go farther.

Starting a little down from the top of the can (so you'll have something to grab when you want to pull the can from the pot), roll the paper around the can.

Secure it with a piece of washi tape.

Flip the can over.

Fold down the front of the paper so it's flush with the bottom of the can.

Repeat with one side...

Then the other.

And secure with a piece of washi tape!

Just fill with soil and plant your seeds, water accordingly, and pop the entire thing in the ground when you're ready to plant!

I made an entire fleet of these little guys and stuck them in an antique soda crate. See what I did there? Yes, I thought I was being clever. We have a little overhang outside our kitchen window, so I leave them there in the daytime to get sun and then bring them in at night, and set them over the sink to water them. I'll post pictures when they're all sprouted!