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Instead of spending the money on peat pots you can easily make newspaper seed starters for free! Some people go out and buy a nifty gadget that you wrap the newspaper around, but I just use a vegetable can or a soup can and it works the same. So, lets get going!
First get a full sheet of newspaper and a can that is the size that will work best for what you are planting. Leave the two sides folded as the come when you get the paper so this will start you off at two ply. The newspaper will breakdown quickly when you replant it, so don’t worry about it being too thick if you just use one full sheet of newspaper. If it is closer to planting time, you might want to go with just one ply.
Next fold it over in half longways.
Then fold it longways again.
Next, place the can a little more than halfway down the sheet of newspaper. Then roll…
Then fold the bottom of the newspaper in towards the bottom of the can creating the bottom of the seed pot. Once it is all folded over, sit the can upright and push on it to help keep the crease on the bottom fold. Some people tape it at this point, but I do not bother with the tape. This might be a bad idea in the long run but it seems to be holding well for now!
Finally, fill the pot with your potting soil or seed starting mixture and plant your seeds according to the package directions. When it is time to transplant your plants into the ground, or a new pot, just plant the entire thing, newspaper pot and all and it will break down and disappear over time. Just be sure to try to plant the whole newspaper pot so that the plants do not dry out in the beginning by water evaporating off of the top of the newspaper.
If you are not going to have the seeds in the pots for a long time and you don’t really need them to hold up as well you can start with half of a full sheet of paper, or you can ever cut the newspapers in sections as small as one third of the size of the paper and just roll that around the can. The more of them you make the more you will figure out what you really need as far as thickness goes. These directions are for the most durable ones that you can comfortably make, in my experience.
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