I love starting my seedlings inside in the spring. I always start my coo-weather crops in late February even though the plants cannot be put outside until early May. I start my warm weather crops in late March, but they can’t be planted outside in my region until after Father’s Day. Since my seedlings will be growing inside for a couple months they have an opportunity to become quite established before I harden them off and transplant them to my garden. For that reason, I often use yogurt cups, so there is plenty of room for the roots to develop.
Items needed for this project:
10 oz. empty salad container, washed by hand (these are often made of cornstarch and will melt in the dishwasher).
6 empty yogurt cups per salad container, washed (these are rugged enough to be put in the dishwasher when you have extra room).
hammer and 1 nail
Directions:
With the hammer and nail, make two holes in the bottom of each yogurt cup. Do not worry if you create a crack in the process; it will still work.
Scoop dirt into the yogurt cups. If you can’t find a shovel, you can create a scoop from a milk jug.
Add seeds, water, and put the lids on until the seedlings have emerged:
Then care for the seedlings according to the package directions.
I did not put the lettuce seeds in yogurt cups. I put dirt directly into the salad container and then sowed the seeds directly in the dirt. The lettuces will be put out earlier than the other plants, so they don’t need as much room for root development.
Have you found ways to repurpose and reuse items in your garden?
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