Growing: How To Make Newspaper Seed Pots
During my Spring Break gardening kick, I was so excited to start planting, I just couldn't wait. I began researching every gardening blog and book I could to get started. My first frustration: so many gardening books are written to be universal for all climates in the United States. Well, Burien's climate is nothing like prime gardening weather in California or even Eastern Washington.
These generalized books advise to plant according to "the last frost" date. I checked almanac.com for our frost date and it said it was about mid-March. Mid-March? It's Mid-May and I'm not totally convinced that we won't have another random cold spell.
After consulting with a family friend (the co-owner of Burien's Bel-R greenhouse) and the helpful staff at Herr Garden, I found out that the last frost was supposedly April 15th. Spring break was Mid-March and I couldn't wait another month to start planting. So in anticipation for the warm season, (if it ever comes) I decided to start planting indoors.
This is a great way to get a head start on vegetables that need warmth and a long growing season to thrive. You can grow them inside under a heat lamp and then transplant when it's warm enough. I'm growing cucumbers, broccoli, kohl rabi, and a couple kinds of flowers indoors.
Here's how you can do it:
Materials:
- Seeds that need to be/can be started indoors before the last frost.
This can include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and herbs. I'm going to be starting cucumbers and basil indoors.
- Old newspaper
You could also use any other small containers, but I'm using newspaper because it's pretty much free, it's biodegradable (so I can just plant the entire newspaper pot in the ground and not disturb the roots), and it's more fun to make than just using an old yogurt cup.
- A way to label your plants
You wouldn't want to forget what you planted! I'm using toothpicks and masking tape to make little "flags" to stick in my pots.
Popsicle sticks would also work for this.
- Seed Starting Soil
Herr Garden has some great organic seed starting mix, or you could make your own.
1 part peat moss, 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite.
- A smallish can
The diameter of this can will be how big your home-made pots will be. Choose appropriately!
Now you are ready to begin.
1. Spread out one sheet of newspaper and rip it in half along the seam.
2. Then, rip again along the middle seam so you have four rectangles, all about the same size.
3. Next, fold one of these small sheets in half, like so! This creates a double layer for your seedling pot to keep it nice and sturdy.
4. With the fold facing the top, fold the top down, about 1/2 to 1 inch. This will make the top of your pot and reinforce the opening.
5. Next, with the folded side out, wrap this strip around your can to form a tube. The newspaper should overlap itself. If it doesn't your can's diameter is too big. Pick a smaller can!
6. Next is the trickiest part of all... which is not really that tricky. Arrange your tube on your can so that a good couple inches sits above the rim of the can. You are now going to fold down the part of the newspaper that is hanging off the edge of the can so that it closes off the bottom of your pot. I usually do this in about four folds. If you don't have enough paper to cover the bottom of your pot, you'll need to shimmy the tube a little farther off the can. It's kind of important to have the bottom of your pot closed so that it actually holds in the soil.
7. Now you've got a nice little pot shape, but how do we keep it that way without the bottom coming apart? My solution is take a little bit of masking tape to hold down the middle.
8. To further secure this little seedling pot, flip it right side up and tuck the overlapping bit of newspaper under the crease of the newspaper under it, like so.
Before...
After!
- Presto! That's a finished seedling pot.
You are now ready to fill that pot with your seed starting mix, that is 1 part peat moss, 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite. When the seedlings are big enough, just take off the bit of masking tape on the bottom, open up the folded flaps, and plant the entire newspaper pot in the ground. It will biodegrade and you won't have to disturb the roots by transplanting.
For seeds to grow into lovely little plants, they need to be warm, have plenty of water, and plenty of light. When you sow seeds indoors, one of the biggest challenges is getting enough light. You can ensure this by setting your plants in a sunny window, or if you're like me and you don't have any convenient sunny windows, you can rig up your own lighting system in your basement... or wherever you have room. I've also seen people put their seed starts on top of their refrigerator (because it's warm) or create their lighting system in a bookshelf. It doesn't really matter.
My father and brother were kind enough to help me set up my seed table in our basement. It's relatively cheap to buy a fluorescent shop light for your plants. Get one with two fixtures and put one warm white and one cool white bulb in it, suspend it about four inches from your pots, and you're good to go.
Don't forget to label your seeds! I made little 'flags' by folding a piece of masking tape over a toothpick. Feel free to use popsicle sticks or some other way of labeling.
And here are zinnia and broccoli seeds after about two weeks:
Regarding when to plant your seeds - the seed packets should say when it's safe to plant indoors, but if you're still nervous about the right time to plant, the folks at Herr Backyard Garden Center on 1st ave S and 160th Street in Burien are really helpful. I find that getting advice from neighbor gardeners or Herr garden is more reliable because they know what kind of crazy, unpredictable weather we get here in Burien. It's a truly unique climate that most gardening blogs just don't compensate for.
P.S. If you just want to plant seedlings right this second without going through the hard labor of making newspaper pots, Herr Backyard Garden Center sells these great little peat pots that will serve you the same purpose, they're just a little more expensive than free newspaper.
Catherine Dupre is a Burien Daily columnist who is writing about learning to garden in Burien. Most of her gardening is done at the Burien community garden known as the B-Patch. Catherine is a life long Burien resident, a geography student at UW, and a world class barista at Burien Press on SW. 152nd St.
You can read her articles as they are posted on our home page, or you can see them alone by clicking this link.
You can read her articles as they are posted on our home page, or you can see them alone by clicking this link.
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