Starting Seeds-2013

I admit it. I'm sick as can be. You won't believe it,  but I've caught a terrible illness that is striking homesteaders, farmers, and gardeners all over the place this time of year. I've got a bad case of...SPRING FEVER! I decided to start some of my early spring veggies. They can be planted in a few weeks, so I need nice, strong, hardy seed starts soon. (I'm doing my best to rationalize this so feel free to snicker)

I'm starting off with broccoli,  cauliflower,  cabbage, and brussels sprouts.  My newspaper pots (make your very own here) are pretty large, but I'm happy with them because that's one less transplant to worry about. I only filled them halfway because I'm sure my amateur attempts at seed starting will yield some leggy seedlings. Leggy just means they will grow long and skinny because they'll be reaching for light. This is fixed easily enough by burying them up to the first leaves to get rid of those skinny stems. Leaving room in my pots will allow me to do this if necessary.

It's been 6 days since I started my seeds and I have plenty to report! It all started on day 4.

Day 4

One broccoli seed

Day 5

I doubt you can see all of them. I have 5/5 broccoli plants,  4/5 cabbage plants, and 1 brussels sprout plant. I promise they're there! Just squint real hard.

For day 6 I had another brussels sprout and finally saw one cauliflower!

How to Make Newspaper Pots

One of the most important things we're doing this year is starting a garden. We'll be growing lots of heirloom veggie since they are non-GMO, among other things. We're also growing veggies for our chickens.

I've got major spring fever so I found something to do to help combat my eagerness. Since we're starting some seeds this year we need some pots. So instead of buying a bunch of pots I made some for free!

HowTo Make Newspaper Plant Pots

Materials
Newspapers
Mason Jar (or any straight sided glass)

First get a whole sheet of newspaper and rip it in half on the crease in the middle.

Fold one sheet in half lengthwise

Using a jar, start at the end of the sheet. Place the jar in the middle so that half of the paper is on the jar and half is above the mouth.

Begin rolling up the paper tightly around the jar. I find it's best to roll the paper on the desk in order to get it good and tight. Don't worry about the paper above the mouth. It should be that way!

Once you've rolled up the paper you need to just start cramming the end into the mouth. There is no technique, just cram away!

Gently twist the cup off and push the bottom down to form the pot. The bottom of the jar can be really useful fot this. That's it!

I'm testing it now and so far so good. It withstands watering well. You probably could plant this directly in the ground but I would peel back or rip off the bottom. I make several each week. I can make about 13 from one paper. Imagine that, 13 plant pots delivered free of charge to your door each week! With practice you can churn these things out in no time. Good luck! Be on the lookout for my seedlings featured in these fun little pots! 

Just a quick side note, making these can be messy but it is easy enough to clean it up with a bit of soap and water. 

Thanks for reading!