GreenThumb: Seeds of Love

Spring is just around the corner!  By now many of us have visions of plum tomato plants dancing in our heads.  It may be a few more months before the dreams become reality, but in the meantime, you can get a start on seed planting (if you haven't already). 

I thought I would give you a few suggestions for containers to use for starting the seeds indoors.  It is very easy to save money and help the environment by re-purposing items you may already have at home.  These include: 

• toilet paper or paper towel rolls (cut into 2-3 inch tall sections)
• plastic food containers (sour cream, etc)
• egg cartons 
• egg shells (broken in half)
• milk or juice containers (cut the top off and use the bottom)
• Paper, plastic, or Styrofoam cups
• yogurt cups
• plastic pop bottles

My favorite item to re-purpose is cups because they stack together nicely for storage and can be collected throughout the year without taking up too much space.

Whatever, items you choose, the way to use them is basically the same:

1. Rinse containers well.  Containers used in previous years should be rinsed as well, to prevent the spread of any disease.
2. Poke holes in the bottom of the containers for drainage and place the containers on a large tray (a cardboard box of some sort works well).
3. Fill the containers with potting soil or compost.  Wet the soil so that it is moist, but not soggy.
4. Plant your pre-selected seeds in the soil according to the directions on the package (usually 1/4 inch deep). Plant several seeds in each container to ensure one seed germinates in each.
5. Place the containers in a sunny window.  Check the seeds daily to see if they need water, but do not get them too wet.  A spray bottle can be used initially for better control of watering.  Containers can be covered with plastic wrap to aid in germination of the seeds.  Germination should take place in 1-2 weeks and tiny plants will push through the soil.
6. Transfer seedlings to the outdoors at the appropriate time for your climate zone. 
7. Containers can be saved and reused in following years.