We recently went to a big box store where Vegetable Garden Seed Starters and supplies were already lining the shelves. Many of these supplies are such a waste of money, and I wanted to share a few ways you can start seedlings for your vegetable garden without spending a dime.
One of the blessings of having a garden is being able to save money, and we love our raised bed garden. However, marketers are smart and want to convince you that you need to spend more money on your garden than you will save in free food. Also, many of those items are non-biodegradable and really don’t work very well. Now that we live a more minimalist lifestyle, we are always trying to find ways to do things for less and with less material items. You will definitely want to check out our Beginner’s Guide to Backyard Homesteading.
Seeds should be planted within 4-6 weeks of the speculated last frost. This means if you think your last frost will be around May 15th, you could start your seeds at the beginning of April until the middle of April. The biggest question is whether or not your seeds will have enough sunlight. We have this beautiful garden window, and we love to use it for starting seeds and growing herbs indoors.
Vegetable Garden Seed Starters
Egg cartons and eggs. Simply take some of your seed starter soil and place either in the actual egg carton spots (shown above) or save your egg shells, and crack them only at the top, and plant your seeds in the actual egg shells.
Toilet paper and paper towel rolls. We are always trying to find ways to reuse toilet paper tubes. We also made wall art out of ours and a bird feeder. Everyone has extra toilet paper rolls that can be cut in half and stood on their sides to create seed starters. We cut ours about 2 1/2-3 inches long and fill with starter soil. These are placed on a cookie sheet covered in foil. These toilet paper seed starters can also be placed directly in the ground when you plan the seedlings. I would cut one side with a pair of scissors, but you don’t need to disturb any parts of the plant.
Everyday household items. There are so many items you probably already have around your house that you can use to start your seeds. Unused ice cube trays will also serve as seed starters, but you would want to drill a small hole in each one to allow the water to drain.
However, we are trying to show you ways to start seeds that are inexpensive and help reduce waste. Look around and you would be surprised with all of the items you have at your house that can be used to start seeds. You can even make origami seed starters out of newspaper.
Lighting. Because we have this huge garden window (there is a window on the top as well, which brings in extensive sunlight), we are able to start gardening indoors a little sooner than most people, because we can transition the seeds to bigger pots before the last frost. Lighting is going to be your biggest issue at this time of the year, besides the obvious issues of making sure your seedlings are watered properly and not too much. Some people purchase artificial lighting. However, if you move the seedlings into direct sunlight as much as possible, they should grow adequately. You can also grow seedlings outdoors even in the snow with empty milk containers (plastic gallon size) shown here.
Another tip is to cover the seedlings with plastic bags or plastic wrap until they sprout, which creates a greenhouse setting. However, once they have sprouted, you will need to remove them.
Do you have tips for starting seeds indoors? Comment them below.
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