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You are here: Home / Gardening / Grow Food / 6 Biodegradable Seedling Pots You Already Have at Home (And 1 That Doesn’t Work!)

6 Biodegradable Seedling Pots You Already Have at Home (And 1 That Doesn’t Work!)

Tracey Besemer Published: Mar 31, 2020 by Tracey Besemer · This post may contain affiliate links.

You’d be surprised what you have laying around the house, that can be used as a seedling pot.

Growing your own food is a rewarding experience. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as the flavor of a tomato plucked from one of your plants and eaten sliced, still warm from the sun.

Likewise, having a garden is an excellent way to save money and to provide for your family without having to rely on whatever picked-over produce is at the grocery store.

While you can find more generic varieties of seedlings at nurseries, you will quickly find that the more unusual varieties need to be started from seed.

Don’t let this deter you; it’s a lot of fun watching your wee baby plants grow.

And starting your own plants from seed opens up an entire world of heirloom varieties for your garden – and your table!

You don’t need fancy pots from the store to get your seedlings off to a good start.

In fact, there are many things you can use right in your home to grow seedlings in, and a number of them are biodegradable. This means when it’s time to transplant your seedlings, you can plant the entire thing right in the garden.

Here I will show you my top picks (as well as one that bombed big time.) I’ll bet you’ll be surprised how many of these you already have in your pantry right now.

Let’s get growing! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)

For all of these, I used plain old potting soil mix. Nothing special. If you want to give your seedlings a boost, mix a little compost in with your potting soil before planting your seeds. And if you have no soil at all, have a look at our article on germinating seeds without soil.

1. Toilet paper or paper towel rolls

Paper towel and toilet paper tubes make excellent seedling pots.

These worked surprisingly well. Cut paper towel rolls in half or in thirds. To plug one end, you can either stuff a wad of crumpled up newspaper in the bottom or make 1″ cuts lengthwise around the bottom and fold in the little tabs. About five tabs do the trick. Once I put dirt in them, the tabbed ones stood on their own just fine.

Water these well, as the paper will soak up the water at first. These would be great for larger plants.

2. Citrus rinds

Don’t pitch that citrus rind in the bin!

I love this one; it’s brilliant. Use hollowed-out citrus rinds to plant your seedlings. Grapefruit is the best option, and what a great way to compost your peels. I used a lemon rind after I made lemon poppyseed ice cream.

Even with a smaller fruit like lemons, this idea worked great. One thing to note is that the skin will, of course, begin to break down. However, I didn’t notice any smells or have any issues with flies or gnats.

3. Egg cartons

Pressed-paper egg cartons make perfect seedling trays.

Eggs often come in pressed paperboard cartons; these make excellent little planters. Cut the container along the hinge between the top and bottom. Place the lid under the bottom half of the egg carton; this will help give your planter a little more stability. Fill each egg cup with potting soil and drop in your seed.

I found this worked very well, and it’s a great way to keep plant species or varieties together. When it’s time to transplant your seedlings into the garden, simply cut apart each egg cup with scissors. Because the egg cups are small, I would suggest using this for smaller seed starts like herbs or pepper plants.

4. Eggshells

An eggshell – it’s the perfect seedling pot.

Yes, that’s right, eggshells. I have to say I think this method is by far my favorite.

Eggshells are wonderful for your soil, so planting them directly in your garden is a win-win.

Of all the different options I tried, this one retained moisture the best, which is essential when starting seedlings. It only takes one missed watering for tiny plants to die.

To collect empty eggshells, I paid attention to how I was cracking my eggs, to keep them mostly intact, and to have an opening at the top of the egg. I rinsed them out thoroughly with hot water before planting. Again, I had no issues with bad smells or flies.

When it’s time to transplant your seedling, crack the eggshell a bit before planting it in the soil. This will help the shell break down and allow your plants’ roots to grow.

5. Ice cream cones

I scream, you scream, we all scream for seedlings!

Yup, you heard me right, an ice cream cone. I was a little skeptical of this one, mainly because, as a mom, I’ve cleaned up enough mushy ice cream cones from my kids to know that they tend to fall apart when they become saturated. And yes, they did get mushy the first couple of days of watering, but after that, the cones became stale and hard and held their shape.

I have to say; these are a pretty great option if you have them around your home, especially if the package you have on hand has already gone stale. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

6. Newspaper

Using newspaper to grow seedlings is “old news.”

Newspaper pots are a tried and true standby for gardeners in the know. However, as newspaper circulation dwindles, it’s getting a little less common to have a newspaper around the house these days. A sign of the times indeed.

That being said, newspaper pots are easy enough to make and still one of my favorite DIY seedling pots out there. You’ll need a jelly jar or a beer bottle or similarly sized round container and, of course, newspaper.

With the newspaper laid out as though to read, cut 5″ wide strips across the paper from left to right. Then fold down the top 1″ of the newspaper lengthwise to create a crease. Unfold and then roll up the newspaper around your bottle or jam jar.  

Push the bottom of the newspaper in about 2″ up from the bottom on four sides, creating flaps closing off the bottom. It helps to pinch the outer circumference of the bottom of the pot to hold everything in place before slipping the jar out. Remove your jar and then fold the top creased portion inside the pot.

Make a whole bunch and put them to use!

And finally, the one that didn’t work.

Loofahs are better in the tub than in the greenhouse.

Loofah sponge

I saw this one recommended in several places, but I didn’t have any luck with it. I think it’s just too porous to retain any sort of moisture. Seeds need moisture to germinate. Save your loofas for the tub!

Now that you don’t need to make a special trip to the garden center, you can get started prepping your garden right away. Soon enough, you’ll have plenty of little seedlings ready to be planted directly in the garden – pot and all.

10 Reasons Why Your Seeds Aren’t Germinating & How To Fix It

Grow Food

Tracey Besemer
Tracey Besemer

Hey there, Rural Sprout reader, my name is Tracey, and I’m so glad you popped over to my author bio. Originally from upstate NY, I’m now an honorary Pennsylvanian, having lived here for the past 12 years.

I grew up spending weekends on my dad’s off-the-grid homestead.

He built our rough-hewn log cabin when I was seven years old, and I spent much of my childhood roaming the woods and getting my hands dirty.

I learned how to do things most little kids haven’t done in over a century.

We were always busy. Whether it was pressing apples for homemade cider or trudging through the early spring snows of upstate NY to tap trees for maple syrup, there were always chores with each new season.

I learned how to preserve what we grew in our garden.

And dad was organic, long before it became the popular buzzword that it is today.

As an adult living in the modern world, I continue to draw on the skills I learned as a kid. I love my Wi-Fi, and knowing pizza is only a phone call away. But I’m okay with never revisiting the adventure that is using an outhouse in the middle of January.

So, these days I consider myself to be almost a homesteader.

I take an eclectic approach to homesteading, utilizing modern convenience where I want, and choosing the rustic ways of my childhood simply because they bring me joy.

I’m a firm believer in self-sufficiency, no matter where you live, and the power and pride that comes from doing something for yourself.

I garden, even when the only space available is the rooftop of my apartment. I’ve been a knitter since age seven, and I spin and dye my own wool as well. And if you can ferment it, it’s probably in my pantry or on my kitchen counter. I can’t go more than a few days without a trip deep into the Pennsylvania State Game Lands looking for mushrooms, edible plants, or the sound of the wind in the trees.

My gift of gab and sense of humor via the written word keeps me busy as a copywriter and freelance blogger.

If you need copy that grabs your readers by the eyeballs and keeps them glued to your page, then I’m your gal. You can find me at BesemerWrites.

Follow all of my crazy homesteading adventures on Almost a Homesteader and Instagram @traceyleezle

Peace, love, and dirt under your nails,

Tracey

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