fbpx

Seedlings Everywhere

Reader Contribution by Sheila Julson
1 / 4
2 / 4
3 / 4
4 / 4

My neighbor across the alley recently told me that another neighbor of ours was contacted by the city to remove the empty milk jugs he was saving from his backyard.

My first thought was “Whew! Glad it wasn’t me!”

My neighbor who unwillingly drew the ire of city inspectors is, like me, an avid gardener and urban homesteader. We know how plastic milk jugs, two-liter soda bottles, cardboard egg cartons, plastic produce and deli clam shells, and newspaper can make excellent mini-greenhouses and biodegradable pots to start young seedlings for the garden. It also saves a few bucks from having to buy peat pots and regular pots.

After reading about and experimenting with winter sowing methods using plastic containers, I’ve found this technique to be a great way to germinate seeds in the extreme weather conditions we have here in the Great Lakes region, especially since I don’t have space for an indoor light system or an outdoor hoop house.

I remove the caps from the milk jugs and punch drainage holes in the bottom, and then cut around the middle, leaving about an inch intact near the handle for a hinge. This creates a flip-top. I fill the containers with about three inches of compost, and then plant the seeds. Then I simply close the tops, tape the tops down, and neatly place the jugs outdoors on an old plant stand. Putting the jugs outdoors allows the seeds to freeze and thaw with the weather, which helps loosen the seed coatings. It also toughens them up for the challenges of the up-and-down spring/early summer weather. On mild days, I remove the tape and open the tops of the milk jugs for extra air and sun.

I do have some space for indoor starts, also using milk jugs and egg cartons. My old house has radiators that heat the home, but don’t get too hot; thus providing warmth as well as a handy stand for my houseplants and the tender seedlings. The houseplants don’t seem to mind sharing the pad with the young’uns for a while, and my upstairs sun porch has also been taken over by dirt-filled plastic and cardboard cartons that normally would have gone into the recycling bin. The inspectors won’t see them up there!

With these little homemade greenhouses in any shape container imaginable, everywhere indoors and out holding seedlings in various stages of growth, my fiancé, Doug, and our busybody hound, Lenny, have to watch every move, step, gesture, jump or sniff. But it’s only temporary, and the harvest at the end of summer will be worth it.

And I plan to share some starts with my neighbor, whose yard is now empty of milk jugs. He has to start all over again.

Does any else use the winter sowing method or cartons as containers to start seeds? What are your results?