So you've pledged to buy nothing new for an entire year, like the folks at My Roman Apartment, but you need to start your seedlings? You could use toilet paper tubes, but how about putting kitchen scraps to use instead?
With the addition of a small drainage hole in the bottom of the peel, these lemons are a great start for new seeds over at My Roman Apartment. I mentioned last week that this can be done in small jars with clippings right from your own home. There's no reason a bowl full of lemons stuffed with tiny plants wouldn't also work.
The best part about this great smelling idea is that the peel can get planted along with the seedling. No muss, no fuss! You can read more on the pledge to not buy anything new for a year over at My Roman Apartment.
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very cool! I had never thought of using anything besides pots. See how I need you?
I spend all of summer, fall and winter collecting random biodegradable "pots" for my spring seeds. Mostly egg cartons and oddly shaped cardboard packing materials.
how does the acidity of the rind affect the seedling? i usually use the larger half of an egg shell once i've eaten the egg.
i have over 100 seedlings started in the bedroom right now and i have NEVER understood all these posts about kooky things in which to start seeds. you can buy 36 expanding peat pellets for about $3. They don't take up any room or make any mess so you can keep them from year to year if you don't use them up. You don't have to use bags of potting mix at all. You can plant the peat pots without worrying about the roots being stunted (which IS a worry with egg shells, lemon rinds and a host of other things that ARE biodegradable but not in the amount of time that the seedling needs to expand it's roots!)
@traceyelise The gardening books I've read lately have advised against the peat pots. Tha'ts partly because the writers think other methods are more effective or cheaper, but also (and more relevant to this post) because of concerns about buying peat that is mined from delicate bog ecosystems. Folks aiming to reduce their waste or buy nothing are more likely than others to be concerned about their gardening practices.
My seedlings wouldn't tolerate that level of acidity, but I love my soil blocker!
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-455-soil-block-makers.aspx
It's stainless steel, it was $30 and I will never buy another seed starting container in my life.
I made newspaper pots while I watched tv this winter, and am super happy with how they turned out. I had totally forgotten about the eggshell trick, though, thanks, @laurenmanke!
Peat is not sustainable, not simply because of the manner and quantity in which it is harvested, but also because of the supply chain involved in its production and transportation.
Newspaper pots are easy and cheap to make and repurpose something, plus they break down easily.
There was a post not so very long ago about growing in grapefruit rinds, and I commented there that the acidity will harm the roots of your plant. This is setting yourself up for disappointment.
It is an interesting idea though. Eggshells (and cartons) have worked for me in the past, but I suspect that you could also use other veggie containers like squash rinds maybe?
I'm probably late on this one, but my mom recently suggested planting seeds/seedlings in egg shells. The egg carton gets a second life, as well. When it's time to plant in a more permanent location, the shell gets planted along with the plant and will simply break up as the roots begin to grow.
This is ADORABLE. And now I don't have any excuse for not getting seedlings organised.