Seed Starter Pots for Gardeners

Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on seed starter pots for gardeners. First, I start the majority of my garden plants from seed.  I’m a frugal gardener, so I try to garden as cheaply as possible. Recycling, seed swapping, build your own is my motto.  Over the years, I have found that my biggest gardening expense were the vegetable and flower plants.  I have cut my expense tremendously, by germinating my seeds and producing my own plants.

Furthermore, it’s rewarding to plant veggies and flowers that you have grown from seed and nourished through the growing season.  For the most part, I have success with the majority of my seeds germinating.  However, there are some that don’t germinate. Gardening is trial and error. 

My attitude is, I’ll just try again next year.  Now, I have to be honest with you.  I do end up purchasing a few plants from the garden center, mostly flowers.  I love shopping the clearance tables and scooping up a few half dead bargains.  Bringing neglected plants back to life can be rewarding too.  I digress, but here’s a few container ideas for starting seeds. 

Ideas for Seed Starter Pots for Gardeners 

Winter Sowing Seed Starting Containers:

• Milk Jugs – Gallon or half gallon will work.
• Orange Juice Jugs – Clear orange jugs are perfect for starting seeds.
• Gatorade Bottles – The 32 oz. bottles are perfect to house tomato seeds. Larger bottles can be used for larger plants like sunflowers.
• 2 Liter Soda Bottles – I love using these for sunflowers, tomatoes, herbs.  They work great for single seed items.
• Take out Chinese Containers –  These dish/trays are perfect for starting lettuce.
• Old plastic containers – If you have storage containers that have cracked or just old and you don’t want to use them anymore, save them for you winter sowing.
• Plastic fruit containers – These are perfect for starting lettuce, carrots, radishes and more.

Seed Starter Pots for Gardeners

Indoor Seed Starter Ideas:  

• Eggshells – Rinse out your eggshells thoroughly.  You can store them in a container for egg carton for later use.  They are so adorable with new life in them.
• Yogurt Cups or Fruit Cups –  I don’t eat much yogurt, but my grandkids do.  I eat lots of fruit cups though.   I’ve used them for the pass few years to start my birdhouse gourds, and they’ve worked great.  I’m sure you can use them to start tomatoes, peppers and more.
• Sour Cream Containers – These are perfect seed starter containers too.  Tomato plants can grow a nice root ball in these containers without having to be transferred.
• Toilet Paper Rolls – Biodegradable and perfect for germinating seeds.
• Clear Fruit Containers – Next, I save the plastic containers that I purchase grapes or strawberries in.  Blueberry containers are good too. I like using these when I need to plant several seeds.  For example, cabbage, beets etc.
• Newspaper Seedling Containers  – Next, recycle newspaper and make seedling pots. (See my post on making newspaper seedling pots.
• Cardboard Milk or Juice Containers – Simply cut the top off the containers and you have a great seed starting container.
• Plastic Cups – I save my disposal drinking cups throughout the year.  The 8 or 16 ounce cups are perfect.
• Peat Pots – You can purchase these from the Dollar store, Lowes, Big Lots and more.
• Pots from your local Nursery – Save pots that you purchase plants in from your local nursery.  They are perfect for starting seeds, and fit great into nursery trays.
• Egg Cartons – Finally, save your egg cartons, they are perfect for starting your seeds and/or housing your eggshells.  A Philips Head screwdriver makes an excellent drainage hole.

Sanitizing Seed Starter Pots

So, you have your containers gathered and you’re ready to go.  Stop, you must sanitize them before use.  I use hot soapy water to remove any remaining food or liquid from the containers.  Rinse each container.  Next, spray and wipe each container with peroxide or spray with bleach. Rinse well and allow to dry.

Last, once the containers are dry you must drill holes in the bottom of each container.  This will allow water to soak into your trays.  You may be able to use a glue gun on some. For example, the plastic cups, clear fruit containers, yogurt and fruit cups.

Best Seed Starting Mix

Also, be sure to use a quality seed starting mix.  I use Miracle Gro Seed Starting Mix. 

Once you follow all of the steps, your containers are ready to be filled and used to germinate your seeds.  Good luck, and let me know if you have questions.  You may also like Starting Seeds in Eggshells