Anyone who likes to grow vegetables and flowers usually grows many plants themselves from seed. The indoor greenhouse and the matching seed trays can be quite expensive. So what could be more obvious than making these yourself from things that are already available in the household anyway? This not only saves cash, but is also environmentally friendly, since valuable resources are saved.

Toilet paper rolls are well suited as seed trays

Growing pots made from toilet paper rolls

Depending on how many growing pots (€16.68) you need, you should start collecting the insides of the toilet paper in winter. The cardboard material, which is not too thick, is perfect for serving as a seed pot:

  • Cut the toilet paper roll in half.
  • Place in existing seed trays. Here you can also repurpose good old plastic containers for fruit and vegetables.
  • Fill with potting soil.
  • Scatter seeds and, if they are dark germs, cover them with soil if necessary.
  • Moisten with a sprayer.

With vegetable bowls, you can easily use a second bowl as a cover. The holes in the lid allow air to circulate slightly, but the desired greenhouse climate is still created. The slight aeration even prevents the potting soil from getting mouldy.

Place the mini greenhouse (€7.95) in a bright, warm place and keep the seedlings evenly moist. Please do not water too much, this promotes waterlogging and thus rot.

Cultivation vessels made from fruit containers

Retailers are also increasingly avoiding plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables. Instead, the food is offered in compostable cardboard trays. These are ideal as seed pots, especially for seeds that are distributed over a wide area.

To prevent the moisture from evaporating too quickly, you should also put the bowls in plastic trays and cover them with a lid. Herbs such as cress or parsley, which are usually not isolated, can be planted directly in the garden with the bowl. The material decomposes quickly and serves as food for microorganisms.

Growing pots made from newspaper

This very cheap solution involves some tinkering, but works very well:

  • Halve the newspaper page.
  • Fold in half to create a long strip of paper.
  • Wrap this around a small container.
  • Fold the ends into the glass.

Place the open tubes in a seed tray, fill with soil and scatter the seeds. Pour in and place in a bright, warm place.

tips

It is often recommended to use old egg cartons as breeding containers. We have not had good experiences with this. The potting soil molds very quickly here and the seedlings that have just emerged die as a result.

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Care tips