Following on from last weeks Tip of the Week, all about choosing good value flower seeds, I thought I would share with you some money saving ideas for seed trays. Now I now it is easier and less time consuming just to buy them in the shops whether it be the plastic ones or the biodegradable ones but they are quite expensive considering what they are and you can make just as good ones without spending a penny. By making them yourself you are also recycling waste materials and it can be a more engaging way for children to get involved. Get them to hunt for suitable materials, get their imaginations going.
This year I have used old plastic pots, which it's not possible to recycle here and therefore I am saving a lot of waste material going into a refuse site. All I do is wash out the pots thoroughly and if they do not already have them, I poke holes in the bottom for drainage using a pin and a pencil (if you are getting the kids involved please make sure you use the pin!). I have used pots that once contained tomatoes, margarine, yoghurt, icecream, mushrooms, cream cheese, biscuits and sour cream. The advantage of using the vegetable pots is that they usually already have holes in the bottom but any sturdy plastic pot will work well. Fill with compost and plant your seeds.
In the past I have also used egg cartons. These I found were great as they made individual pockets for the seeds just by their shape. They are also biodegradable so you can plant them straight into the ground plus you don't have to worry about making holes as the water will seep through the cardboard.
I also really like the idea of using newspaper to make little seedling pots and like the egg cartons you would be able to plant them directly into the ground. To get instructions of how to make pots from newspaper click here.
On that thought really any thin cardboard or paper type material will work well and thinking of such materials that we throw away, the cardboard in the middle of toilet rolls or kitchen roll and coffee cup sleeves would work brilliantly.
So find a suitable waste material, recycle it and make it into something useful!