DIY Paper Pots for Seed-Starting

Reduce, re-use, recycle.

I appreciate the beauty of nature that's why I practice this. I always use scratch papers when making drafts at the office. I do the same at home. Since I do gardening and would like to stick to my organic gardening habit preferably starting out sheet composting, I've thought of using biodegradable pots as seed starters. There's none in any stores I've looked for and since I like doing these kind of things, I mean crafts, I tried making a few myself.

These are the materials I used:

1. Used bond paper
2. Paste

Please let me clear that the ink used for the printed papers are non-toxic and I used a homemade non-toxic paste as well. Here's how I made the paste.

Materials

1. Cornstarch
2. Water
3. Vinegar

Heat a pan, then add two tablespoons of cornstarch to a cup of water (I just used the cup I'm using for my coffee). Mix thoroughly until it thickens and would appear like the color of a paste (colorless) we can buy from stores. Then add a few drops of vinegar. Mix it well again and that's it, you now use a homemade paste free of any harmful chemicals.

How I came to know this? Well, when I was younger my mother who was real thrifty because we do not have much to spend wouldn't buy me a paste for school home projects but instead would always "cook" one for me. Good thing I learned this from her.

Going back to the pots, I folded two 8.5" by 11" used bond papers lengthwise. I pasted it together so it will be a total of four sheets when attached.

I folded it into four-parts making sure the attached part would be in the middle and not at the bent side so it will stick well.

This is how it will look like. But just to make sure it would be thick enough I add another four sheets to this square with the same procedure as the first so it will be a total of eight sheets and would be thick enough to hold seeds even when it rains or when I water.

A pot can never be without a base because they must be able to hold the soil. I attached a half sheet of paper which can either be cut off crosswise or lengthwise folded and pasted together just like a 1/4 sheet of paper. Do it just like when you are wrapping a boxed gift only it is one side. I did this twice so it will be thick enough to carry the soil.

Voila! I have a home-made nature-loving biodegradable pots for my tomato and pepper seedlings.

Happy Gardening!