Make your own seedling pots

Has anyone used the wooden mold for making your own seedling pots from old newspaper? One catalog listed it for over $20. Another had it for $13. Would it be worth the money to buy one? We have LOTS of newspaper.

I do this all the time using a recycled glass jar. Costs nothing if you also used the contents of the jar!

How do you make a seedling pot with a glass jar? We have lots of glass jars, too. I use them for leftovers in the frig, instead of plastic containers, but would be glad to use them to make seedling pots, if I knew how!

The glass jar can be used instead of the wooden mold for making the newspaper pots--that way you don't have to buy anything. A glass jar on its own wouldn't work well for starting seeds because it doesn't have drainage.

Here's where you can learn how:

http://www.ehow.com/video_1745_create-seed-starting.html

that is a real good site and it works good , you can pland the pot and all when you set it in the bed or garden

I appreciate the link to the video, but my computer is a dinosaur and wouldn't play the video. Could someone just tell me how to make the newspaper pots using a glass jar?

Below the video are the step-by-step instructions with photos to illustrate. I used those when I started making the pots. Here are the steps, but it will be easier if you just scroll down that page below the video so you can see the photos.


Step 1

Lay a full sheet of black and white newspaper flat. Don't use shiny, colored paper as it may contain heavy metals.

Step 2

Fold the paper in half lengthwise twice to form a long, narrow strip of folded newspaper.

Step 3

Lay the glass on its side and place it on one end of the strip of paper. Roll the newspaper around the glass. The glass is used only as a form to roll the paper. About 1/2 of the strip of paper should overlap the open end of the glass.

Step 4

Push the ends of the paper into the open end of the glass. This step doesn't have to be neat and tidy; just stuff the overlapping newspaper into the glass.

Step 5
Pull the jar out of the newspaper pocket so you have the newspaper pot in your hand.

Step 6

Push the bottom of the jar into the newspaper cup, squashing the folded bottom to flatten. This step will seal the bottom of your pot. Once the pot has been filled with soil, the bottom will be secure.

Step 7

Pull the jar out and you have a finished paper pot.

Thanks! I didn't scroll down far enough yesterday to see the written instructions. I just made a pot! It looks great. Can't wait to sprout tomato seeds next winter! And THANKS for saving me $15 - 20!

YW. I couldn't stand the thought of you shelling out money instead of using something you have already. I just made some pots myself yesterday. And there are quite a few planted in my beds, rotting away nicely around happy, undisturbed plants.

I was wondering if the pots hold their shape after the paper gets wet through from watering the seedlings, before you set them in the ground.

I keep them in a plastic box (with holes for drainage if they're outside subject to rain, no drainage if they're inside and I control the water supply), as many as will fit in the box. They hold each other together until I plant them.