Recycling newspaper => starter pots

I am brand new at SFGing but wanted to pass this along to folks starting tomatoes, peppers and other warm season plants: Burpee's "pot maker". This two-piece item allows you to recycle strips of newspaper into little pots about 2 1/2" tall and 2 1/4" diameter. You could probably accomplish the same thing with a plastic pill container or similar cylindrical object, but the real thing is hard to beat. I fill them with soil and place them in jumbo 6-packs I've saved through the years. I'm currently starting basil and zinnias under the full spectrum Ott light I originally bought for sewing. Last month I started sugar snap peas as a project with my 4 yo granddaughter... she mastered pot-making in minutes and loved the process. The pea roots were growing right through the paper in 2 weeks. These went into my conventional garden with roots undisturbed. I think these paper pots would be great for anything that doesn't like to be transplanted. An added benefit is the paper lip can protrude slightly from the native soil, making a barrier against cutworms. Check it out here -- the customer reviews are very favorable. http://www.burpee.com/product/seed+starting/potmaker-+1+potmaker.do?search=basic&keyword=pot+maker&sortby=newArrivals&page=1

Howdy and Thanks:

The pot maker is a very handy tool and beats buying peat pots each year. There are several makers/sellers of the pot maker and the prices vary. We cut a deal with one and purchased several, kept one and the rest we put on consignment at a profit.

God Bless, Ward.

Hi,

This is the first year that I made newspaper pots but they were really easy. I just wrapped a jelly jar again and again, and left the top open. I did cheat a bit with two pieces of tape rather than a wheat paste. The plants seam to be very happy, I need to work on the next set of plants plus raise my lights.

Patty from Yorktown

Ps. Hopefully this weekend I will post my garden pictures. .

I've seen those and was very intrested. Alas, there is never enough $$ left after everything else I need in the spring.

Do you need to be careful about what kind of ink is used on the paper?

Better make'em fast and stock up. I swear our paper gets smaller every month. Working crosswords and sudokus online just isn't the same!

Here is my impromptu pot maker. I used a jar and a pill bottle. I stuffed the bigger jar with smaller jar and news paper leaving the lip of the jar free. The top of the pill bottle fits into the jar and squeezes it.







my pot

the bottom

I got antsy back in January and added the potmaker from Burpee to my order. I should have tried to come up with a home version but not sure exactly how it worked I just forked over the 20 bucks. I think it will pay itself off cause i dont have to buy peat pots. So far so good, ive had broccoli and onions going since early january and they are holding up even through waterings.

Aforementioned mentioned toy box thread

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/pacific-northwest-f15/the-toy-box-t58.htm

Here is a youtube video of one without tape and looks pretty quick and easy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_DYWmfRGfc

That is kewl! Did you make that video?

lol no and I doubt I can make it as fast as they did. I'm going to try though this weekend after I get my growing light setup built.

That video looks easier that my set up....I think I have that same brand of beans in my pantry. I don't have sound on my computer right now but I think I have the jist of it.

The sound doesn't really do much anyways. I really like the looks of the folded top. It looks like it will help with strength and hold it all together without taping.

Did you see part about making a 1" lip on the paper? That gets turned to the inside, then is slipped over the edge to hold it all together without paste or tape.

When I'm done with school work I'm going to try a couple. March 15 is start your peppers day in the PNW.

Deborah ...finding this way cool, and happy that she canceled the Burpee order this AM.

I knew there was a reason I let myself be talked into renewing my subscription to the Orlando Sentinel...

Lavender Debs wrote:Did you see part about making a 1" lip on the paper? That gets turned to the inside, then is slipped over the edge to hold it all together without paste or tape.

Yeah, I loved that... no special anything! Yay!

When I'm done with school work I'm going to try a couple. March 15 is start your peppers day in the PNW.

I think I'm going to try a few tomorrow as well. I still have some leftover vermiculite (saved a little) and I can always grab some from the box (haven't planted anything yet.)

I also have a few pots I picked up last year that were supposed to be for the 'included' seeds. Unfortunately, all but one of the pepper plants died... and I'm not sure if it's safe to plant a green pepper plant that's been growing for a year in a pot.. (?) These things are as thick as some of the plastic glasses (I know, it's an oxymoron) we use. The bad thing about these pots is, they have no drainage. I been thinking about drilling a few holes in the bottoms, and using them as starter pots.

Anyone want to buy a slightly used Burpee pot maker? LOL now I feel like a dummy for not doing a little searching on google or youtube before forking out the money. Oh well live and learn.

jerzyjen wrote:Anyone want to buy a slightly used Burpee pot maker? LOL now I feel like a dummy for not doing a little searching on google or youtube before forking out the money. Oh well live and learn.

Personally, I'd just chalk it up to learning... and enjoy it! If it seems to be working for you, then use the heck out of it. I wouldn't fret about something that seemed intresting, niche or intriguing. If it works, get your money out of it! I know I've spent much more on things that didn't actually work as I anticipated, so you're already ahead of the game IMHO!

I went to a seminar led by a Master Gardener and he told us he sits in front of the TV and makes about 400 of those newspaper pots every spring. They work great for him. His only change is he used 4 thicknesses of paper and he precuts his into strips the correct height for the pots he needs. The double thickness keeps the pot from deteriorating before outdoor planting time. Saves lots of money and recycles the paper.
Another good thing is you can write on the paper what it holds including variety, date of planting, etc. There's always some white space in the newsprint.

As for the ink, I read that the ink is now made with vegetable dyes and won't harm plants but to be extra careful, use newspaper that is 2 weeks old. The ink won't come off. I learned that as a quilter who uses newspaper as a stabilizer under embroidery or satin stitching.

Good luck and enjoy!

Excellent stuff! I have also used the cut sections of paper towel tubes or half a toilet paper tube if its small seeds or something that I will put out very soon. The toilet paper tube halves don't hold much soil, so don't bother with trying to grow something in them for more than a week or so. Be ready to either pot up or set out quick.

I might have to start getting the paper or maybe I could just start picking up the freebie ad papers!

Sharon

Here is a link to some more newspaper pots. They use tape, but I'm sure you could figure out a "greener" way.

http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/02/newspaper-seedling-pots.html

n.

Just bumping this thread.
Due to limited bed space, I would rather plant seedlings into my squares than deal with the uncertainty of direct seeding. I am trialling using a paper pot maker to save money on peat pots etc and reduce transplant stress on my seedlings. Does anyone else use paper pots? I am especially interested in whether there are issues using them for root vegetables such as carrots, onions etc. Does the paper deteriorate quickly enough to not impede the growth of the vegetable.

Carrots ( unless the silly tiny ball carrots ) & most other root veg do not grow well in tubes unless the tube is 4" or more in diameter per carrot or root and at least 20 inches deep as they have an exceeding long tap root with loads of very fine tap root hairs on the bottom end .

I offer that... You'd be better off using 5 gallon or bigger tubs that are 20 inches or more deep and have several drain off holes an inch up on the sides from the bottom for excess water to easily escape yet have a small volume of over wet soil in the base to help keep the contents moist on hot days .

Thanks Plantoid