Dollar Store Seed Starting

A good friend recently started gardening so I decided to make a little gift for her new endeavor. She hates it when people spend money on her, so I started a bunch of seeds on a dollar store budget. The dollar stores around me were out of mini-greenhouses so I used cupcake trays with a clear cover. As it turns out, they are perfect for the job. The soil, pots & popsicle sticks were also from the dollar store.

This little gift cost just over $7, which does include the 8 seed packs I purchased for her to sow. But it does not include the seeds I started for her. Those were leftover from my garden.

Notes on seeds:

While I am using seeds from two of my favorite seed companies, you can find inexpensive seeds in many places:

• Dollar Tree (US locations) has 4 seeds packs for a dollar
• Check social media for seed swap events
• Use a seed library. You can “check out” seeds, grow them and at the end of the season, you collect seeds and return them to the library. It’s a great way to share seeds, so I encourage you to give them a try or donate extra seeds to your local library.
  
  • http://seedlibraries.weebly.com/sister-libraries....
  • http://www.seedlibrarian.com/

Seeds used:

Box 1

• Culantro https://trueloveseeds.com/products/recao-culantro...
• Quillquiña (Bolivian Coriander) https://trueloveseeds.com/products/recao-culantro...
• Balloon Vine https://trueloveseeds.com/products/recao-culantro...
• Milkweed -Seed library
• Cotton -Gift from a local grower

Box 2

• Love In A Mist https://hudsonvalleyseed.com/products/everlasting...
• Starflower https://hudsonvalleyseed.com/products/everlasting...
• Painted Serpent Cucumber https://hudsonvalleyseed.com/products/everlasting...

• Cupcake trays ($2)
• Paper pot 12pack ($1)
• Popsicle sticks (pack $1)
• Soil ($1)
• Seeds (4 for $1) & seeds I already had
• Pencil

That's it, place the pots in the bottom tray of the cupcake carrier

• Fill the pot with soil
• Press the soil in a bit to remove any large air pockets
• Add more soil to fill the pot

• Place 1-2 seeds in the pot
• Take care to keep them off each other to prevent mold and to make it easier to separate the seedlings.

• Lightly cover the seeds with soil
• Check seed planting depth with your seed packet and be aware that some seeds (typically very small seeds like lettuce) need light to germinate.

With a sharp knife or scissors, cut the popsicle sticks in half

Use a pencil to write the plant name on the popsicle stick and place it into the soil of its corresponding pot

Gently add enough water to each pot to wet the soil. We want it moist but not in standing water.

At this point, you can remove the white carrying handle on the lid. This will allow more light to hit the pots in the middle of the tray.

Place the clear cover on the bottom tray and secure the clips on the side. These are great if you are setting this outside on a windy day. The clips keep the top on, unlike the commercially available budget seed starting trays.

Take the tray and place it near a sunny window or outside if you are past your frost date.

Seeds must be kept moist, so check often and add water when necessary.

• When half of the seeds sprout it's time to remove the lid.
• Check on soil moisture often as the soil will dry more often without the lid

Transplant to garden after the last frost or move to a larger pot when the plant outgrows the paper pot.

These paper pots are great for beginning gardeners. You can plant the entire pot in its new home and you do not have to worry about damaging the roots. The roots will grow through the paper pot and it will decompose in place.