We recycle so many of these, and now I'm wondering if they can be used for starting seeds -- specifically winter sowing?

@nestof3
They are a bit to small for winter sowing in my opinion, they aren't deep enough and will dry out to quick. You could start some small seeds in them inside then pot them up to larger pots once they get true leaves, just make sure you have drain holes in them and don't let them dry out.

Thanks! So I should use something like this to start my seeds?

Yes that would work well, especially inside
For winter sowing check out the winter sowing forum https://garden.org/forums/view... lots of good info and help there. It's quiet in the summer but should start coming alive again soon

Dawn, I grow a lot of vegetable starts indoors.
I use 2” starter pots: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R71FGYU/
and 10”x20” plant trays: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015RLLQ04/
You can get 45 of the pots in each tray with a little room to spare, then move some to another tray to make more room for plant foliage as they grow. I prefer them over the multi-pot inserts since you can remove each pot and transplant when it's ready. The pots and trays are reusable.

I've used keurg pods for seed starting, I just have to pot them up soon after they sprout. I'll use pretty much anything that holds dirt, especially if it means I can recycle my trash. Those shoyld be fine as seed starters, but as already mentioned you'll have to transfer the seedlings fairly quickly.

@okieheart, I'm all about recycling . A few drainage holes punched in the bottom (sharp nail and a hammer) of the cans would probably make them comparable to the 2" starter pots.

IMHO, for wintersowing, nothing beats gallon milk jugs.



Karen

Karen, I'm sure that works, however we grow ours under lights, indoors. A lot of our starts wouldn't survive a winter outdoors.

Dawn, if you're interested in winter sowing -- the plastic jugs that kitty litter comes in work great! (I have quite a large collection of them ) And I also suggest checking out the winter sowing forum for more ideas.

Mac, you might be surprised at what you can start by winter sowing. I've actually come to the conclusion that winter sowing is more hassle than just starting under lights the way I have for years, but it DOES let me start more things than I have room for under my six 4-foot fluorescent shop lights.

You asked about wintersowing. That involves planting your seeds outside in winter, in a transparent, ventilated container. The rain and snow water them. Then, in spring, the magically sprout when the weather warms. The milk jug acts as a tiny greenhouse.

If you're interested, see the wintersowing forum. (I started wintersowing in 2006, and trust me, it works!)

Karen

Sandy, I can do around 1800 starts under lights, more than I need but lots of room for expansion and allowing for plant growth.

Karen, "wintersowing" is a new concept for me. I've always grown starts indoors or sown in-ground outdoors after the ground thaws. I'll check that forum. Never too old to learn something new .

It's fun. There's nothing more uplifting than finding your first little sprout in March. Then you know for sure that spring is near.

Karen

I usually have 3" to 5" sprouts in March .

I have never grown anything from seed save a few carrots years ago. I've been devouring the ATP podcasts, and I was sold on winter sowing from the start! There are four of us in an 1,100 sq ft house which is crowded with bookcases, chemistry equipment on a rolling cart, etc. (we Homeschool). There just isn't really much room for grow lights. We have a tiny piece of property too, already landscaped heavily, so I don't have beds and beds to work with.

My hope is that my husband will extend our front lawn bed (it has two trees in it) to cover most of the yard so I can put some fruit bushes in. I also plan to make a teepee of some sort in the perennial garden for a climber, add a cucumber trellis, after bringing in some compost to add to the bed and plant a zucchini near the gardening shed. The rest will be grown in our very small raised bed on the side of the house -- tomatoes, peppers, pineapple sage and herbs mainly with a few flowers added in.

I'd like to try tomatoes from seed for certain.

That sounds like a plan, Dawn. Best of luck in making it happen. There are plenty of options available to gain more growing space, like tiered planters, and cattle panel trellises with plants grown on and under them.

Containers too, especially for annuals.

luvsgrtdanes said:Containers too, especially for annuals.

Yes! I always add some annuals to my shade garden containers on our deck, and a couple years ago we had a stamped-concrete patio put in for the front door area. I just love adding containers there, and they are within reach of the watering hose. Right now on it I have cool season vegetables growing in pots -- beautiful greens, bok choy, cabbage, lettuces, and strawberries along with lantana and calibrochoa.