How To Make Paper Seedling Pots With Mina and Red Dust
Today is going to be mild here in Oklahoma, but that could change in a blink of an eye, to ice storms and or tornadoes. It takes a couple weeks to germinate certain seeds, like peppers. It takes at least a month to get most seedlings 2-4 inches high and ready for transplanting.
After I am done with this post I will be out in my garden getting it ready for spring planting. I will be teaching my Grandkids, Sean and E how to make paper seedling pots and how to sprout seedlings. It's time to start sprouting my garden. Spring arrives after February here in the Southern Midwest. I am still getting to know the weather in this part of the world. Last years garden did very well, but the bugs were awful! I had to do some research because I ran into bugs we don't have in Oregon. I will share keeping bugs at bay without harsh destructive chemicals in another garden post.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_29731.jpg)
I use newspapers, cataloges, and phonebooks for my paper pots. All of these items would of been thrown away. I knew at the time, ink and some plastics contain BPA, a link to Wiki Bishenol A data, which jacks our endocrine system. I did not toss the paper into my composting pile. The only plant matter I put in my compost pile is organic. If you have a strawbale garden, be careful only to get organic straw or hay. If sprayed with herbicides and pesticides the residue will inhibit plant growth and health, ruining your compost pile as well. All the little flora and fauna that break down plant matter into dirt will be weakened or killed. And this sterilization of our dirt is also happening to all our farmland that uses herbicides and pesticides. Dirt is a carbon sink as well. Compost Can Turn Agricultural Soils Into A Carbon Sink, Thus Protecting Against Climate Change
BPA exhibits estrogen mimicking, hormone-like properties that raise concern about its suitability in some consumer products and food containers.
![photo of, finishing paper pot](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/bottom2-e1485008402679.jpg)
![photo of, Finishing seedling pot](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/bottom-e1485008389894.jpg)
I used a round container that used to be an herb jar, they are just the right size for my paper seedling pots.
![photo of, finished seedling pot](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/bottom4-e1485008434936.jpg)
![photo of Seedling pot prep](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_2613-e1485015644761.jpg)
Mina reminded me to use a permanent marker to mark how high I wanted my pots. This makes working with the pots easier when you are filling them full of dirt and working with them in a seedling container.
![photo of, obama pot](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_2843-e1485015680893.jpg)
![photo of, materials for seedling pots](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_2837-e1485015690378.jpg)
![photo of, empty paper pots](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_2616-e1485016810273.jpg)
![photo of dirt filled](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_2687-e1485015657723.jpg)
I used sterilized soil that would hold water. I didn't make my own because I would have to heat the dirt up to kill all the organisms, I didn't have an outdoor area for that processes and heating up soil in the house is very stinky. I found out the hard way. Heating up the soil kills off organisms that could cause disease, especially bug larva, like white flies, which are awful regarding the health of your seedlings and transplants. A link to how to control white flies, a link to making healthy seedling potting soil, a link on how to make great seedling potting soil.
![photo of, paper tomato pots](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_2618-e1485015634859.jpg)
![photo of, dirt filled pot](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_2840-e1485015574690.jpg)
I grew over 300 pounds of tomatoes when this photo was taken back in the fall of 2014. After two years of figuring out how to grow tomatoes, I hit the jackpot and made quarts of tomato sauce and ketchup. Upper right hand picture is tobacco sprouts.
![photo of, lettuce seedlings](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_3058-e1485008178386.jpg)
![photo of tobacco seedlings](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_3057-e1485008191732.jpg)
Left hand photo is lettuce seedling, right hand photo is tobacco seedlings.
![photo of, squash seedlings](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_3062-e1485008209976.jpg)
![photo of, squash seedling](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_3064-e1485008268182.jpg)
Left hand photo is fall squash or pumpkin seedlings, I don't like summer squash. Left hand photo squash seedling getting its first true leaf.
![photo of, chard seedling](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_3065-e1485008253901.jpg)
![photo of leek seedling](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_3066-e1485019405997.jpg)
Left hand photo is a chard seedling, right hand photo is a leek seedling. I found starting onions inside and transplanting definitely gives me a better harvest. The cold crops that can be planted early spring like chard, lettuce, collards, kale can be seeded directly into garden beds and I get a great harvest. But I also start a few inside as well.
![photo of, pepper seedling](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_3060-e1485008229494.jpg)
![photo of, tobacco transplant](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/tobacco-e1485008476507.jpg)
Pepper seedlings in the left photo, they still have a lot of growing to do before transplanting. My Rustica (primitive) tobacco is ready for transplanting after all danger of frost is over. Tobacco plants produce very tiny seeds. My wild rusticas spread seed from plant easily, they are almost like a weed they are so vigorous. I grew Russian Red, Burly yellow, Hopi Rustica. Rustica tobacco is the primitive tobacco and produces a lot of nicotine. If you try and smoke the stuff after drying and curing, you might get high and nauseous. Native Americans mixed their tobacco with mild sweet tasting herbs to cut the harshness. Rustica Tobacco seed varieties from Sustainable Seed Co. Native American herbal smoking mix called Kinniknnick.
![photo of, lettuce transplant](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/lettucstarts-e1485008501449.jpg)
![photo of lettuce beds](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/img_4653-e1485019236720.jpg)
Lettuce transplants and lettuce directly sown into our kitchen garden beds. We had to net off all or gardens because the deer in Eugene Oregon are very aggressive when they want to munch on garden produce so bad they will try and climb a ten foot fence. That's one of the reasons why we got a dog. Mina is an excellent watch dog, she also watches for hawks that loved to eat our chickens.
![photo of, squash transplants](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/pumpkinsquash-e1485008446707.jpg)
![photo of, tomato transplants](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/tomatoes1-e1485008540374.jpg)
Left hand photo squash ready to transplant and right hand photo tomatoes ready for transplanting. That year I planted 300 tomato seedlings. I kinda over did it because I didn't want to waste any of my transplants.
![photo of, digging up beds for transplants](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/aprilgarden9-e1485008334118.jpg)
![photo of beds transplants](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://scratchliving.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/aprilgarden8-e1485008318385.jpg)
My husband and I dug up our garden beds with a shovel and hoe. The workout was better than going to the gym and our workouts produced food!
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Thank you, this was a fun article to put together.
I am going to steal this idea, oh man what a way to reuse newspaper.
It's a nice way to spend an evening watching a mindless tv show or what I do is listen to talk radio and make paper pots.
Ah, indeed an evening well spent in peace and constructive works.
this is a great idea!! Thanks for sharing!!
You are welcome!
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Thank you!
That good hands tiens for plants dear friend @reddust, congratulations. Excellent post, beautiful photos, I will copy your soul for my seeds, thank you very much for this wonderful material
Good times my dear friend @jlufer! With our intentions and actions we sew the seeds of our future🌱
This is inspiring. Thank you for sharing :)
Thank you @marylizacaindoy, we love our gardens, heaven must be a garden, because all this was pure bliss.
Oh this makes me think of spring! (Hope.) Going to be a couple of months here in Montana though....
Yeah, there is more winter weather to come!
This is great, really really helpful! I'm terrible and kill all my plants, so maybe I'll be able to give this a shot haha. Thanks! (followed for help)