6 Creative Winter Seed Starters

In the Winter we start to miss growing things–the little green, happy sprigs of new life shooting through the dark soil! There’s no reason you can’t enjoy that all Winter long. 

We’ve been taught since grade school how to reuse, recycle and reduce! Below is a list of organic, eco-friendly seed starters that can be made with things found in your home. “Useful trash” was once an oxymoron but now we’re going to show you what to do with all those extra bits of paper and food scraps even if you don’t have a compost pile. 

If you just made some lemon custard pie, there’s a chance you have the next two seed starters on hand. 

EGG SHELLS:

First, poke a hole in the bottom of each shell half. Then fill with damp soil, poke a hole for the seed of your choice, and tamp the soil gently over the seed. Place back in the egg container. Mist with water, cover with cellophane to hold in the moisture, and set in a window. 

Pro Tip: If you see any mold growing on the surface of any of the containers, remove the cellophane and mist every other day with water. 

CITRUS HALVES: 

If you have made some lemon curd or marmalade, chances are you still have the rinds. Fill each half with soil and press a seed into the center. When it’s time to plant in the Spring, you can put the half directly into your garden. 

TOILET PAPER TUBES:

Using a box cutter or a sturdy pair of scissors, cut the tubes in half and four slits in the bottom. Fold the four slits to mostly close the bottom of the tube. Fill with soil and seed of choice. Place upright in a container and cover with cellophane. The whole tube can be placed into a larger pot after the seeds have been started.

COFFEE FILTERS:

Save your used, emptied coffee filters! Bonus, the coffee grounds that stick to the inside add extra nitrogen to the soil of whatever you’re growing. Squish all of the coffee filters together in a planting tray and mist with water. Cover with cellophane and wait for it to grow!

SEED BOMBS:

Although this isn’t necessarily a seed starter, it is a fun way to share your seeds.

Take a used newspaper, cut into strips and soak overnight in water. Blend in a blender until a pulp forms. Fold flower seeds of your choice into the pulp. Can also be dyed with homemade dye from the juice of beets, orange peel, tea, or purple cabbage. Using cheesecloth stretched over a towel, press your mixture into a flat plane on top. Wait for it to dry and cut into squares or other fun shapes! Can be passed out as gifts or placed under a thin layer of soil to grow! 

WHAT TO GROW?

Here is a list of the 5 best seeds for this project:

-Snow Peas

-Broccoli

-Kale

-Radishes

-Lettuce

All of these propagate quickly and can handle the cold of a late Winter/Early Spring. Radishes are especially fun for young gardeners as they can be replanted every six weeks! They produce “fruit” very quickly which exciting for maybe a younger, less patient gardener! Enjoy!