Here’s a good how-to video on creating your own seed starting pots from toilet paper rolls. I skipped the tape at the bottom when I made mine, leaving the bottom folded and planted the seeds directly in the the newly formed pot set like soldiers in a flat.
Once the seeds had germinated, then I planted the entire thing like a jiffy pellet into larger containers and/or the ground. The roots will easily grow right through the bottom and sides of the toilet paper roll. By the end of the growing season, the toilet paper roll will have bio-degraded and composted back into the soil. What a great way to save money on pots and help your soil. Perfect if you have time, not money on your hands!
It’s that time of year again. The time when you’ve thoroughly browsed all the new garden catalogs you received in December and January and now you’re just itching to get started playing in the dirt! The best way to take care of that spring dirt fever (and grow the vegetable varieties you want) is to start plants from seeds.
Whether you do winter sowing, start seeds in pots in a windowsill, or have a full-blown setup in your basement with growing mats and lights, now is the time to start setting things up and get those little seeds germinating. If you haven’t ever grown anything from seed, make this the year you try to grow at least one thing from seed. You’ll be amazed at how something so tiny and lifeless can turn into something so big and productive.
First things first, you need some basic supplies to start seeds like a good soiless, germinating mix, peat pellets and/or some pots and trays, and a grow light if you’re starting your seeds indoors. One of my favorite places online to get these seed starting supplies is Johnny’s Selected Seeds. They have a great selection and absolutely outstanding customer service. Right now through February 28th, they have all of their seed starting supplies 10% off.
Next, you’ll need s
ome good quality seeds. Johnny’s has a good variety of seeds as well, including organic seeds. However, while I do order a few seeds from Johnny’s, I order lots of my seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They have over 1500 rare and hard-to-find varieties of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds with all of them being certified GMO-free. The story of how they started is priceless, and now they’ve grown into a thriving seed supplier right here in Missouri! Make sure you request a catalog, mine is full of page markers for what I want to order now and in the future, even though I always order online.
And finally, tomato seeds. Hands down, tomatoes are my favorite crop to start from seed. The varieties are endless. I love planting tried and true favorites along with new varieties, 
and older varieties I haven’t had a chance to plant yet. I usually plant over 500 tomato seeds to sell as plants at the Warsaw Farmer’s Market. Of course, I keep a few to grow on myself. Nothing better than a homegrown fresh tomato right off the vine. I’ve gotten all of my tomato seeds from Tomato Growers Supply Company for the past three years and couldn’t be more satisfied. They have a great selection of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants along with terrific customer service. Their seeds also tend to stay viable much longer than others I’ve tried. I usually get 90-100% germination from their tomato and pepper seeds.
Be sure to ask your seed starting questions in the comments section below and I’ll be glad to answer them. Of course, if you have your own favorite seed starting methods or supplies, add to the conversation!
Grow little plants, grow!
Tags: Herb Seeds, Seed Starting Supplies, Seeds, Tomato Seeds
Welcome to Backyard Garden Tips where our mission is to help you in your quest to make your backyard gardens more beautiful and overflowing with abundant fruits and vegetables. We’ve tried to make this site easy to use by providing a search function at the top right corner of each page, and categorizing everything so if there is a particular gardening category you’re interested in, you can see all the information posted in that category. Don’t forget to sign up for the monthly newsletter at the top right, jam packed with gardening tips and ideas each month delivered straight to your inbox.
We look forward to exchanging gardening information and ideas with each and everyone of you to spark creativity, beauty and abundance in neighborhood backyards far and near. You can find out more about why Backyard Garden Tips was created, and the knowledge and experience you can gain. So join in the conversations, share your thoughts and gardening issues, and pass this great gardening information along to your family and friends so they can share the beauty and abundance in their backyard gardens. The comment section below is waiting for your gardening thoughts, ideas, and questions.
Happy Gardening!
Val
Tags: Backyard Garden Tips