Sprouting Seeds with Newspaper Cups

THANKS Making Lemonade for featuring this post at your linky party :) I do hope that spring is on it's way....



According to Sprout Robot, it's time to start growing broccoli indoors. My seeds have arrived, and I was lucky to find a great recycled way to sprout seeds indoors. 

Pinterest provided a link to Cottage Hill's Recycled Newspaper Pots. Four of them fit nicely into a closed container, which sits comfortably on my dining room windowsill. This is a super-easy, and resource-wise, activity for starting a spring garden. 

Start with taking one piece of newspaper.

Fold the piece of newspaper in half.

Use a canned good and lay it on the newspaper at one end. The can should be about an inch or so from the bottom edge. 

Roll the can until it comes to the end of the newspaper. Roll tightly, but lightly, because the can will need to come out of the roll easily.

Use one small piece of tape to secure the roll.

Like a present, fold in  each side of the bottom and tape. 

I made a few of these and placed them in a planter that I had in the kitchen. Four fit nicely. I put about 1 cup of organic soil in each cup (1/4 cup at a time), followed by a few broccoli seeds, and then an 1/8 cup of soil on top. The seed package called for 1/2 inch of soil to be placed on the seeds. 

I have many seeds left over from this package, so they will go up to Michigan to my sister. When I opened my seed box yesterday, my dad told me that I had enough seeds to grow food on acres.... he is taking a bunch home with him. 

Eddie is very proud of our garden start, so far....

...and I'm excited to see these first seeds sprout! Once they do, I can plant the newspaper cup along with the seeds. The newspaper is a good addition to a garden. For you smart gardeners, is there something different I can do to hold the newspaper together instead of tape? Or is it not a worry to plant with the tape?