Most gardeners pride themselves on keeping their gardens sustainable and eco-friendly. Homemade newspaper pots are another easy way to keep your garden sustainable. It is easy enough to make sustainable seed pots for a fraction of the price.

Why use newspaper pots

Homemade newspaper pots are both thrifty and environmentally friendly. When the time comes, the pots and their seedling contents can be planted together in open soil, where the newspaper will be safely integrated into the soil.

Newspaper pots are also an effective way of giving your tender plants an early start indoors without risking transplant shock when planting them on actual soil.

Three seedlings growing in plant pots made from newspaper

Image Credit: Gettys

How to make your newspaper pots

This DIY pot-making is a great way to repurpose old newspapers. All you’ll need to complete this DIY project are a few sheets of newspapers, a plant-sized glass jar, and your usual organic potting soil. You need to start by:

Step 1: Fold your newspaper into long strips about a centimetre deep along one of the long edges. Place the glass jar at one end of the newspaper strip, with the open end at the creased edge. Now you can roll the jar along the newspaper, wrapping the paper as you go.

Step 2: Now you are left with a cylinder of paper with the jar. A short length of paper overhangs the glass jar’s base. Fold this overhang paper inward, forming a solid, closed base but make sure it is folded tightly.

Step 3: All you now need to do is carefully slide the jar out of your newly formed pot. The pot should hold its shape and be able to hold the organic soil.

Step 4: With the jar removed, tighten the folds at the base, crumpling them a little so all gaps are closed. To finish off, at the top open end make sure your opening is also folded inward for overall strength so it holds.

Step 5: Your pots are now ready for filling with organic soil and sowing with seeds. There are however a few tips you can follow to get the most out of your creation. Keep the newspaper pots consistently moist until you plant your seedlings outdoors.

Young tomato seedlings in a paper boxes. Spring plants

Image Credit: Unsplash

Not only will you save money with this DIY sustainable project but you’ll also be helping the environment, and giving your seedlings a great start to growing healthy.

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Feature Image: Unsplash