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How to Start Seedlings for Your Garden

by Brittany Burns, Children's Services Specialist, May 2022

I started gardening last year, and it was so much fun that I’m ready to start doing it this year! My only problem is that the weather keeps changing and I’m not sure if my plants will survive the temperatures. A solution to this problem is to start growing things inside and move them outside when the weather is nicer and more consistent. The best part is I will be recycling as I go by growing plants in an empty egg carton. Plants need room to grow, so they can’t stay in the egg carton forever, but they can start there.
 
To get started, you will need an empty egg carton, seeds of the plants you want to grow, a bag of potting soil, plastic wrap or a plastic bag for vegetables from the grocery, and a sharp object like scissors or a pen.
 
Collage of pictures, shows visuals for instructions below
The first step to growing your plants is to get the egg carton ready. To do this, you need to poke holes in the bottom of each individual egg holder. It needs to be big enough that the excess water can drain out but small enough that nothing else goes with it. Another thing to consider is what you want to do with the top of the egg carton. You can cut it off and place it under the individual egg holders to catch water. You can leave it and place plants in the top as well. If you decide to add plants to the top also, you need to make sure to put holes in it like you did with the individual holders.
 
The next step is to add the potting soil to the egg carton. You want to fill your egg carton up as full as you can without going over the outside of the egg carton. If you decided to use the top of the egg carton for plants, you will want to fill with potting soil as well. Make sure to put a little water into the soil so it feels damp when you touch it but is not soaking your egg carton.
 
Now add the seeds. Pick seeds for the plants you want to grow. Read the instructions on the seeds before you plant them. In the individual egg holders, press down on the middle of the soil until you have a little dent in the top of your soil. It can be a half inch or a quarter inch depending on your seeds. Now place two to 5 seeds in each dent. Not all of the seeds are going to grow so this gives you a greater chance of getting a plant. Cover the seeds with soil.

Seedlings growing in eggshells

Place the egg carton in the plastic bag and/or place a layer of plastic wrap around the egg carton. This will keep water from leaking and allow heat to be stored to help your seeds grow. Leave your egg carton somewhere away from the sun and on something that can handle water getting on it. Keep an eye on it from time to time. You will see your plants grow. Once your plants sprout out of the soil, you can transfer them to a bigger pot and put them outside to soak up the sun.

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