Over the last few weeks, we have been adjusting to our "new normal" as our country faces COVID-19. Illinois is currently under Shelter-in-Place and I wanted to share a few resourceful ideas to start your garden planning with items you already have on hand.
This is our first year starting seeds so I'm not claiming to be an expert, but wanted to share how I am repurposing items we already had on hand to start our garden.
As you know, millions of Americans have been stocking up on toilet paper. What better way to repurpose empty toilet paper rolls, right? :)
For this project you'll need:
- Toilet paper rolls (or paper towel rolls)
- Paper egg carton
- Garden seeds (vegetable or flowers)
- Potting soil
- Scissors
TIP 1
For toilet paper rolls, you can simply cut in half or use an old paper towel roll and slice into several pieces about one inch tall. Place in the tops of old egg cartons. Next, fill the tubes with soil and pack lightly. Insert your seed, add more soil and a little water. I marked our tubes with a permanent marker and also made my own seed markers using toothpicks and masking tape.
TIP 2
We've been going through a lot of eggs lately and I've also been using our empty paper cartons to start vegetable seeds. You'll want to repeat the steps above as recommended for the toilet paper rolls.
TIP 3
To eliminate waste, I've also been using the tops of the egg cartons to start several seeds. Add soil to top of egg carton and space seeds accordingly. Cover with more soil and add water.
Cover with clear plastic or place on a waterproof seedling heat mat. Monitor your planters and add water as necessary. I'm hopeful that our seeds will grow and I'll be able to transplant outside to our raised garden beds in the weeks to come. For more details, watch my full IGTV here.
I hope this is helpful as you consider starting a garden this year!
Bonne chance,
Amy