I don’t just grow plants, I grow newspapers too. Every day, a new pile of them appears next to my bed, and in the recycling box, and under my bed. This is actually rather handy, as I’m sowing seeds non-stop at the moment, and our stash of toilet roll tubes and eggboxes can’t keep up.
Newspaper pots are, just like all the other pots I use, biodegradable. This makes them perfect for plants such as squashes who hate having their roots disturbed, but need a bit of space before they are planted out.
Making newspaper pots
You will need:
Newspaper
Sellotape
Scissors
A tube of some sort. I use a table salt bottle for larger seedlings such as pumpkins, and an old spice jar for smaller pots. Whatever you do, don’t be duped into buying one of those very sweet and pretty wooden pot makers. They’re a waste of a fair amount of money, given you can use any round bottle or jar in your house for free, and their only real function is to make your potting shed look wholesome. If you own a potting shed, that is.
1. Cut the newspaper page in two (or into four if you are using a broadsheet), and fold in half.
2. Place the salt bottle at one end of the folded newspaper, and roll it up. Secure the paper with a strip of Sellotape.
3. Fold the ends of the paper over the salt bottle, and stick down with some sellotape.
4. All done. Place your pots in a watertight container (I use the cut-off bottom half of a large milk carton, which fits around eight small pots and three large), add soil, and sow.
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Catherine
Thank you so much for this! I guess I could have worked it out on my own but seeing it laid out is so helpful. And the sepia look even makes it look good – trust Fennel and Fern!
It annoys me so much when I see advertisements for those wooden ‘made your own paper pot’ sets costing £10! And there really is no fast bio-degradable alternative to peat pots since the new coir pots are designed to last for up to 3 years. I’m off to the kitchen to find my salt pot.
Leafyleith
Great money saving tip. Thanks F&F.
Do you just open up the bottom and plant these pots straight into the garden eventually when the plants are a bit more established? I presume the newspaper just breaks down in the soil.
isabel
Yes, I just plant them straight in – it breaks down really quickly, and the roots can go straight through it. In fact, the roots are often going through the pots when I plant them out, if I have left them too late.
I started some of my parsnips early in toilet roll tubes. You need to be quick with these. As soon as you see the green hoop of an emerging seedling, dig a toilet-tube sized hole, loosen the folded over ends, and whack the tube in the soil before the tap root develops. Worked a treat with my overwintered carrots….
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carrie
What is sellotape and does it bio degrade in the soil along with the newspaper?
admin
Hi Carrie,
Sellotape is sticking tape – just clear adhesive tape. If you buy proper brand sellotape, it is biodegradable as it is made from cellulose, which is pretty cool for a piece of stationery.
Hope that helps!
Issy