My preferred method for starting seeds that will eventually get transplanted into the garden is to start them out in newspaper pots. I also like to direct seed things like carrots, lettuce, and turnips but I do not think I will be doing that this year as I have been having a horrible time with anything I direct seed. The seeds sprout and then disappear overnight. I am assuming slugs are the culprit there.
Various seeds like carrots do not like to be transplanted but they should do fine if I first start them in newspaper pots. The newspaper pots can be planted in the ground with the seedling come transplanting time since the newspaper will over time breakdown.
I have a little tool that you can find in just about any seed catalog that is specifically made for making newspaper pots. It does work nicely but is not necessary for making these pots. An empty soup can works just as well and sometimes I actually prefer it over the tool as the soup can makes larger pots which can be nice.
I found this great tutorial on YouTube that perfectly shows how you can make a newspaper pot out of a soup can.
I also found this video on YouTube that shows a neat technique for folding a piece of newspaper into a seedling pot. I don’t know if I can remember all the steps to make these! Once made this style of newspaper pots do look nice and sturdy though.
I have found that using an old dishpan is a great place to keep your newspaper pots while your seedlings are growing. It holds a good amount of pots plus it makes for easy watering since you want to allow the pots to soak up the water.
I have to get busy making a ton of these now as I have a lot of seeds that need to be started. Thank goodness I have two boys that are eager helpers!
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I use paper pots occasionally for hard to transplant things, but mine are not as complicated as any of those. It is just a roll, held together by a paperclip. There is no bottom. I compact the potting soil into it and the soil doesn’t go anywhere. I never pick it up except to plant it in the garden. I always thought not having a bottom was one of the points of a paper pot. You plant it and the roots have no resistance to going into the soil. Now I find that people have bottoms to their pots.
Usually I just use the plastic packs 4, 6, or 12-packs. I have them since I bought plants in them originally. So I figure why not reuse them.
I need to grow more of my own produce. I would love to store some over the winter, but usually just have enough for the summer. I do better with my herbs and teas.
Hi Daphne, it is interesting to me that you don’t use a bottom for your paper seed pots as I have been eyeing empty toilet paper rolls lately wondering if they would work as bottomless seed pots! I really wish we had better luck this year with our produce as we had such high hopes. Fingers crossed next spring has better weather! -Cynthia
Making those newspaper pots has always looked like fun!
Have you ever heard about using copper to deter slugs? A catalogue store I often buy from in Canada sells a 2″ wide copper tape that they claim slugs don’t like to cross… You can check out http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=58897&cat=2,51555&ap=1 if you’re interested.
/krys
Hi Krys, the first couple are fun to make but then it gets old fast! And your hands get real dirty too!
Thanks for the tip on the slugs. I have used the copper tape and it does seem to work. I placed it around the potting table that held my seedlings this year and it did seem to keep them off. And I once placed some around my half barrels that were planted with lettuce, herbs, etc. If it wasn’t so expensive I would line my whole deck with it to keep them off!
-Cynthia
I’ve seen that tool sold through Burpee. I always thought those newspaper pots were a great way to recycle. Thanks for the videos, very informative.
Your welcome PGL. The soup can is a lot cheaper than the tool you can find for sale!
-Cynthia
Wow, thanks for sharing that. I always have newspaper and what a great way to recycle.
Glad you found it helpful Laurie.
It does recycle and is cheap too which I like. 
-Cynthia
Hey, what a fun project to try! I might do it and enlist my daughter, she always wants to help. Birds could be the culprit too, sometimes they like the tasty, tender new seedlings. I lost all my carrots this year too, bummer. Good luck!
- Karen
http://greenwalks.wordpress.com
Hi Karen, if you decide to try this out it does make it go a lot faster when you have helpers!
Birds were part of the problem this year too. They keep eating the pole bean seedlings as soon as they emerged. That’s the thanks we get for always putting out birdseed for them I guess.
-Cynthia
I use toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls and gift wrap rolls to make planting pots. Cut them down to an appropriate size, clip the bottoms to fold together and hold soil and presto, instant planting pots. I have my family save rolls for me as well!
Hi Mrs. Greenhands, I have been saving toilet paper rolls for starting seeds in this fall. The only downside has been finding a place to keep them while I am saving them! lol -Cynthia
I’m going to do it too. The chipmunks ate quite a few of my sunflowers this year after directly sowing them. I better start wrapping now for my spring planting. I’ve got a big attic to store them in.
Hi Anna, it is so frustrating to go through the trouble of direct seeding, anxiously await the seedlings emergence only to have it get eaten before it even gets it first set of true leaves! Hopefully starting my fall veggies out this way will help a little. Live and learn I guess. -Cynthia
I think those newspaper pots are brilliant. I envy you your ability to even have a fall garden – and it’s your fall gardens (and others’) that will get the rest of us through our long winter.
I hope my fall garden does better than my spring/summer garden as this year has been brutual! The weather combined with insects (ie SLUGS) and night critters has been a test to my gardening endurance! -Cynthia
great tip – never heard of newspaper pots(never gardened before) .
thank you!!