And for years, I used the grow systems to start my young plants.
I still have them, but they're getting sad and it's getting hard to clean them and various parts have broken, namely the clear plastic tops and the water catching bottoms.
This is not the time, just now, to order up a new batch.
So, I'll share here, the system that works and is virtually free.
First you need a 'mold'. At first glance, I found a medicine bottle that was about the size I wanted.
You need some newspapers and a pair of scissors, and some masking tape.
In this case, I used some taped that's been puppy chewed, making it unusable for anything where you need nice consistent pieces of tape. Those little teeth do a number on a roll of tape, huh?
For this size container, I cut the newspaper into thirds (or sixths, if you open it out flat). You want about this much extra length for making your bottom.
You're gonna fold down the top to make it easier to stand, hold it's shape and fill.
And you just roll it, loosely enough that you can retrieve your 'mold'.
You want the open end of the mold on the bottom. The 'top' is the folded down edge, and should be relatively even with the top of the 'mold'. (depending on how tall you want your little pots).
Twist the bottom. A good hard twist. And give it a little push up inside the open end of the mold.
Use a little piece of tape to secure the top side. Once it gets soil and water on it, it'll hold together very well.
So here you have to 'top'....
the bottom...
Slide the mold out and you have a little pot!
or three...
or thirty...
Cute little buggers, huh?
Fill those babies with potting mix (I used a blend of compost, perlite and vermiculite and sand) and plant them up.
Kept watered and warm, I'm days away from a nice variety of tomatoes.
Next up, a pan of pepper starts.... the garden is calling my name!
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