I decided to transplant these out of the greenhouses so they would have room to grow, and so I could contain moisture in the greenhouse to allow other seeds to have a chance to germinate. I didn't have any containers, so made my own. The National Gardening Association has instructions for "eco-containers," homemade transplanting containers made out of biodegradable newsprint that can be planted directly outdoors in the spring. Since we've been iced in the house for the past three days, I figured this was my only option. I couldn't find any glue around the house like the instructions call for, and besides, I'm trying to garden organically and synthetic glue didn't fit the bill so I made paste out of flour and water and used this instead. Here's what I did:
Materials:
1. Scissors
2. Newspaper, cut into strips (3" for very small, 3.5" for smaller seedlings, 5" for larger seedlings)
3. Paste (flour and water, stirred together; consistency of thin pancake batter)
4. Spoon
5. Cans (8 oz for 3", 14 oz for 3.5", 20 oz for 5")
Directions:
1. Roll strip of newspaper around can, using a spoon to spread a thick line of paste to secure the seams. Be sure to let about an inch of paper hang off the end of the can so that it can slide off more easily, and so that you can have material to create a pot bottom.
2. On the end where the paper is overhanging, snip 5-6 slits in the paper.
3. Fold these flaps down in a circle and put paste under each one. Slide the pot off the can. You can also try to fold it like you would a gift, but I found that this did not work as well due to the round shape.
You can reinforce the bottom or cover any gaps by applying paste to small strips of paper and laying them inside and across the bottom.
And that's all there is to it!
