Milk Jug Seeding - Easy, Cheap, and Creative
Gardening can be an expensive hobby, but with milk jug seeding, you can save money while starting your garden. Milk jug seeding is a method of growing seeds in recycled milk jugs, making it a budget-friendly way to get your garden started.
Materials needed:
Clean and empty milk jugs
Scissors
Potting soil
Seeds of your choice
Tape (optional)
Steps:
Cut the top off of the milk jug around the handle (leaving the handle area attached - see photo) and make several small holes in the bottom for drainage. I drill the holes using a small drill bit for simplicity and perfect drainage holes every time.
Fill the jug with potting soil, leaving enough room at the top for the seeds.
Plant your seeds in the soil, following the recommended planting depth and spacing instructions on the seed packet.
Water the soil thoroughly and tape the top and bottom using duck tape to create a better greenhouse effect.
Place the jug in a sunny location, leaving the cap off to allow for rain to water the seeds.
Keep the soil moist and watch your seeds grow!
You can transplant to your garden when the weather is ready. As the seedlings grow and the weather warms up, you can remove the tape to open the milk jug periodically. Usually, Mother’s Day is first time to consider transplanting here in Central New Jersey. An excellent transplant calculator from Away to Garden.
Pictured Above: A variety of plants being seeded in milk jugs. Some seedlings are ready for the top to be opened and others are not.
Benefits of Milk Jug Seeding:
Cost-effective: Using recycled materials like milk jugs is an affordable way to start your garden.
Easy to transport: The compact size of the milk jugs makes it easy to transport them to different locations, perfect for those who want to start a garden in a small space.
Environmentally friendly: Recycling milk jugs is a great way to reduce waste and help the environment.
Get more gardening time: Milk jug seeding allows you to start from seed earlier and because the milk jugs are left outside, plants don’t need to be hardened off.
Pictured Above: You can start seeding in the snow!
Milk jug seeding is a budget-friendly and environmentally friendly way to start your garden. With a few simple materials and steps, you can have your very own indoor garden or outdoor container garden. So give it a try and enjoy the benefits of growing your own food!
