Last month, I tested out 4 simple seed starters for my edible garden. I wanted to see for myself if all those videos showing crafty reuses of materials around your home were legit.
Today, I bring you my findings:
Option 1: the reused glass jar with marbles in the bottom. I'll give this a C. I have a couple thin sad little sprouts starting to show, but they took longer to sprout than other options and just don't look as healthy. When I checked the soil after a few days, it was still very wet, despite having more room for drainage. I think it's just that glass can't "breathe".
Option 2: the plastic container with vented lid. Rating: A! I have multiple sprouts after about 1 week. They are a healthy green and now have grown to the point I need to open the lid of the container.
Option 3: the plastic tub with drainage holes. Rating: A-. This one also produced several healthy looking sprouts. There are a few less than with the lidded container and I did have to water this one slightly more, without the greenhouse effect of a lid.
Option 4: the folded TP roll. Rating: F. This one produced 0 sprouts. Honestly, this one was just hard to keep the soil moist. The cardboard kept drying out, and leaking out the folded base. It would require watering a couple times a day just for basic moisture, compared to 2-3 days with the plastic containers.
In all, this was a fun experiment. I will be able to use the tomato plants resulting from the plastic tubs, and will likely use this method again in the future.
Pro tip, though: I'm not a professor gardener. :-) I highly recommend checking out gardening classes from your local gardening organization or community college. I recently attended a webinar from @bellevuedemonstrationgarden for a $5 recommended donation that shared fantastic tips on temperature, soil conditions, when to transplant, disease prevention, and more. Support your local professionals while optimizing your fruit and veggie production!
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