Hello and welcome back. Last week I presented you the idea of cutting the tops and side of a cat litter jug to make the kids books holders.

 Mine are working great, It won't be long before I have a nice collection book holders. :)

Today I promised to teach you how to recycle those big round tubs of butter. I made them in to flower pots. There are probably a million things to do with them but flower pots is the project today.

Well it goes with out saying the first thing you do is clean it. Use hot water, not boiling, just hot. Remember you need to be able to hold it with your bare hands. The hot water makes the plastic tub more pliable.

Now I have to make drainage so I turn it over. You'll be making the holes at the flat bottom of the tub. You probably knew that but I try to be thorough.

There are several different things you can use to make a hole; hand drills, an awl pick, thumb tacks if you have a lot of patience, a hammer and nail if you feel brave, at one point I found my self using a screw driver and a screw.

What I did was mark the holes then take the screw and the driver and held them both steady as I turned them both in to the plastic. Once the hole is big enough (I really didn't us a big screw it was like 3/4) then I unscrew it. Viola my hole is made.

 I continue the process 5 more times. Glueing popcicle sticks on both sides next to the holes with give the plant a bit of lift and you can use the lid of the tub to catch the water.

Well now we have the base of the flower pot. Lets decorate. Grab the kids, get some acrylic paint, throw some old newspapers to paint on, brushes and issue your kids their creative license.

Well the covers the butter tubs lets hit egg cartons.

For this project I use only the cardboard ones. There's several different things you can use these for some of which address in later blogs but today its a seed tray.

Granted its not the best time of year to start a seed tray, So you might want to save this part of the blog around Imbolc, or February but all in all eggs cartons are great for this. Cardboard is often used in composting, over time it breaks down with constant wetting and the growing roots will break out and further its decomposition.

Before that its a perfect nursery. Seeds smaller then a dime can grow comfortably in the cells. The cardboard can retain water longer. Plus you save on buying peat pots from gardening stores.


To start you need a good soil you can trust. The two soils I trust are compost and miracle grow.

Which ever you use, give it a good soak, mix it turn it, drain it out on newspaper leave for a few hours possibly all night, then make sure its damp; not sopping wet, not dripping, just damp.

Now spread the soil evenly in the egg carton cells. Don't over fill the cartons or when you water the seeds the water could push them out of the cups and you may wonder why on earth your seeds won't grow.  I've been there.

Now find the seeds. The directions for what they will need is printed on the packet usually so make sure to read it.take a pencil and make a hole in the center of the cell and drop in the seed. then cover with a little more dirt and press firmly but not hard as a rock. Remember your tucking your green babies in  to bed not burying them in cement.

Now you need plastic wrap. It'll act as a green house for you. Those egg cartons with the two raised supports with give your plastic wrap a tent. If they don't have that, then its fine too because the idea is to germinate the seeds and you remove the plastic wrap after you see green. (try to save it for another project if you can.

Invest in a plant sprayer. They have a multitude of uses from entertaining your kids to house cat control, but for here its great for misting your seedlings.  Once your future green babies are protected in their cozy little nursery put it someplace warm somewhere between 65 and 75 degrees. Sunny is okay but not direct sun because it could damage them and over heat the soil.

 Once you see the green slowly remove the plastic, mist them daily and when they reach about 4 inches give more sun. Check them for sun damage.


Once you feel they are ready for your butter tub pots and you'll know because you'll probably able to pick the dirt up by pulling up the stem, grab the pots, tell the kids what a great job they did, and fill the first layer with very small rocks. For the second layer I usually add the compost.
 
 Use a really good pair of scissors or box knife to separate the egg carton cells from each other. Do not cut in to the cells them selves because you'll damage their delicate roots. Once you separated the eggs cups with the seedlings you can plant them carefully in the new pot. Try not to remove it much from the cell because re-planting tends to be traumatic for plants. Add a little more compost and water. In time the paper will destroyed.

Happy planting.