Snowed last week, but mostly melted now. With all the talk about spring around the corner, I'm thinking about starting peppers in newspaper pots. Any current advices? In particular, I've read that (corn?) gluten is a inhibitor, so I use something like flour as glue, will that be a problem? Or is there a good way to hold the pot together with just the newspaper?
Here's an article that is pretty much representative of past advice:
A Guide to Making Newspaper seed pots!
If you want to make a few of them, then... You Need:
A newspaper (perferably one that prints with soy ink) A Pill Bottle (or something round about the diameter of a Silver Dollar) A Roll of Masking Tape (optional)
Tear newspapers into strips about four inches wide Roll newspaper strips around pill bottle, leaving about an inch overhanging Fold overhanaging part down around the bottom of the pill bottle. Tape toghether with a small piece of masking tape Slide pill bottle out. Repeat.
If you want to make a bazillion of them, then...
You Need:
A bunch of newspaper (perferably one that prints with soy ink) A Pill Bottle (or something round about the diameter of a Silver Dollar) A Couple of Rolls of Masking Tape (optional) A Daytimer or other scheduler A Group of Boy Scouts or other Youth Service Organization
October: Collect all the newspaper that you can from you neighbors and friends. Boy Scouts are particulary skilled at this.
November: Shred the paper in 4 inch strips starting November 1, and working right of through the Thanksgiving Holidays (for those in the U.S.A). December: Start Making the seed pots at about a million per day through Christmas (for those who celebrate it) intersperse your seed pot making with doing other holiday decorations.
January: Fill the approximitly bazillion seed pots with seed potting mix (see another post for amounts and quantities) Order Seeds from Catalog or if making for the following season, start watching the commodities market)
NOTE: Here is where the Schedular comes in handy. For the month of february there are several task that need to happen consecutively.
February: Plant seeds in seed potitng mix that is placed in the bazillion newspaper seed pots. Water well. February 2nd: Clean up water that over flowed unto the floor from watering too many newspaper seed pots. February 3rd: Seed pots dry out. Water again. (there is assumption that you have some sort of handy method to water all bazillion seed pots in a 24 our period. March: Frist sign of seedlings, thin them out March 17: St. Patricks Day, sit in seedling room around the green plants (if you celebrate) April: Mold hits, seedlings die. Discard bazillion seed pots in compost pile. May: Start cruising the K-Mart for seedlings June: (Zone 8) Plant seedlings in garden, Cover using Plastic Milk Jugs as frost protectors. If you don't have plastic Milk Jugs, have Boy Scouts collect them.
July: Mulch seedlings using the bazillion seed pot compost. August: Harvest early fruting plants September: Harvest everything else. October: Collect all the newspaper that you can from your neighbors and friends. Make this an annual event. November: Take newspaper to recycler get paid real money so you can buy seedlings in the spring.
Here's to good gardening,
rick