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15 Creative Seed Starting Ideas

By Manuela Williams

Frugal Seed Starting Container Hacks.

Are you ready to start some gardening despite whatever weather you’re experiencing? It’s seed starting time believe it or not! You don’t have to buy those little plastic pots or peat pots to start your seeds if you don’t want to. Save some money and use these ideas for great alternative seed starting containers. Check out these Creative Seed Starting Ideas.

10 Creative Seed Starting Ideas- You don't have to buy those little plastic pots or peat pots to start your seeds. Instead, check out these 10 inexpensive creative seed starting ideas! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, gardening tricks, gardening hacks #gardening #garden #ACultivatedNest

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to Amazon and/or Etsy, which means that I may earn a small commission from some of the links in this post. Please see our Disclosure Page for more information.

I had to go to Home Depot today and they are putting out the spring bushes and trees here in Atlanta. I can’t wait to spend some time outside in the sun and warmth.  I haven’t decided if I’m going to start any seeds inside this year or just buy seedlings since I have a lot of home reno projects I want to work on. But if I do start any seeds, I’ll definitely be using some of these creative seed starting ideas! It seems silly to buy commercial seed starting cups when I know about all these great DIY seed starting containers I can make!

  • Start a garden on a budget. Starting seeds is an inexpensive way to have a plentiful garden in the future with your only expense being the seeds.
  • Containers most consider trash. Are you aware of the many items that can be used to start seeds? I am here to tell you most paper cartons, plastic bottles and jugs, newspapers, and even some citrus peals can be used with ease.
  • DIY Domes. Clear plastic muffin or cookie boxes make the perfect domes to create a moist growing environment.

15 Creative Seed Starting Ideas

1. Upcycle K-Cups

10 Creative Seed Starting Ideas- K-Cups- Start your seeds the frugal way with these 10 DIY upcycled seed starting containers! So many inexpensive everyday items can make great seed starters! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardening #seedStarting #ACultivatedNest

Fresh Eggs Daily explains how to re-use your old K-cups to start seeds.

2. Upcycled Milk Carton Seed Starter

10 DIY Seed Starting Ideas- Milk Cartons- Start your seeds the frugal way with these 10 DIY upcycled seed starting containers! So many inexpensive everyday items can make great seed starters! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardening #seedStarting #ACultivatedNest

You could use milk or juice cartons to start your seeds. Basil & Amaranth has a great explanation of how to start your seeds in these types of upcycled containers.

3. Plastic Milk Jug Seed Container

milk jug cut in a half and filled with seed starting mix for DIY seed starter pot and winter sowing

Learn To Grow Gardens offers a how to video tutorial on using a Plastic Milk Jug Seed Container to create a winter seed garden.  This is an easy way to start your cold hardy plants for gardening season.

4. Repurposed Bottle Self-Watering Seed Pots

10 Upcycled Seed Starting Container Ideas- Self Watering Plastic Bottles- Start your seeds the frugal way with these 10 DIY upcycled seed starting containers! So many inexpensive everyday items can make great seed starters! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardening #seedStarting #ACultivatedNest

Desperate Gardener show you how to repurpose old plastic bottles into these self-watering seed starting containers

5. Upcycled Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starter Pots

10 Upcycled Seed Starting Containers- Toilet Paper Roll- Start your seeds the frugal way with these 10 DIY upcycled seed starting containers! So many inexpensive everyday items can make great seed starters! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardening #seedStarting #ACultivatedNest

Lady Lee’s Home shows you how to repurpose toilet paper rolls into seed starting pots.

6. Eggshell Seed Starting Pots

10 Genius DIY Seed Starting Containers- Eggshells- Start your seeds the frugal way with these 10 DIY upcycled seed starting containers! So many inexpensive everyday items can make great seed starters! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardening #seedStarting #ACultivatedNest

Don’t throw out your eggshells! Instead, read about how to plant seeds in eggshells on Apartment Therapy.

7. DIY Paper Pulp Seed Cups

10 Clever Seed Starter Ideas- DIY Paper Pulp Seed Cups- Start your seeds the frugal way with these 10 DIY upcycled seed starting containers! So many inexpensive everyday items can make great seed starters! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardening #seedStarting #ACultivatedNest

365 Days of DIY shows you how to make these DIY paper pulp seed cups.

8. Coffee Filter DIY Seed Tray

10 Clever Seed Starting Ideas- Coffee Filter Seed Tray- Start your seeds the frugal way with these 10 DIY upcycled seed starting containers! So many inexpensive everyday items can make great seed starters! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardening #seedStarting #ACultivatedNest

Here’s a coffee filter seed tray from Instructables that you could try for starting seeds.

9. Egg Carton Seed Starting Pots

10 Upcycled Seed Starting Cup Ideas- Egg Carton- Start your seeds the frugal way with these 10 DIY upcycled seed starting containers! So many inexpensive everyday items can make great seed starters! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardening #seedStarting #ACultivatedNest

You could use an egg carton to start your seeds. See how at The Kitchen Garten.

10. Ice Cube Tray Seed Starting Tray

10 Repurposed Seed Starting Tray Ideas- Ice Cube Tray- Start your seeds the frugal way with these 10 DIY upcycled seed starting containers! So many inexpensive everyday items can make great seed starters! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardening #seedStarting #ACultivatedNest

Mr. Brown Thumb shows you how to repurpose an ice cub tray for starting seeds.

11. Time to Start Seedstime to start some seeds, container gardening, gardening, Seeds planted now I just have to wait for them to sprout

Hometalk features an idea I use in my own home. Use plastic containers like salad boxes as a mini greenhouse when starting seeds inside.

12. Best Container Ideas For Starting Seeds

Hot drink container is the perfect bio-degradable item to use when reusing cups to starts seeds on a budget as, you could simply plant the whole container. This idea can be found at Hometalk.

13. Ice Cream Cone Planter

DIY seed starter pots from ice cream cones

Practically Functional has a treat for any children who are helping plant seeds. Their eyes will sparkle when you use an Ice Cream Cone Planter.

14. Containers For Seed Starting

starting seeds

I love the idea of the turning the coffee creamer box sideways and using it as a Container For Seed Starting to start several plants. You can find this great idea and more at Country Living In Cariboo Valley.

15. Citrus Rinds

Orange Rind planting pot

Orange rinds are something that is never in shortage at our home. However, The Gardening Cooks, explains we could also use lemon or grapefruit as well.

Aren’t these some wonderfully creative seed starting ideas? You can basically use any container as long as it has some drainage.  Yogurt containers, Styrofoam cups, cans, margarine tubs, Dixie cups, muffin tins, avocado shells, just to name a few. Whatever you use be sure it has been sanitized and use sterile potting soil. You can make your own sterile potting soil if you don’t want to buy any. If you’re starting seeds of something you want to eat, I’d recommend using organic potting soil.

Beat those winter blahs by starting some seeds!

How do you usually start your seeds?

10 Creative Seed Starting Ideas- Start your seeds the frugal way with these 10 DIY upcycled seed starting containers! So many inexpensive everyday items can make great seed starters! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardening #seedStarting #ACultivatedNest

10 Creative Seed Starting Ideas - Save money starting your seeds with these 10 clever seed starting ideas! There are so many DIY seed starting containers you can make out of recycled items! | DIY seed starting container hacks, how to start seeds, frugal gardening, save money on gardening, gardening tips, upcycled seed starting containers, gardening hacks #gardeningTips #gardening #ACultivatedNest

You might also be interested in: 15 Resources For The Beginning Gardener

15 Resources for the Beginning Gardener

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Filed Under: In the garden, Inspiration, Link Love Tagged With: backyard vegetable garden, Gardening 101 Series, Inspiration, Seed Starting Containers, upcycling

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Comments

  1. Pamela Gordon says

    February 19, 2014 at 10:40 pm

    These are really great ideas Manuela as we are planning on planting a garden this spring. Thanks for sharing. I will pin some of these. Enjoy the warmer weather. Pamela

  2. Debbie says

    February 20, 2014 at 5:43 am

    I really do mean it this year that I want to start my own seeds. I have yet to do it. I do, however, at least claim a small victory to plant my little garden with seeds someone else has started.

    I’m going to read the K cup one first. My daughter should have plenty of those to spare.

  3. Lisa @ Fresh Eggs Daily says

    February 20, 2014 at 6:41 am

    Wow! Thanks for sharing my K-Cup starters. I am happy to say my seedlings are growling like, well, weeds in them!
    Lisa
    Fresh Eggs Daily

  4. Cindy says

    February 20, 2014 at 7:44 am

    I started some seeds last weekend and can’t wait for them to come up. I use an old seed tray that was thrown out by the university greenhouses.

  5. Penny @ The Comforts of Home says

    February 20, 2014 at 9:35 am

    These are great ideas! I don’t have a place in my house to start seedlings. I wish I did.

  6. Theresa H. Roach says

    February 20, 2014 at 9:32 pm

    Great ideas! It is coming up on time to get the hands dirty:) Enjoy your weekend dear Manuela, HUGS!

  7. Mary Feguson says

    February 20, 2014 at 9:48 pm

    Great ideas = thanks so much. It sure is a lot cheaper to start your own than buying the 6 packs.
    Mary

  8. Rhonda says

    February 21, 2014 at 10:21 am

    I’ve got 3 dozen egg shells with seeds planted in them right now. That k cup idea is great. I think I will start saving those for next time.
    We compost, but would you believe I forgot that tea and coffee grounds should be added to it. Thanks for the reminder. My memory is just not what is used to be.

  9. Kathleen Grace says

    February 21, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    It will be a while before we can start seeds here, but soon I hope! There are some really great ideas here, thanks for putting them all in one place!

  10. Debra @ Frugal Little Bungalow says

    February 21, 2014 at 6:37 pm

    Can’t do it yet but looking forward to when I can in our area! Great post with lots of creative ideas! 🙂

  11. Doreen@househoneys says

    February 21, 2014 at 6:41 pm

    A few years ago I used the ice cube tray idea, but since then I haven’t started seeds from scratch. I’m not the most patient person in the world 😉

  12. Donna Shegonee says

    February 22, 2014 at 9:59 am

    I have used news paper pots for several years, they work great for me. Though I now have a Metal Halide grow light, so have to up pot them shortly after germination as they dry out to quickly with the hot light & I even cool the light. I start them under florscent lighting till their tru leaves & then move them

  13. Brenda Kula says

    February 22, 2014 at 8:58 pm

    Great ideas, Manuela! So ready for spring.
    Brenda

  14. Melissa says

    March 20, 2014 at 9:50 am

    Thanks for the tips! I want to do my first container garden this year!

  15. Shannon {Cozy Country Living} says

    March 20, 2014 at 9:50 am

    What great ideas! I can’t wait to get started on some of them! Pinned:)

    • Manuela says

      March 21, 2014 at 1:30 pm

      Glad you found some useful ideas Shannon! Thanks for pinning!

  16. Elle says

    March 24, 2019 at 9:28 am

    I save the containers from buying organic salad mix all winter. i put 15 seeds in each container and loosely lay the lid on top. it’s a self-watering greenhouse. once the plants hit the lid, it comes off and watering begins.

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A Cultivated Nest makes no claims of “expert status” and the owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the use of the information found on this website. Posts may contain affiliate links. A Cultivated Nest is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. A Cultivated Nest is also a participant in the Etsy affiliate program via Awin. This means that I may earn a small commission from some of the links in my posts. Please see our Disclosure Page for more information.

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