How to Use a Cardboard Egg Container to Make a Seed ...

Oct. 21, 2024

How to Use a Cardboard Egg Container to Make a Seed ...

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After preparing the tray, make holes with a stick or your finger. Put the seeds inside and cover with earth.

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DIY Seed Starting Trays

A seed starting tray is a small container where you put garden soil or other materials used to germinate seeds so you can give plants proper care until they are ready to be moved to the ground or a larger pot.

Because these trays are not big, it is easy to control their environment to help plants grow in the best conditions (watering, temperature, light, etc.). In geographic areas where winters are so cold that young plants cannot survive, you can start your seeds inside your house or other protected areas and be ready to transplant quite a few seedlings when the weather permits instead of just starting everything from scratch.

There are several methods and materials you can use to make your own seed starting trays, but my favorite is the cardboard egg box.

Step 1: Prepare the Cardboard Egg Container

Cut the lid and place it in the bottom: Cut the cover lid and place it in the bottom for support. Remember that you will be watering and cardboard softens with water.
Make a hole for drainage: Some gardeners suggest making a little hole at the bottom of each egg compartment for draining. I don&#;t because puncturing the cardboard can make the bottom less resistant. When I water the tray, I am careful not to overdo.
Fill each compartment with soil: I use a strainer to ensure that the soil is twig- and rock-free and that it will be uniform and compact. Also do not press the soil with your fingers or anything else.
Water the tray: Do it slowly and/or in phases. Use only the amount of water needed to get the soil moist. The first time you pour water, the earth may splatter, or water may linger on its surface without getting absorbed right away. As the soil absorbs more water, the earth will do a better job of filtering and absorption will be faster.

Cover the starting tray with a plastic bag.

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Caution: Unwanted Guests!

These seed starting trays may be very cozy for critters who may also eat your seedlings if you let them stay.

I dealt with a cockroach, and when I was transplanting I almost cut off the tail of an amazing blue-eyed brown-skinned gecko!

I wish I could show you an image, but both lizard (unharmed) and myself were too shocked for pictures!

This will keep the dirt moist and at the right temperature.

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Step 2: Plant Seeds, Water, and Cover

Make little holes with your finger or a stick, as deep as necessary.
Place the seeds in the holes and cover them with earth. Do not press, just cover.
Water again slightly, until the earth is moist.
Cover the cardboard tray with a transparent plastic bag to keep nice temperature and humidity. Use transparent plastic so you can see what's going on and to let light in. Note that using a plastic bag may not be necessary or can be even counterproductive in some climates &#; test it and see how the seeds germinate better.
Place the seed starting tray on a ventilated and warm area. The top of the fridge is an all-time favorite, but be careful to choose a place where you are not likely to forget watering the tray.
Once or twice a day, remove the plastic bag and let the tray breathe for a while.
Water the seeds carefully every day. Use a glass to slowly pour water, or open the faucet and adjust it to a very limited flow before putting the seed tray beneath. If the jet of water is too strong, it can throw out the seeds (and spread dirt all over the place).

When seedlings appear, you can get rid of the plastic bag.

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Step 3: Watch for Seedlings

Each plant germinates according to its own characteristics and specific conditions of its environment. So far, everything I have sown has germinated between two to seven days.

If you notice several water drops inside the plastic bag (transpiration), it is due to overwatering or a very warm and wet climate and you should adjust the water supply or even discard the use of the plastic bag.

As soon as your seedlings emerge, don't use the plastic bag anymore and continue watering every day, until they are strong enough to transplant them to the ground or a larger pot.

Your seedlings must have at least two sets of leaves before transplanting.

Make a hole deep and wide enough.

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Either remove the bottom part ...

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Put the plant in the hole, cover with a little earth if needed, and water gently.

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Step 4: Transplant From Tray to Garden or Pot

What I love about these seed starting trays is the ease to transplant the plants. Make a hole a little deeper and wide enough to put the seedling roots inside. When you set the plant, it should have enough space to fit its roots comfortably and it should be set deeper than it is in the tray.

Use scissors to cut each egg carton compartment.

You do not have to transplant all your seedlings at the same time and you can use the same seed starting tray to sow several type of plants, especially if you set them in germination order.

You can transplant the complete tray carton base to the soil (watering would end incorporating the cardboard to the soil), but I thought I should help the roots a little by removing the bottom and it is really easy to do when the cardboard is wet.

I also removed the whole thing from other seedlings (I wanted to test both approaches). An advantage of using strained soil is that it becomes evenly compacted around the roots with each watering and it is very easy to cut or peel wet cardboard get a nice root ball.

My Results

Plants free from cardboard grew faster. You can see in the big picture below the difference in sizes. When I realized this, I removed the cardboard from the little one and replanted. However, all plants were healthy. Maybe if I had left the small one alone, it would have eventually grown as big as the others, only slower.

After using a seed starting tray for the first time, I thought it may not be necessary at all because I live in a nice, warm place. So, in my next gardening project I sowed more seeds directly in pots. The seeds germinated but not as fast (being the same plant).

The explanation is that when you water a pot, the water eventually drains to the bottom, and since your seeds are in the top, you will have to use a lot of water every day to keep the earth around them moist. A lot of water is wasted!

It&#;s also easier and faster to water several seedlings in small trays that are close together than it is to water seedlings in different pots that require abundant but careful watering.

That is another good reason to use these trays.

The plants without the cardboard tray grew faster. The two larger plants at the back had no cardboard, the one at the front did.

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Happy Planting!

There are several commercial brands that sell starting trays and containers, but using cardboard egg boxes is a nice and easy way to save some money and reuse something instead of throwing it away.

Also, keep in mind that everything I applied here may be done in several other ways. Feel free to experiment and share your results.

How to DIY a Seed Starting Setup

how to choose shelves for a seed starting setup

I start my own seeds in plug trays, which are a standard size tray in the greenhouse/gardening world. trays are a standard size if you are growing seedlings (which we refer to as &#;plugs&#;) in the 50, 72, or 128 plug trays. I recommend you use the standard size trays as well, so that all of your seed starting supplies fit together.

trays are 10&#; wide x 20&#; long, so for every foot of width of your shelving unit, you will be able to hold one tray on it (A 4-ft wide shelf will hold (4) trays on it. A 6-ft wide shelf will hold (6) trays on it). You will want a shelf that is 48&#; wide by 20-24&#; deep to properly hold the trays. If you skimp and buy a shelf that is only 18&#; deep then the trays will hang off the edges of the shelf and risk being bumped into. I highly recommend spending a little extra money on a 20-24&#; deep shelf.

These are good size plug trays for starting seeds: 50 cell tray, 72 cell tray, 128 cell tray

For a 48&#; wide by 20-24&#; deep shelving unit, with five shelves, you will have space for (16) trays. When sourcing a shelf, make sure the shelves on the unit are not solid (you will need openings on the shelves to hang shop lights from). This 48&#; metal wire shelf is a perfect shelf for seed starting and identical to one of the shelves I use.

Related: How to Start Seeds with a Mini Soil Blocker

more tips for choosing a shelf for a seed starting setup

If you are growing lots of seedlings, buy a bigger (wider) unit than you think you need. I keep going through shelves because they aren&#;t big enough. I have graduated to a 6-ft wide shelf so that each shelf layer will hold (6) trays.
If you start seeds using a soil blocker, you will save space and require less shelf space.
Your shelving units must have holes on the actual shelves, or the shelves must be made of metal wire. This is so you can hang your lighting. No holes means you&#;ll have a harder time hanging the shop lights.
These plastic, washable shelf liners will prevent soil and water from falling thru the cracks and making a mess.

Learn: Why is Tilling So Bad?

how to choose lighting for seed starting

LED shop lights are the way to go for seed starting. Fluorescent shop lights ruled the seed starting world for a long time, but LED lights are much brighter, give off a larger spectrum of light, and are much more energy efficient than their fluorescent counterparts.

You will want shop lights that are the length of your shelving. If you have a 48&#; shelf, you&#;ll want 48&#; lights. The sizes of the bulbs do not matter (T12, T8 or T5), but you&#;ll want at least 2,000 lumens for seed starting. LED lights average at 5,000 lumens, so you&#;re covered if you go with LED.

THESE ARE THE TYPE OF LED LIGHTS YOU NEED - 4-ft LED Linear Shop Light. These type of LED lights work incredibly well and my cut flower, vegetable and herb seedlings grow wonderfully underneath them.

Related: How to Start a Sheet Mulch Garden

how to hang shop lights for seed starting

Over the past few years, I have been hanging two LED shop lights per shelf (like the lights here). If cost is an issue in getting started, you&#;d probably be okay with one light hanging above your seedlings instead of two. I think overall two lights is best (the more light the better), but I do think you&#;d be successful with just one light if you need to cut costs. LED lights are incredibly bright and cover a wider area compared to fluorescent lights.

LED shop lights are &#;linkable,&#; which means they plug into one another. Only one plug goes into the wall. Shop lights come with chains & S-Hooks included in the package, and you can hang the lights from the holes or wire openings in the shelves using these pieces. I&#;ve misplaced S-hooks here and there; in this case I will use paperclips to serve the same purpose at no trouble nor cost.

How far to hang LED lights above seedlings?

I find that LED lights do not need to be as close to the plants because the light is so incredibly bright (as opposed to fluorescents, in which case the lights should be no more than 2&#; above the seedlings). I position my LED shop lights 4-6 inches above seedlings once they have an inch of green growth.

do you need seedling heat mats for seed starting?

LED lights actually give off a decent amount of heat. If you use humidity domes to keep heat and moisture in during germination, you won&#;t need to use seedling heat mats. LED lights don&#;t heat up as much as fluorescent lights, but if you cover your seed tray with a humidity dome and position the LED light just above the dome, enough heat will generate inside the dome to germinate seeds at 65-70 degrees. During cold months, I use a space heater just like this one in the seed starting room to keep the air warm during germination. Between the humidity domes and space heater, I do NOT have to use seedling heat mats for germination, EVER. I don&#;t even own them yet I successfully start thousands of plants every Spring.

Related: 7 Steps to Start Planning Your Garden

pro tip: use a timer to help manage lighting

A simple Manual Outlet Timer is a lifesaver for turning your lights on and off everyday. When you have a timer that automatically controls the lights, then they get the actual amount of light they should, which is 16 hours everyday. I find that when I don&#;t use a timer, I&#;m turning the lights on and off on my schedule so they&#;re not getting that full 16 hours. It might seem like an extra unnecessary gadget, but when you have other things going on in your life, having your lights on a timer will completely free you of having to remember turning them on and off twice every single day.

Most Popular: The Reasons Why Synthetic Fertilizers like Miracle-Gro Are So Bad for Your Garden

full list of seed starting supplies we recommend

Wire Metal Shelving Unit - A wire unit is easiest to hang shop lights and move the lights around (as plants grow, you will need to adjust the shop lights, and a wire metal shelf makes this easy to do). Choose a shelf that is at least 20-24&#; deep so the trays aren&#;t easily knocked off.

Washable Shelf Liners - Prevent soil and water from falling thru the cracks and making a mess. Removable and cleanable.

LED Shop Lights - These shop lights are perfect for starting seeds underneath.

Outlet Timer for Lighting - Lights turn on/off on their own, so you don&#;t have to fuss with it.

Perma-Nest Trays - Hard plastic trays that won&#;t break and make moving trays around, and bottom-watering your plug trays, a breeze. They&#;re worth every penny &#; you will never have to replace them.

Humidity Domes - I use humidity domes over my plug trays immediately after seeding to keep the heat in. This prevents the need for heat mats. 3-inch humidity domes are my favorite height.

Promix with Mycorrhizae - This is what we use for our seed starting medium. Learn about how we mix seed starting soil here!

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Seedling Trays Price. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

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How to Use a Cardboard Egg Container to Make a Seed ...