Cheapout on Gardening -- Egg Carton Planters

I say every year that I am not starting from seeds. I never can get the timing down and my seeds don't always succeed. This year, I decided I would just use whatever seeds we already had left over from last year. If they don't work, it's obviously because I used old seeds, not my lack of skill.

I can't get past the fact that the kids love digging in the dirt and watching things grow, so we got to work on our seeds this past weekend.

So, here's how you cheapout on planting and reuse some resources at the same time.  We use egg cartons. 

The best part of these cardboard egg cartons is that you can plant them right in the ground.  The cardboard will break down in the ground and helps retain moisture for the growing plants. 

We used Miracle Grow potting soil, because that is the only thing that allows us modest success.

I let the kids do it.  It's not going to hurt anything if they spill a little on the ground.  Then plant a few seeds per hole, water it lightly, and keep them in a warm place.

They don't need sun until they start to grow, so leave them closed up to keep the moisture and warmth in.

When you are ready to plant, you can cut or tear the sections apart and put them right into the ground. 

If they don't grow, you've still had a lot of fun with the kids.  For us, there was absolutely no expense here.  We used seeds we already had, soil we already had, and egg cartons we already had.