Newspaper Seed Starter Growing Pot

I’m so happy to introduce you to my friend Ali. She, her sisters, and mom blog at The Mama’s Girls. Its an awesome blog that you should check out! Ali made this IMPRESSIVE newspaper seed starter pot and has included some great information on how to get your plants to grow well. Thanks Ali…

Hello! I am Ali, the youngest daughter on the blog The Mama’s Girls. I am very excited to be featured on one of my favorite blogs, Live Like You Are Rich today. After meeting Anita several months ago, I realize that the more she writes, the more we have in common.

Today I want to talk about gardening! The last few years, we have had very successful gardens and I want to share a few tips. Despite the bi-polar weather conditions, Spring is here! So it is time to get your plant on.

While starting your seeds, instead of buying seed starter cups, pellets, or other expensive gardening pots, you can try this simple tutorial for making Origami Newspaper Seed Starter Cups. I love to use these because after you get your seedlings growing, you can plant the whole thing (newspaper and all)!

How To Make Origami Newspaper Seed Starter Cups

1. First, cut the newspaper along the center fold so that you have only one single side, front and back. Sometimes there are already single sheets in the middle of the paper, if there is, just use that.

2. Next, notice that the lateral fold is not exactly even. Fold your newspaper sheet in half (hamburger style) to make a perfectly even fold.

3. Now, crease it once more the opposite way (hotdog style) and open it back up. ***If you are wondering what I mean by “hamburger and hotdog” style, it just means that when the fold is finished, if the finished fold makes it shorter and fatter, we call it “hamburger style”. And if the fold makes the paper longer and skinnier, it is called “hotdog style”. My first grade teacher used those terms and I am not sure how widely used they are but I have heard them used by people that I did not go to school with, so I think it is a real saying.

4. Now, from the bottom folded edge, take the corner and fold it up to the center crease creating a point. Do this to both sides.

5. Now, take the tops sheet from the top and make a crease on the flat line that the points have made. Fold this flap in half and fold it down onto your crease.

6. Turn the whole thing over.

7. Now, take the wide corners and fold those to the middle.

8. Take the squared edge, and fold it up to the thick halfway line and crease it, again, pull this back up, fold the flap in half and fold it down.

9. Now, tuck the flap into the first set of corner flaps that are inside the envelope section.

10. Once it is tucked in, it may have taken some finagling, turn the project over.

11. Fold down the point as far as its corners go.

12. Take the point and fold it up to either of its other corners to make a crease on the inside fold.

13. Now, reach your hand in through the bottom and expand the paper into a dish shape. Use the most recent crease you made to fold in half and make the bottom of the squared cup. It helped for me to pinch the two corners to make a flap, then fold it down.

14. I used a tap of non-toxic glue stick to make the bottom stay shut. Now, repeat for as many cups as you need. I promise, it goes really fast once you have made one or two.

I filmed the making of one of these because I realize how hard it is to follow origami directions. <a

Before filling the cups with soil to plant your seeds, add a fertilizing “tea bag” at the bottom. This makes it a self fertilizing plant!

After your seedling grows and is ready to be moved outside, this may be most important tip, make sure to pinch off all of the “branches” or leaves besides the very top ones. Then, bury the plant almost to the tips. This will create a simulated strong root from the get go, and  the “branches” that were there act as nutrient sponges. When we have done this to our tomato plant it started about a foot tall before getting moved outside and ended up growing almost as tall as my 6 foot spouse!

I am excited for you all to try making these cups and trying out my gardening suggestions.

Thanks Anita for hosting The Mama’s Girls on your blog today!

We appreciate all of the support that we have gotten so far, and look forward to seeing you on our blog. Take a moment to follow in the way that you prefer!