Starting plants from seeds can be an enjoyable and educational experience for gardeners young and old. It saves you money and allows your child to see the seeds turn into plants. Our family’s favorite way to start seeds indoors is using plastic bottles. Using plastic bottles works well, saves money and is good for the environment. My son always loves to help. Here's a step-by-step guide.
What you need:
plastic bottles
potting soil (or dirt) and pail
coffee filters
cotton string (old shoelaces or clothesline works great)
seeds
sharp cutting tool
organic matter (optional)
vacuum (only if kids help indoors)
What you do:
1. Use the sharp knife to cut the bottle at the "waist".
2. Invert the top so that the top/hole points down and set in the bottom of bottle.
3. Tear a small hole in a coffee filter. Put a piece of string through the hole in the filter so string goes sits in bottom of bottom bottle and there is enough to wind through soil. Place the filter in the bottle and fold it open to get it ready for the soil.
4. Stir your soil and organic material (we like to use egg shells and coffee grounds).
5. Fill the coffee filter with potting material/soil. Plant seeds in the soil.
6. For the first watering, get the soil moist but for subsequent waterings you can just lift the top and fill the bottom reservoir. Your string will wick the moisture up through the soil. You can water from the top occasionally if needed.
7. Set the bottles near a sunny window sill and keep reservoir filled.
When it comes time to plant lift coffee filter and all out of bottle and plant the whole works into the ground unless you have more than one seedling then separate. The coffee filter will disintegrate in the soil. You may find your string later or it may disappear into a birds nest. Great for kids as they can't over water and if they forget to water a day, the plants are still ok.
