Use Your Egg Cartons to Grow Seedlings

Published on Monday, April 9, 2012, by CHOW Video Team / Edit Post

Old egg cartons deserve better than immediate recycling. CHOW.com Associate Editor Roxanne Webber gives them new life as containers for growing seedlings.

This video was originally published in May 2010.

CHOW Tips are the shared wisdom of our community. If you’ve figured out some piece of food, drink, or cooking wisdom that you’d like to share on video (and you can be in San Francisco), email Blake Smith and tell us what you’ve got in mind.

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POST A COMMENT |9 Comments

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  • Cardboard/compressed egg cartons are just as good as the peat pots you can buy in the stores.
    What you have to remember when using EITHER of these "pots" is that you need to remove the sides and bottoms of the "pots" before you plant the seedlings. If you don't, they become rootbound, wither, and die.
    Start your seedlings in these containers. Transplant by making holes for each one. Disperse...+READ

    Cardboard/compressed egg cartons are just as good as the peat pots you can buy in the stores.
    What you have to remember when using EITHER of these "pots" is that you need to remove the sides and bottoms of the "pots" before you plant the seedlings. If you don't, they become rootbound, wither, and die.
    Start your seedlings in these containers. Transplant by making holes for each one. Disperse the old container on top of the soil around your seedlings. Make sure to keep them moist, however, because either "pot" will rob the plant of needed moisture as well.-COLLAPSE

  • My mom has been doing this since I was a kid...she also used yogurt cups.

  • like most serious home gardeners I "find" things. Egg shells for my tomatoes etc... I also recycle stuff from a nursery (wash with dilute bleach) but I don't often get my plants that way...I propagate from saved seeds, seed exchanges, plant & root cuttings or division of plants I already have.
    The egg cartons are good for many things but what I occassionally do use them for is starting seeds for...+READ

    like most serious home gardeners I "find" things. Egg shells for my tomatoes etc... I also recycle stuff from a nursery (wash with dilute bleach) but I don't often get my plants that way...I propagate from saved seeds, seed exchanges, plant & root cuttings or division of plants I already have.
    The egg cartons are good for many things but what I occassionally do use them for is starting seeds for lettuces which have very Shallow roots. I put them out in the garden at a small stage under pop bottle green houses. (cut the bottom off place over plant) I grow a lot of different lettuces. I treat my vegetable garden the way others do their flower beds. Doing it this way allows me to stagger different lettuces age, colour type more evenly. I use it as a boarder to my vegetable garden in places.-COLLAPSE

  • This spring has been so mild, and we're far enough along in the season, that I'd think most seeds could go directly into the ground now.

  • Works adequately for some things under some conditions, but there are far more plant friendly alternatives available for nothing; egg carton cells are too small to start a good root system, especially for tap rooted and deep rooted plants, and don't hold enough moisture for even a small plant to last long. I mostly recycle nursery containers, but the kitchen does provide a lot of possibilities-...+READ

    Works adequately for some things under some conditions, but there are far more plant friendly alternatives available for nothing; egg carton cells are too small to start a good root system, especially for tap rooted and deep rooted plants, and don't hold enough moisture for even a small plant to last long. I mostly recycle nursery containers, but the kitchen does provide a lot of possibilities- old milk cartons work great.-COLLAPSE

  • great tips el capitan! I was thinking, if one was worried that the roots would not grow through the bottom of the egg carton completely, they could use your method (keep the seedling in the egg carton), but just cut or tear off the bottom before replanting, keeping the rest of the carton (sides) intact.

  • I tried this as well but definitely the depth of soil was not sufficient as the plants began to grow past the first week or two. My cartons also did not rot well at all (no roots went through) -- perhaps a different manufacturer?

  • Soil! Not dirt...

  • I tried that this spring with several plants - tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and red pine seeds. I was very pleased with the results - one or two of the trays developed a thin white mold, but wasn't a big deal.

    Since the cartons wick moisture well, they tend to dry out fairly quickly, so keep an eye on soil moisture. Egg cartons will rot away very quickly, so you can even cut the individual...+READ

    I tried that this spring with several plants - tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and red pine seeds. I was very pleased with the results - one or two of the trays developed a thin white mold, but wasn't a big deal.

    Since the cartons wick moisture well, they tend to dry out fairly quickly, so keep an eye on soil moisture. Egg cartons will rot away very quickly, so you can even cut the individual cells apart and plant the entire thing in the ground - carton and all! Then you never have to touch the delicate roots with your fumbling fingers...

    I found that the roots will grow right through the egg carton, as long as it's kept moist. So there you go! Finally, if you grow seedlings for several weeks in advance, this may not be enough soil. Then you can make easy pots out of newspaper (google it) and eventually plant that whole package in the garden. Amazing - Green - and best of all - FREE!!-COLLAPSE