bread bag greenhouses....

**sabrelvssammy** · 02-17-2009, 07:54 AM

so i saved my egg cartons...slpit them in half and have started seedlings in both sides (leaf lettuce in the top 'tray' and tomatoes/peppers in the little 'cups') so then i thought about how to keep the seedlings warm and i could have just thrown some plastic wrap over them...but i came up with this one...

take a bread bag and slip the 'carton' in....blow it up and seal it..(water the dirt first).... now you have a mini-greenhouse....

of course this will only work til the seedlings get too tall but when you blow it up you have alot of airspace for them to stretch their little necks....

don't know how it works coz i only did it last night...but the concept is there.... we'll see....

**elphie** · 02-17-2009, 01:09 PM

Wow, what a creative way to reuse a couple of very common things!

**scottVee** · 02-17-2009, 03:51 PM

The egg carton trick for seedlings is a classic one. Though the cardboard ones just soggy and nasty after a few waterings. The styrofoam ones need some drainage holes at the bottom, to keep water from stagnating at the bottom.

I've also seen people roll up a newspaper, twist the bottom just right, and make little starter pots for seeds.

If the bread bag is too limp or fussy, you can also cut off the tops from clear 2-liter soda bottles ... the base can just rest over a small pot to make a mini-greenhouse.

And of course, if you ever buy fresh lettuce heads in those clear containers, those are fine little greenhouses all by themselves, handy lid & all.

**sabrelvssammy** · 02-17-2009, 04:10 PM

thanks scott....i had read somewhere about the use of the egg cartons (yes...i know i don't get credit for that one)... but i had not heard to poke the holes in the bottom...i will go do that...thanks....

the paper cartons i put on used styro meat trays...same with the idea of the tp paper and paper towel rolls...i cut those to about 2 inches tall and lined them up on a styro tray side by side...filled with dirt and poked a seed in...they will fit in the bread baggies too...and they are already open on the bottom so thats good...

checked the bread bags today and they are still nice and full of air... yea!

**rainbowgc** · 02-17-2009, 05:45 PM

Some very creative ideas here!

**frugalbabe** · 02-17-2009, 06:31 PM

Very good idea (I may just have to steal it!)I also use milk cartons with the bottoms cut out to shield plants in my garden while they are hardening off.

**Judi Dial** · 02-19-2009, 07:15 PM

There's a way to sprout seeds that I intend to try (I gotta buy soil first) that uses old containers and does something similiar to this. It's called wintersowing.

I haven't done this yet, but as I said, I intend to in the next week or so!

Judi