Instead Of Throwing Away Empty Yogurt Containers, Use Them To Start Your Garden

If you are a gardener, or live with one, you know that the winter months can be extra challenging for those who love to keep their hands in the soil. Sowing seeds in the winter is not only an opportunity to keep up a little bit of your gardening practice during the cold months, but also a great way to reuse old plastic containers. All you need is a few yogurt containers (or plastic takeout containers for that matter), some soil, and seeds. 

You can plant seeds inside yogurt containers and then leave them outside. They just need to be placed somewhere where sun and water will get inside to the soil. Winter seed sowing is easy and cost effective, and frees up indoor space where you might otherwise be trying to start seedlings during the cold months. It works well for many different seeds, including both perennial and annual plants as well as herbs and veggies, especially those that can be grown inside a pot. It's also a great way to keep a little less plastic out of the garbage.

To get started, give your yogurt containers a thorough wash and then disinfect them with a bleach-water solution to make sure they are bacteria and pathogen free. Next cut some holes in the lid of the container and the bottom of the container. The top holes allow sunlight and moisture to get inside, and the bottom ones are for drainage.

Fill your container about a quarter of the way up with high-quality potting soil. One of the most important things to remember when winter sowing is to make sure your potting soil is very moist when you plant your seeds. Plant just one type of seed per container and remember to label them so you know what you have in each one come spring.

The containers should then be placed in a partially protected area such as a patio, where they will have access to sun but not be in danger of blowing away with strong winter gusts. Placing them inside something sturdy like a milk crate can help keep them in place. Raised beds are also an ideal location. Plant the bottom of your yogurt containers a few inches deep into the bed to keep them steady in inclement weather.

Leave your containers outside until spring, and then when the weather starts to warm up, start checking on your seedlings. Once the seeds have germinated, start watering them from time to time. By the time the seedlings are tall enough to reach the top of the container, they are ready to be transplanted to your garden.