Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[McChooky]

I am just getting into starting seeds before planting in late May. I hope to try it this year. In theory, it would be nice to have a month or two head start on the season. Appreciate the feedback on trying many things and giving up on them. That's why I'm thinking just make some pallet wood seed trays out of scrap wood and using something like those toilet paper pots instead of buying more plastic trays and containers.

I would like to reduce the number of plants I buy at the nursery to transplant in my garden. I mainly buy pepper plants and tomatoes. I would like to try to start some of them from seed myself and see how it goes this year. But I don't have a greenhouse so that limits my options.

A few years ago, I tried growing some plants inside the house, but the plants got long and leggy and did not survive. I found out that you really need to put those starter plants under lights to start them off right. Live and learn.

Once I get the plants into my raised beds, they usually all do very well. Lots of good chicken run compost in those beds and the plants seem to really like that soil.

The only plants I like to start this early are those that grow from the stem.They don't have to be transplanted but once if you use a tall pot.The rest I sow 6 weeks before the last frost date.

 

[Sally PB]

For any gardeners out there, just wondering if making these pallet wood starter trays and filling them with these soil blocks or toilet paper pots makes sense to them? Wondering specifically if the toilet paper pots would cause the roots to spiral around inside the pots which would be not good for transplanting later? As I understand it, the soil blocks are better because the roots will naturally air prune and not spiral around.

When you can't plant and tend to your garden, you end up planning for the next season. So, that is what I have been doing.

I have made the TP roll pots. Maybe it's the Costco TP, but the pots tend to fall apart, not at the bottom, but along the spiral. I've abandoned TP rolls, even though they made great little pots.

I start a lot of plants. Last year I did 60 tomatoes, 12 peppers, 10 basil, and a few other things I don't recall. TP rolls seemed like a great idea, as I would just plant the whole thing. Roots grew through the cardboard just fine, and I'd just plant the whole thing when it was time to put them out.

The falling apart around the spiral bit was a big draw back. So I tried making my own pots out of regular newspaper. With only somewhat better success. Some inevitably fell apart. I make my own potting soil, so using bigger pots was not going to cost me an arm and a leg that way.

Now I use cottage cheese containers as pots. Quart sized yogurt containers work well too. I'll try to describe how I make them, as I don't have pictures.

You need to keep the top of the container, and put a few holes in it for drainage. Cut the bottom off. Some types of plastic are easier to cut than others, and sharp scissors help a lot.

Put the top of the container back on, turn it upside down, and that is your pot. The top is now the bottom. Fill it with potting soil, soak it well, and plant your seeds.

(Weeks go by... plants get big... bigger pots give them room to spread their roots...)

When it's time to plant them in the garden, dig the hole. Take the top of the container off the bottom, set the pot in the hole, wiggle it a bit, and slide it up over the plant. Fill in the hole and water well.

The taper of the pot (draft angle) helps it come off the soil without manhandling the roots. This is important for some plants, like melons, who don't like their roots to be disturbed.

I have a friend who saves me her yogurt containers, and I have gobs. Some of them are going on their third year, so the do last pretty well.

 

[gtaus]

I've always liked using paper bathroom cups as seed/cutting starting pots because the pot can be peeled off with minimal root disturbance. I think the toilet paper rolls would work the same but free. I'd like it even better if I could figure out a way to block the bottom without cutting or shortening the tube.

If you need a taller tube, I suppose you could use paper towel rolls and cut them off at whatever length you want.

I'll definitely be playing with them though to see if I can come up with something to save the tube length.

I was thinking a person could cut out some round plugs from scrap lumber, insert them into the toilet paper tube, and then maybe just staple them in. When transplanting, you would just cut off the bottom plug and reuse it on the next tube.

Might be more work than benefit, but it's an idea to kick around and maybe come up with something better. Since I have a hole cutter set, this idea came to mind first. Of course, you would want to use some pretty thin wood for the plug or you won't gain much by not just cutting flaps in the bottom.

 

[gtaus]

I've never seen a soil blocker!

I just found out about them last year. Made my DIY PVC soil blocker and that worked pretty well, but only one block at a time. So I thought a 4 soil blocker would be much better. Unfortunately, the one I bought did not work very well. To be fair to soil blockers, I pretty much bought the cheapest brand on Amazon (but it had high ratings). Like I said, my 4 soil blocker was a big disappointment and it was not until well after planting season that I went back to the unit and "reinvented" it with new bolts, screws and washers and finally got it working well.

Here's a nice YouTube video on a commercial nursery using soil blocks and why they chose soil blocks over other methods.

 

[gtaus]

The only plants I like to start this early are those that grow from the stem.They don't have to be transplanted but once if you use a tall pot.The rest I sow 6 weeks before the last frost date.

Oh, I am very much only in the planning phase. We don't plant our gardens until the end of May where I live. I think it's Zone 3B. Anyways, our average last frost day is May 30.

Just researching ideas on the internet and watching YouTube videos here in the dead of winter.

 

[gtaus]

You need to keep the top of the container, and put a few holes in it for drainage. Cut the bottom off. Some types of plastic are easier to cut than others, and sharp scissors help a lot.

Put the top of the container back on, turn it upside down, and that is your pot. The top is now the bottom. Fill it with potting soil, soak it well, and plant your seeds.

(Weeks go by... plants get big... bigger pots give them room to spread their roots...)

When it's time to plant them in the garden, dig the hole. Take the top of the container off the bottom, set the pot in the hole, wiggle it a bit, and slide it up over the plant. Fill in the hole and water well.

That's a great idea! Instead of just tossing all that plastic into a recycle bin, reuse it for the garden until it breaks. Glad you posted this idea, because I'm always thinking there must be a second life to all those plastic containers we send to the recycle center. Now, I think I have a purpose for them.

When I made my round toilet paper pots, I just cut slits in the bottom and folded them over. The bottoms never held on my TP pots. But the video I posted make the round tube into square tubes and uses a water bath to help "glue" the tabs into place when dried. I am definitely going to give that a try.

I have tried the newspaper roll tubes in the past. They worked pretty well, but took me a lot of time to make.

 

[ChicksnMore]

I just found out about them last year. Made my DIY PVC soil blocker and that worked pretty well, but only one block at a time. So I thought a 4 soil blocker would be much better. Unfortunately, the one I bought did not work very well. To be fair to soil blockers, I pretty much bought the cheapest brand on Amazon (but it had high ratings). Like I said, my 4 soil blocker was a big disappointment and it was not until well after planting season that I went back to the unit and "reinvented" it with new bolts, screws and washers and finally got it working well.

Here's a nice YouTube video on a commercial nursery using soil blocks and why they chose soil blocks over other methods.

I liked the soil blocks right up until she mentioned hurting hands . That would be me...my fingers seem to have aged a little faster than the rest of me.
Love @Sally PB yogurt container idea too.

 

[chickengr]

I've never seen a soil blocker! Love all the ideas in this post. ❤
I do more cutting starts then seeds.
I tend to transplant before root curl becomes a problem...opens up more space on my starting shelf. I've always liked using paper bathroom cups as seed/cutting starting pots because the pot can be peeled off with minimal root disturbance. I think the toilet paper rolls would work the same but free. I'd like it even better if I could figure out a way to block the bottom without cutting or shortening the tube. Maybe reuse old printer paper to cut a disc to push inside? I'll definitely be playing with them though to see if I can come up with something to save the tube length.

As always...thanks for sharing!

you can use any paper on the bottom of the toilet roll. if you can transplant seedlings early toilet paper rolls are ok. you simply plant them together with the seedlings. water will soften them and roots will pass through.

it is still much easier to sow the seeds in a tray or pot. I space them so their roots have room.

 

[chickengr]

Oh, I am very much only in the planning phase. We don't plant our gardens until the end of May where I live. I think it's Zone 3B. Anyways, our average last frost day is May 30.

Just researching ideas on the internet and watching YouTube videos here in the dead of winter.

by may 30 our first part of growing season is almost over, lol.

 

[gtaus]

I liked the soil blocks right up until she mentioned hurting hands . That would be me...my fingers seem to have aged a little faster than the rest of me.

My 4 soil blocker never hurt my hands, but I was only going to make dozens of soil blocks, not hundreds or thousands. But it is a manual device unless you step up (literally) to the commercial soil blockers that step on the soil and release the blocks via a handle.

The one pictured above turns out 35 blocks at a time. It sells for over $200.00. If you had a commercial nursery, I suppose the time it would save on making thousands of soil blocks would be worth the investment.