Many gardeners start seeds indoors during the last months of winter or early spring to get a head start on the growing season. When it’s too cold to plant anything outside, you can easily start seeds indoors and transplant them into the ground once the weather warms up. So, what can you use for seeds without spending a fortune on seed-starting trays? Plastic cups leftover from parties or camping trips are ideal.
Benefits of starting seeds in a cup
It is a natural question, especially for someone who hasn’t heard of it before. However, growing in cups has many advantages you couldn’t even think of.
Perfect for small spaces: As stated above. Growing in pots is perfect for small spaces. You can do it in a little backyard. In a little room or your roof. As long as the conditions are adequate. Which means you don’t have to spend on acquiring space in order to plant.
Compactness: Large gardens often require segregation of time. Which means that you have to attend to every area separately. With cups, you have a compact place you can attend to quickly. All of your cups will be placed in one area and you can look after them while saving your time.
Cost-saving: The maintenance cost of a large garden is quite a lot. It requires adequate nutrients and raw material. However, what could be the cost of acquiring a cup? Minimal at best! Setting up seeds in small cups is a cost-effective technique.
Freedom to experiment: You can use small cups to experiment with different seeds. With large gardens it is different, you hardly want to take a risk. However, what could go wrong with experimentation with a cup? It gives you the freedom to check which seeds respond to which conditions.
Transfer to bigger pots or land: When your seedling reaches to a certain height. You can always transfer the seedling to bigger pots, grow bags or land.
Parsley
Parsley is another seed that grows quite well in cups. So if you are someone who loves to add parsley to your dishes, then it is perfect for you. Furthermore, parsley requires only partial sunlight. Which means that it can even grow in small apartments. Make sure you keep the soil moist for the best results and take care that you don’t overwater your plants. It usually grows best in temperatures between 40 and 80 degrees which makes it perfect for winter conditions. However, remember to bring it indoors at night so that it doesn’t get too cold.
Rosemary
Rosemary is one of the many herbs which grow in pots and cups. Rosemary is known to have many benefits for human health. However, there are a few things you should remember. For Rosemary, pick an alkaline pH so the acid is great for helping it grow. You will want a bit of sand in the bottom of the cup for drainage. The surface should be allowed to dry out just a bit between waterings but it should never be completely dry.
Peppers
Whether it is red, yellow or green peppers, they love growing in small spaces! A lot of people grown them without garden spaces. Just remember to pick a cup which isn’t too small, enough to give room to the peppers to grow. For the growth, remember to allow the peppers at least 8 hours of sunlight each day. So choose a spot that gets plenty of direct sunlight. You can bring them in at night if you want, but remember to take them back during the morning.
Lettuce
This is one for the vegans! Lettuce is one of the easiest to grow in cups. You can use the balcony or deck to provide direct sunlight. Sow your lettuce seeds directly into potting soil inside the cup. Keep the growth in check because you would want to move the cups in places for access to sunlight.
Strawberries.
They can also be grown in artificial sunlight, that is if you live in very cloudy places. Make sure you place the seeds correctly in the cup (along with the soil) and make sure that you harvest them adequately when they begin to yield to make room for additional growth.
They are one of the tastiest fruits out there. Strawberries are known to thrive in cups and small spaces. You can grow them all year long! They need a little sunlight though, so a tiny spot by the window might be the best place.
Peppers.
Whether it is red, yellow or green peppers, they love growing in small spaces! A lot of people grown them without garden spaces. Just remember to pick a cup which isn’t too small, enough to give room to the peppers to grow.
For the growth, remember to allow the peppers at least 8 hours of sunlight each day. So choose a spot that gets plenty of direct sunlight. You can bring them in at night if you want, but remember to take them back during the morning.
