I am currently on a long flight to Thailand. Either that or I am currently in Thailand and passed out from a bad case of jet lag. I haven’t worked out the math. Before leaving for the trip, I assessed my seedling situation and decided that plants that were busting out of their seed starting pots would need to be repotted into larger containers if they were going to have a shot at thriving during my time away.
It’s surprising how much plants can grow in two weeks time!
I also decided to do this in consideration of our house sitter who is significantly over-loaded with plants to care for while we are away as well as a fussy, prima donna cat that will probably hiss and swipe at him at least once before our return. Plants that have overgrown their containers tend to dry out quickly and he’s got enough on his plate between my ever-expanding collection of houseplants and the myriad of seedlings I’ve got on the go in anticipation of gardening season.
So with just a day before our departure in front of me, I set out to upsize a few plants to larger containers. Unfortunately, I did not have any containers left! But what I did have was a pile of yoghurt containers that I’d been saving for another planting project. Yoghurt containers are perfectly sized for larger transplants that can no longer fit into a 4″ pot. They provide ample root space for larger plants to grow into.
To prepare the plants for their new home, I simply:
- Washed them clean with hot water and soap.
- Drilled several holes into the bottom using a 1/4″ drill bit.
- Repotted using seed starting soil.
- Added a dash of vermicompost and dried sea kelp.
- Gave them a once over and a good soak.
p.s. The plant in the first photo is a tomato cousin called jaltomate. The plant is a lot like a tomatillo and the fruit is dark and is reported to taste like a cross between a tomato and a blueberry. This is my first time growing it. Should be interesting.
Perfect! I’m trying harder to find uses for containers that I’d usually toss into the recycling bin, and this is a great example. I’ve also been saving my juice jugs to use as cloches, my plastic egg cartons to use as trays for sprouts, and bottles and jars for saving seeds. Thanks for the great tip, and happy trails! (ooh… bad pun not intended, but I’m totally leaving it!)
Hang in there! It’ll take a bit to get used to the time difference, especially after a tough flight. You feel like you’ve been flying for 2 days because you lose a day, but then when you come home you fly for 24 hours and arrive on the same day you left.
ps. keeping plastic lids from containers make cheap drip trays :)
I keep yogurt containers for exactly this purpose. They work great!
I used yogurt containers, almond milk containers and coffee creamer containers as well. I was also able to find a ton of old plastic pots that people had returned to our local Home Depot. Have a happy trip!
yogurt containers are indeed useful for those purposes. I am trying to find though other interesting uses for those containers. Hopefull I’ll read more here :)
Great reuse tip! They work perfectly for seedlings.
Wait wait wait…. You have a cat?!?!?!? We knew about the Toms that come in to your yard but did you get one for your house too? That’s great! I love the silent blooming adoration you get from plants, but nothing beats the head rub on the back of your knees when you are preparing chicken. :-D Or if you escalate to dogs, the silent, trembling with excitement, kind of adoration when you are preparing chicken. HA!
Jennifer: We have a 17 year old cat. Part of our worry about the tom cats coming around — they scare her. We’d love a dog but our cat rules our life — she’d never abide by a dog.
This is such a good idea since most yogurt containers are not replaceable in my area.
I just have to share my excitement!..
The past two years I’ve been gardening I have bought countless bags of soil. Today while I was working on my flower beds I realized they needed some good new soil. I live near woods and it occurred to me maybe I could find some there. Under some tree stumps I found the most beautiful fluffy black soil I have ever seen. Way better than the bag stuff! and free :D I’m just so happy!!
Love,
Sarah <3