When Using Egg Cartons As A Seed Starter For Your Garden, Always Keep This In Mind

When you're looking to start a garden in the spring, sprouting seeds indoors is a good way to ensure they get a healthy start without worrying about the elements. Sure, you can buy planters and flower pots, but using egg cartons offers a low-cost solution that works well and makes use of something you already have and are going to get rid of, anyway.

When using an egg carton as a seed starter, you want to make sure you choose pulp egg cartons. These are the ones that look and feel like cardboard with visible fibers in the material, and they're much easier to tear apart than most kinds of cardboard.

Pulp egg cartons are made from paper pulp, water, and grass fiber. That means they're recyclable and biodegradable, and it's a good idea to compost them if you don't have another use. They're ideal for seed starters because they hold moisture while still allowing drainage, and they break apart easily, so you don't need to remove the seedlings before planting. They'll break down in the garden and allow your plants to grow.

Grocery stores will also sometimes carry foam or plastic egg cartons, but neither of these is ideal for seed starters. Foam is especially problematic as it's neither recyclable nor biodegradable and is generally harmful to the environment. Plastic ones could be used as a starter, but they require you to transfer the seed and soil out to the garden before recycling them, and they don't allow proper drainage.

There are plenty of ways to use egg cartons, and pulp cartons are ideal for seeds, but you still need to be careful about which kind you choose. Not all pulp egg cartons are created equal. Most companies have text and decorative elements printed in ink on the egg carton itself. If you plan to put these cartons in your garden, it's worth knowing what kind of ink was used because some of it could be toxic.

Ideally, look for egg cartons that are printed with soy ink or another environmentally friendly option that's safe for use in your garden. Even if the container doesn't mention the type of ink, it should say whether or not it's compostable. If it is, then it's safe to use in your garden since you're essentially composting it.

If you have any doubts about the safety of the ink on egg cartons, make sure you're not planting them near any fruit or vegetables you plan to eat. Alternatively, you could just use half of the carton without ink and recycle the rest. Another option, though it takes more time, is to transfer the seedlings out of the cartons, being careful not to damage the roots, and plant them directly in soil before recycling or composting the cartons. Finally, if you don't have enough egg cartons on hand, don't forget that you can use takeout containers as seed starters, too.