Starting Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Peppers In Egg Cartons

All photos are by @Growingmyownfood
Today, I begin my spring garden preparations by planting seeds of tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers. I am trying a new method this year that recycles styrofoam egg cartons.
First, I cut the egg cartons in half. This gives me 12 spaces for planting seeds in each carton. Then, I cut the tabs and taped them inside the flat tray (this was the top of the carton) so that it is less likely to leak.

I filled the egg holders with dirt. I poked small holes in the bottom of each egg holder before adding dirt, so that there will be drainage into the flat tray. I put all of my seed trays inside a plastic tub, because they will be inside for a few weeks.

When I was cutting the egg cartons, I saved some of the small pieces to make labels. The styrofoam will not be bothered by water. I wrote the type of seed on the front of the label and the variety on the back.

My tomatoes are Rutgers. The cucumbers are MarketMore. And the peppers are Keystone Giants.


I planted at least one seed in each egg holder. Tomato seeds were more plentiful, so there are three or four of those seeds in each holder.
After the seeds were planted and covered with dirt, I put a piece of plastic over the trays. This will keep the soil moist. The seeds are placed in a warm room to germinated. I will update in a few days! I hope everyone has a nice weekend.