Eco Friendly Planting

Basil to go!

I’ve been doing a lot of gardening recently. It is the season for plant starts and the mad rush is on to get everything in the ground ready for summer. Gardening on a budget sometimes forces you to be creative, and that’s what spurred on this little idea.

Here is a simple way to recycle your used coffee/tea cups into plant pots in 5 easy steps:

1. Give the cup a good rinse and remove any residual coffee/tea bits.
2. Poke several holes in the bottom of the cup to allow for proper drainage.
3. Fill with whatever loose airy soil you can get your hands on. Ideally you would use a sterile organic potting mix (Black Gold, ProMix, etc..)
4. Place 2 seeds (incase one doesn’t sprout) on top of the soil and sprinkle a fine dusting of soil over top.
5. Give it a good ol drink of water and place in a warm area in the dark.

Once the seeds start poking through the soil make sure you place the cup in a sunny window. This has worked exceptionally well for me. There is enough soil in a coffee cup to give the plant a good start before being transplanted into the main garden. Alternatively you can grow the plant to full maturity inside the coffee cup. This is ideal for shallow rooting plants, but not recommended for deep rooting species like tomatoes or carrots etc..

Have fun!

• King Edward