How to Make Seed Pots from Newspaper and a Can

Super easy DIY! Make your own seedling pots out of newspaper | Luxuriously Thrifty

I am tired of buying so many jiffy pots every damn year to start my seedlings, so this year I decided that I would make my own. I had a bunch of newspaper saved up (because who doesn’t save everything just in case it has a use?) so it worked out perfectly to make my own super easy seedling pots. You all know what a newspaper is, right? It’s this magical, crinkly folded up mess that we used to get the news and movie times from. Dads would always studiously read it over coffee and hands would become ink stained. It was lovely and I fully miss reading a newspaper on an early plane trip.

Don’t have newspaper? Relive the magic and go out and support print journalism! It’ll cost way less than buying jiffy pots and you’ll get to read something over breakfast. What a win win…win, if you count the journalism.

What you will need:

a can
newspaper or flyers

Take one full sheet of newspaper (that’s the whole sheet that’s folded) and rip down the folded line. If you’re fancy, cut it down the folded line, but it won’t actually matter.

Lay it out flat on a table. If it’s got a rip or two, no worries! You’ll be rolling and folding it, so unless it’s a huge rip, you can still use that piece. If not, use as mulch or throw into your compost.

Fold the piece of paper in 1/4, 1/2 or 2/3, depending on how tall you want your seedling pots. I aim for 1/2 for most of the time.

Take your can (I used a taller, bit fatter of a can than soup, but you can use whatever size is best for your seedlings. A mason jar or glass will also do!), place it at the top of the folded piece of paper and begin rolling.

Keep rolling until the can is fully covered.

Fold in the bottom of your paper to make a pot. Use the side that has already been folded to make the sheet shorter and stronger. This will make a much better bottom so you don’t end up breaking through and spill soil all over the damn place.

Pop the can out of the newspaper and fold your top in. Your newspaper pot may feel like it’s going to unravel in seconds, but once you fold the top down it’ll become sturdy.

Fill with soil and plant away!