DIY: Newspaper Pots for Seed Starting/Cuttings

DIY: Newspaper Pots for Seed Starting/Cuttings

Spring is right around the corner and I need to get seeds started. I don’t have any small plastic pots so I’m using these newspaper pots. The best part, they’re FREE!! They should hold together long enough for the last frost to come around and then I’ll plant the seedling or cutting with pot and all in the ground. For the time being I planted up some rooted rosemary cuttings I took a few weeks ago in them.

I made these using a half sheet of newsprint approx 11″x22″ and it yielded a pot 2.75″ square by 3″ tall. Perfect side for getting good sized starts! I also made some using phone book paper and they measured 2″ square by 2″ tall. These are made the same but end up with a smaller lip around the top and were only single thick on two of the sides. Probably wouldn’t hold up to being moist for 2 months but it’s an alternative.

Original instructions are here: http://en.origami-club.com/newspaper/garbagebin/garbagebin/index.html

50 Comments

  1. JAU41 on May 18, 2022 at 9:11 pm

    Brilliant!



  2. xTeam on May 18, 2022 at 9:11 pm

    Can we use white printing paper (A4 / Letter size) instead of newspaper? I have lots of unwanted white sheets with little prints on them. Are they biodegradable like newspaper?



  3. MamaMcRye7 on May 18, 2022 at 9:11 pm

    Thank you for this video. It’s very detailed and precise and exactly what I needed. You did a great job. ๐Ÿ‘



  4. Ivanhoe on May 18, 2022 at 9:13 pm

    Warning: I started making newspaper pots ever since March 11, 2013. I can’t stop. They are highly addictive.



  5. David Lab on May 18, 2022 at 9:14 pm

    merci๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘



  6. shaz mueid on May 18, 2022 at 9:16 pm

    Neat and simple,thanks for the great idea



  7. Grace Sander on May 18, 2022 at 9:18 pm

    Keep up the good work Jim



  8. it's not a mistake it's Okeh to AYO๐Ÿ˜ณ on May 18, 2022 at 9:18 pm

    How did your box didn’t get wet



  9. Ramo on May 18, 2022 at 9:19 pm

    Wow that’s an amazing idea. It not only saves money but it’s a better eco-friendly option of plastic seedling pots. I use paper cups for my seedlings but now i know this i probably don’t need to buy them anymore.



  10. Amy Skattebo on May 18, 2022 at 9:20 pm

    I’ve tried a bunch of DIY paperpots, but keep coming back to this one! Excellent directions; easy-peasy… going on 6+ years after having found this one.



  11. peziki on May 18, 2022 at 9:20 pm

    A great gardening hack, sir. You’re a home grown genius….. ? or origami master.



  12. Grace Sander on May 18, 2022 at 9:24 pm

    Thanks for the tip



  13. Claudia Cooper on May 18, 2022 at 9:25 pm

    When teaching something like this it is VERY IMPORTANT to speak slowly. Despite the fact that I feel you speak too quickly from the beginning I was able to follow the steps until one of the last steps when you rushed over the directions. I am primarily an auditory learner and when I hear you say fold this up to this that in itself makes no sense. Now if there were a SLOW visual demonstration of folding "This up to this" I might get it with the auditory or without. I do appreciate this video as I’m planning to prepare a number of seedlings and expect to improve from my first rather clumsy result (which I know should not diminish the effectiveness of the growth process.



  14. Grace Sander on May 18, 2022 at 9:26 pm

    Nice video



  15. hizuic - on May 18, 2022 at 9:28 pm

    Thanks!!



  16. Jennifer Lane on May 18, 2022 at 9:30 pm

    I love it!!!!



  17. Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh on May 18, 2022 at 9:30 pm

    I have made these for years and love them, thanks for letting me watch over and over!!



  18. its me Sreenandha ๐Ÿ˜‡๐Ÿ˜‡ on May 18, 2022 at 9:31 pm

    Poda



  19. Cherokee Rose on May 18, 2022 at 9:32 pm

    Absolutely perfect Reminds me if how we used to make paper hats. I used xerox paper I had many left from errors. Slight adjustment but just as good. I will be saving my paper now… What I like most is no more labels to lose. I can just write on the top of this box. Thanks so much for the tutorial… This is a definite keeper.



  20. Henry Sandigo on May 18, 2022 at 9:33 pm

    wonderful, thank you, very innovative and easy



  21. Cheryl Merritt on May 18, 2022 at 9:37 pm

    where have you been, I miss youre tips and wisdom



  22. Lisa trautwein on May 18, 2022 at 9:39 pm

    I will definitely try this it seems easy enough thank you



  23. Thutz Perez on May 18, 2022 at 9:41 pm

    Great…THANKS FOR SHARING



  24. Emma LM on May 18, 2022 at 9:42 pm

    Fantastic! Even 8 years later, still a very useful video. Thank you!



  25. Judy Wong on May 18, 2022 at 9:43 pm

    Great video!



  26. Beeperbugs on May 18, 2022 at 9:43 pm

    … what’s a newspaper? ๐Ÿ˜‰



  27. Parimal Mandal on May 18, 2022 at 9:43 pm

    Thank you so much



  28. jupiter3067 on May 18, 2022 at 9:46 pm

    Now that I have an online version of my favorite newspaper, I tried to fold my laptop screen ! What a disaster when I planted the whole thing in spring time !



  29. J Lynn on May 18, 2022 at 9:48 pm

    I never comment, buttttt…. thank you so much. after looking at a ton of other stuff yours was the most simple, straight forward, easy to follow example of this method. thank you!!!!



  30. Grace Sander on May 18, 2022 at 9:48 pm

    I will make this for my dog



  31. Geeta Verma on May 18, 2022 at 9:49 pm

    L



  32. CH MA 4 on May 18, 2022 at 9:50 pm

    3 years in a row I have been using this video, thank you so much for making this video.



  33. Sarah Barton on May 18, 2022 at 9:51 pm

    Great tip. Thank you.



  34. Julie Z on May 18, 2022 at 9:52 pm

    Good instructions, thanks! I was having trouble making the pots square and getting the bottom fold to be flat, but I just added in a few more folds at the very end and everything popped into place. I made 16 pots for my Mexican Tulip Poppy seeds, bright yellow flowers on a small plant.



  35. Jeff Barber on May 18, 2022 at 9:53 pm

    This design doesnt work with standard size UK newspaper. it may work with broadsheets, but not local/free ones.



  36. Ege ร‡aฤŸan on May 18, 2022 at 9:53 pm

    Dude you are the man! Thank you.



  37. Moto's Allotment Garden on May 18, 2022 at 9:53 pm

    I have done a video on "How To Make Card Board Tube Pots" please check it out on my channel



  38. Nur on May 18, 2022 at 9:53 pm

    I watched another video but it wasnโ€™t as good as you. Thanks I made the box



  39. Janella Lord on May 18, 2022 at 9:54 pm

    OMG! That is amazing!!! Thank you so much for your idea and instructions!



  40. ๐ŸŒŸ ๐“Ÿ๐“˜๐“๐“š ๐“–๐“ค๐“จ on May 18, 2022 at 9:55 pm

    Does this work for A4 paper?



  41. Cheryl Phillips Durant on May 18, 2022 at 10:01 pm

    Brilliant and creative. I am impressed!



  42. keshav gaming world on May 18, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    Thanks ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ’ฏ



  43. Cindy Mousseau on May 18, 2022 at 10:04 pm

    Its that time of year again! Come to this video and get making paper pots!



  44. Mylie Cottingham on May 18, 2022 at 10:06 pm

    My favorite paper pot video. I have to watch it every year because I always seem to forget, but I always seem to come back to your video. Well done.



  45. Marion Webber on May 18, 2022 at 10:07 pm

    Great



  46. ginGPchee on May 18, 2022 at 10:07 pm

    Pragers got issues.



  47. Nicole Briere on May 18, 2022 at 10:07 pm

    What is the size of your newspaper ( not same size in france so … very difficult)



  48. starship gus on May 18, 2022 at 10:08 pm

    Too much time spent for what it is



  49. j bloggs on May 18, 2022 at 10:08 pm

    Very nice, thank you. I thought of using the NY Times, then realised itยดs only fit for use in the toilet.



  50. bullcreeker71 on May 18, 2022 at 10:10 pm

    Thank you. Iโ€™ve done the wraparound a can method… this is way, way better!