Starting Seeds in Egg Cartons
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Amber Roossinck
Posted on: March 2, 2002

I love the selection and quality of Richters and have bought from you for a couple years now!

I have grown herbs in my backyard for several years. But this year I will be growing a much larger quantity and will be starting from seed. I usually buy plants and have only grown from seed a couple times. Can I use the left-over egg cartons I have been saving to plant seedlings, or will they need deeper space to grow before they are planted outdoors?

What I have used in the past are trays with no dividers... I just planted rows. But I would like to keep the seedlings separate this time.

There is no reason why you can’t use egg cartons to start seeds. Just make sure that you punch holes in them so that each cell drains water well. In most cases, you will have to transplant once to a pot before planting outdoors, but that is not necessarily the rule, and if you take care to harden off the seedlings outdoors a week or so before planting you may not have to transplant to pots at all. Some herbs need deeper cells – herbs such as eucalyptus, parsley, dill, and others. But others such as basil, thyme, oregano, savory, sage and many others will be fine.

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