Egg Carton Seed Starters

2 Materials
$5
30 Minutes
Easy

Want to start your seeds for your spring garden but don't have any peat cups? No worries! Use an egg carton to create your own seed starter cups at home!

This is a super fun and quick DIY seed starter project you can do with your kiddos (or grandkiddos), and if you have one who doesn’t like to get dirty, it can be easily done at the kitchen table with a spoon and hardly any dirt contact at all. (Anyone have a dirt-phobe? We’ve got one!)


Another great thing about this activity, is you can use an egg carton instead of throwing it in the trash can. Reuse, reuse! Those egg cartons are also compostable, so find out  How to Compost, too! Here’s what you’ll need to make this activity happen:


1 paper/cardboard egg carton

potting soil (we used  seed starting soil)

flower/plant seeds ( zinnias and marigolds are great for this!)

low container or dish (I used a pyrex dish)

water bottle (optional)

How to Make Egg Carton Seed Starters:


  1. Cut the top off of the egg carton and discard (compost!). Cut down the center, creating two pieces with six cups each. You can also choose to leave the “cups” together, or you can cut each cup so they’re separate. That’s the option we chose. You’ll then want to use a sharpie to write on the outside of each cup what will be growing inside. Better yet, let your child who is learning writing skills do this. It’s super easy to copy the flower name from the seed packet right onto the cup, and it’s great writing practice!

2.Fill each egg carton seed cup with soil. Little helpers can do this by scooping with the cup itself (dirtier) or with a spoon (cleaner). Putting newspaper down makes clean up a cinch, so I highly recommend this!


3.Place two or three seeds in each cup and lightly cover with soil. This is a great time to talk to your kids about how beautiful and wonderful things can start with just a tiny seed!

4.Place cups in a low container and water those babies! I did this at first with a water bottle, so I didn’t wash the seeds away. I also placed some water in the bottom of the dish itself, so the egg cartons would soak it up. This helps to “water” the seeds from the ground up. Be sure to put your seed cartons in a sunny spot in the house, and keep them moist, but not soaking wet.


Once the seeds are a good size, they can be hardened off and transplanted out into the garden!


For the full tutorial and more gardening tips, visit my site, The Kitchen Garten!


DIY egg carton ideas

For more creative ways to use eggs cartons to make cute home decor, discover the best egg carton DIY ideas on Hometalk here.

Resources for this project:
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Courtney |The Kitchen Garten
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  3 questions
  • Joanie Joanie on Feb 26, 2020

    Any suggestions if you only have egg cartons with styrofoam

  • Elaine Elaine on Mar 12, 2020

    When it's time to plant the seedling - do you plant all into the ground or remove the plant from the carton??? I'm a newbie☺ Thanks!

  • Pat Pat on Mar 13, 2020

    I thought you could plant the carton and all in the ground if you opened the bottom . Is this right or wrong?

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2 of 4 comments
  • Diana Diana on Mar 08, 2020

    Yes I will definitely try this

  • Krafty Kathy Krafty Kathy on Apr 17, 2020

    I was using styrofoam cartons and using plastic wrap for a green house effect. Because I have students who can't get seeds I was showing them to use Dandelion seeds.( they are edible.) And guess what. My weeds haven't sprout but my flowers and veggies have.???

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