Orange Peel Seed Starter
I love growing my own plants from seed! I find it very satisfying and I also like the fact that growing my own greatly reduces my plastic usage. With this method the plastic is ZERO and makes moving plants on much easier too!
Here is everything you will need. An orange, a knife, a chopping board, a fork, the seeds you want to grow and some compost.
First, you need to cut your orange in half. I first discovered this seed starter idea when trying to think of more interesting things to do with my orange peels, rather than just putting them into food recycling.
Next, the orange needs to be "hollowed" out. I used a fork but if you have one of those manual juicers that would work just as well, if not a little better (less effort anyway haha). Once you've removed the edible flesh and juice it should look something like this.
To create opportunity for drainage, you need to cut a little cross or x into the bottom of each half you're going to use.
The bottom should now look like this. Plenty of space for excess water to drain out.
Now it's time to fill your orange halves with compost.
Use your finger, as shown, to make holes in the compost for your seeds.
They should look roughly like this.
Place 2-3 seeds in each hole, as shown.
Cover the holes over with a little compost with your finger, and gently press down to firm the compost a little.
Water each orange half lightly.
There you have it! Zero waste, eco friendly, easy seed starters. For me, what makes these even better is that when the baby plants are ready to be planted on, you can put the whole thing into the larger pot/container as the orange peel will rot into the compost.
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Great idea
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Great idea, I am definitely going to try this method. 😀
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Would this work with potting soil?
Could you also use grapefruit peel for this?