How to Make Recycled Plant Pots

With little explorers spending more time at home and plenty of hours to fill, there's never been a better excuse to get stuck into a spot of gardening!

Gardening is a brilliant way to keep children entertained while helping them discover the wonders of the natural world. There's something rather magical about planting a tiny seed and watching it slowly transform into a little green shoot — especially when your child has been responsible for looking after it.

You don't need a huge garden or lots of fancy equipment, either. With a few bits and pieces you've probably already got tucked away at home, you can make your own biodegradable plant pots and recycled seed trays. It's a lovely way to introduce children to growing their own plants while also talking about recycling, reusing and looking after our planet. So grab your newspaper, rescue that old egg carton from the recycling and get ready to grow!

Biodegradable & Recycled Plant Pots

These clever little DIY plant pots are not only made from recycled newspaper, they're also biodegradable. That means when your seedlings are big enough and ready to move outside, you can plant the whole pot straight into the soil. It's a wonderful opportunity for children to see what happens to natural materials over time and learn how newspaper can break down once it's in the ground. Best of all, they take just a few minutes to make and require only one sheet of newspaper and a cup or jar. Perfect for a rainy afternoon, a sunny spring morning or any time you fancy getting your little green fingers moving!

What you'll need

• One full sheet of black-and-white newspaper

• A plastic cup or glass jar

• Compost or potting soil

• Seeds of your choice

• Water

A little note: Stick to plain black-and-white newspaper and avoid shiny or heavily coloured paper, as some inks, coatings or materials may not be suitable for use around plants.

How to make your newspaper plant pot

Step 1: Fold your newspaper

Lay one full sheet of broadsheet newspaper flat. Fold it in half lengthways, and then fold it in half again to create one long, narrow strip. Don't worry about making perfect folds — this is gardening, not origami!

Step 2: Find the right-sized cup

Choose a plastic cup or glass jar that's not too tall. Ideally, it should be around half the length of the narrow side of your folded newspaper. Lay the cup on its side at one end of the newspaper strip, leaving roughly half of the strip overlapping the open end of the cup.

Step 3: Roll it up

Now for the fun bit! Roll the newspaper around the cup, making sure you use the full length of the newspaper strip. Keep rolling until the cup is completely covered. It doesn't need to be perfect. In fact, a slightly wonky pot is all part of the fun!

Step 4: Fold the bottom

You'll now have some newspaper sticking out beyond the open end of the cup. Push these overlapping pieces of newspaper down into the open end of the cup. You can fold, scrunch and tuck them however you like — there's no need to make it particularly neat.

Step 5: Make the base

Carefully pull the cup out of your newspaper pocket. You should now have something that looks rather like a little newspaper pot! Take the bottom of your cup and push it into the base of the newspaper pot, gently squashing the folded newspaper down. This helps flatten and secure the bottom so it can hold compost and a seedling without everything falling out. Pull the cup or jar out again and... Ta-da! You've made your very own recycled, biodegradable plant pot.

Time to get planting!

Now comes the really exciting part. Fill your newspaper pot with compost and choose a few seeds to plant. Sunflowers, cress, herbs, beans and peas are all great options for little gardeners. Give them a little water and find a lovely sunny spot for them to grow. Then comes the hardest part of all... waiting!

Encourage your children to check their plants regularly, water them when needed and keep an eye out for those first tiny green shoots. You could even keep a little gardening diary and let your children draw pictures or record how tall their plants grow each week. It's a lovely way to help them understand that plants need water, light, warmth and a little bit of care to thrive. 

And when your seedling is ready to move outside, simply plant the whole newspaper pot directly into the soil. The paper will naturally break down over time, allowing the roots to continue growing.

Egg Carton Seed Trays

If you don't have a newspaper to hand, don't worry — your recycling box might contain everything you need for another brilliant gardening activity. Enter the humble egg carton! Instead of putting your empty egg cartons straight into the recycling, turn them into miniature seed trays. Carefully cut off the lid if necessary, then fill each little compartment with compost. Pop a seed into each section, cover it with a little more compost and give everything a gentle sprinkle of water. Then place your homemade seed tray somewhere warm and bright, such as a sunny windowsill.

Now let the growing begin! Children will love checking their little seeds every day, giving them a drink and watching for the first signs of life. It's a simple activity, but it can provide weeks of excitement as those tiny seedlings grow bigger and stronger.

Make it a mini growing challenge

Why not plant something different in each section of your egg carton?

You could try:

• 🌻 Sunflowers for a splash of colour

• 🌱 Cress for quick-growing green fingers

• 🌿 Herbs such as basil or parsley

• 🫘 Beans and peas for something a little bigger

• 🌼 Wildflower seeds to help attract bees and butterflies

Label each section with lolly sticks, scraps of cardboard or little homemade signs so your children know what's growing where.

Grow, learn and get muddy!

Gardening isn't just a great way to fill an afternoon. It's a chance for children to get hands-on with nature and discover where plants come from, how they grow and why looking after our environment matters. There's something wonderfully satisfying about making something from an item that might otherwise have been thrown away — and even more satisfying when that little recycled pot eventually turns into a beautiful plant!

So roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty and see what you can grow together. And remember: there's no such thing as too much mud when you're growing something wonderful!