After someone here (well, on GW at the time) suggested it a few years ago, I have also had excellent luck with the plastic "party" size cups that you get 20 to a bag. I use MG potting soil when potting up and take a hot knife and put 2-3 slits on the bottom and 2-3 around the side. Not too big but enough for drainage and air circulation. They are pretty rooty by the time I plant them out but they seem quite healthy. Sometimes I have to repot a stray cherry or two because they tend to grow so big so fast and I usually put them into a 2 liter cut bottle for a week or so if I have to.

Since we always have them around anyway, I use yoghurt containers. I like these better than styrofoam cups. For larger "pots" I just use cottage cheese tubs.

[quote=flowerpower;54716]Since we always have them around anyway, I use yoghurt containers. I like these better than styrofoam cups. For larger "pots" I just use cottage cheese tubs.[/quote]

Yeah, I've used both of those too. I find that because of their size, the yogurt cups tend to work better as seed starting containers. I've used the cottage cheese tubs, butter tubs, even the containers I get my potato salad in from the grocery stores.

These also make some decent bottom wicking resevoirs in the home-made earthboxes.. provided some other form of support is provided. (The yogurt cups just aren't quite strong enough to support the soil)

Heck, as seed-starting containers, I've also found that the big plastic containers the grocery-store roasted chickens come in work nice. The bottom is just deep enough to act as a tray, and the plastic dome.. PERFECT as a humidity dome :)

Hunter,

For transporting in and out of the garage, I use plastic trays that six packs of canned drinks(like coke) are delivered in. I lucked into them a couple of times when I saw a restaurant throwing them into a dumpster. Their mistake my gain. When not in use they stack.

When my plants are 12 to 18 inches tall I use plastic file crates($4@DollarStores) to transport so they don't fall over. When harvest begins for seed saving I use them to hold the couple hundred tall clear plastic jars I use to ferment my seeds. Oh, and they stack nicely too.

At this rate I'll be out of secrets in a year or two.LOL

Michael

[quote=flowerpower;54716]Since we always have them around anyway, I use yoghurt containers. I like these better than styrofoam cups. For larger "pots" I just use cottage cheese tubs.[/quote]

me too, and I love them (the yogurt cups) :). All it take is to drill a few holes at the bottom, and it doesn't cost anything. For larger container (1-2 litre) I often use the plastic containers from sour cream or cottage cheese. These fit into a standard seedlings tray, and usually last for years (as opposed to the plastic drinking cups that don't stand UV and are good for 1 season only after which they crack)

Every spring I use up to 500-800 containers for various seedlings, and it helps to keep the costs down.

My favorite new containers are those Activia yogurt cups. theyre round but snap off a square sheet- theyve got a lip around the sides.

Im mostly using them with lettuce in a sorta hydroponic setup, but theyre super! they dont nest well tho :-(