8 Great Ideas for Seed Starting on a Budget

Seed Starting on a Budget?

As the cost of living skyrockets, we’re all looking for ways to save a little coin. Gardening is no exception, and there are plenty of ways we can incorporate reused, refurbished, or repurposed items into our growing spaces. Seed starting is no exception. Many assume that getting all the materials is costly, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are a few ways to keep your seed starting on the cheap. 

PS: The Wild & Free Garden: Transform Your Outdoor Space with Found Materials, Community Sharing, and Creative Ingenuity by Stephanie Rose is a phenomenal resource for saving some green while going green.

Look for Free Seeds

Don’t have a stock of saved seeds from previous growing seasons? Look for Seedy Saturday or gardening initiatives within your community, and you will likely find some free seeds. My municipality recently announced on social media that residents are invited to pop by the library and take up to six free packets of seeds for fruits and vegetables that grow well in our region. This is more than enough to get a home garden started. Check out community gardening initiatives, or reach out to friends and neighbors to organize a seed swap. You don’t have to spend big money on seeds to grow some food this summer. 

Upcycled and DIY Seed Containers

We should all be working toward reducing plastic use, and we all know the gardening industry is guilty of producing too much. I’m looking at you, massive pile of empty plastic pots under my balcony.

Seed starting containers don’t have to be fancy. Empty egg cartons, individual-sized yogurt cups, toilet paper rolls, milk cartons, or newspaper rolled around pot makers all work perfectly for seed starting. If you’re reusing a plastic container, make sure you poke holes at the bottom for proper drainage.

Collect and clean out larger yogurt containers for when it’s time to transplant seedlings into a bigger home. There’s no need to buy plastic trays with cells; you likely already have everything you need at home! An easy win for starting seeds on a budget.

Upcycled Seed Trays     

I can’t even begin to tell you how many store-bought seed trays have cracked right down the middle in my household. I despise them and have resolved never to buy another. Instead, I use empty plastic salad containers (the lids double as domes for germination!), foil casserole pans, or any other shallow container I find lying around the house. Basically, if it can hold some seed containers and water, it’s good enough for me. 

DIY Greenhouse Domes

Seeds need humidity and warmth to germinate; covering your containers will help speed up the process. Right up there with my intolerance for store-bought seed-starting trays is my disdain for the store-bought plastic seed-tray dome. Plastic salad containers with lids work wonders; after the seeds germinate, either open the lid or cut it off. Plastic wrap serves just as well for trapping humidity, and so do plastic bags draped loosely over the pots. In her book, The Wild & Free Garden, Stephanie Rose recommends using a clear umbrella propped above your grow set-up. The possibilities for starting seeds on a budget are endless! 

DIY Plant Labels

When I buy popsicles for my kids, they know the seed-starting season must be around the corner. I need the sticks to label all of my plants! There’s absolutely no need to buy labels at a store; you can use branches, wine corks, cut-up cardboard (if it doesn’t get wet), or plastic containers. You can also use a permanent marker to simply write the plant variety on the outside of the container you’re using, especially if it’s plastic, though my kids don’t recommend it. They think the popsicle stick route is the way to go.  

Simple Lighting Solutions

Grow lights can be intimidating; the market is flooded with options, so what to choose? When it comes to seed-starting lights, there’s no need to stress. You can buy legitimate grow lights, but you can also use standard shop lights equipped with 40-watt fluorescent bulbs.

Upcycled or Repurposed Shelving

You’ll need plenty of shelving to accommodate your seed trays and artificial lighting. I have very inexpensive, adjustable wire rack shelving on wheels; these do the trick beautifully. Drive around town on large item pick-up day; another person’s junk might be a treasure! You can also build an inexpensive seed-starting station using stair risers. I built a really cute shelf for my plants, and the materials cost hardly anything! 

DIY Seed-Starting Mix

No, you can’t use regular garden soil to start your seeds. Yes, you can buy seed-starting mix at any local nursery or big-box store. Or, you could make your own for less money! Here’s an easy recipe that respect the principles of starting seeds on a budget (courtesy of Stephanie Rose’s Garden Alchemy: 80 Recipes and Concoctions for Organic Fertilizers, Plant Elixers, Potting Mixes, Pest Deterrents, and more): 

Peat-Free Seed-Starting Recipe

• • 3 parts screened and sterilized compost
  • 1 part coconut coir
  • 1 part rice hulls 
  • 1 part perlite 
  • 1 part vermiculite