Snowed last week, but mostly melted now. With all the talk about spring
around the corner, I'm thinking about starting peppers in newspaper
pots. Any current advices? In particular, I've read that (corn?)
gluten is a inhibitor, so I use something like flour as glue, will that
be a problem? Or is there a good way to hold the pot together with just
the newspaper?

Here's an article that is pretty much representative of past advice:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ne...lr=&ie=UTF-8&s
elm=2llnvi%24ftk%40hpbab.mentorg.com&rnum=1

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A Guide to Making Newspaper seed pots!


If you want to make a few of them, then...
You Need:

A newspaper (perferably one that prints with soy ink)
A Pill Bottle (or something round about the diameter of a Silver
Dollar) A Roll of Masking Tape (optional)

Tear newspapers into strips about four inches wide
Roll newspaper strips around pill bottle, leaving about an inch
overhanging Fold overhanaging part down around the bottom of the pill
bottle. Tape toghether with a small piece of masking tape
Slide pill bottle out.
Repeat.


If you want to make a bazillion of them, then...

You Need:

A bunch of newspaper (perferably one that prints with soy ink)
A Pill Bottle (or something round about the diameter of a Silver
Dollar) A Couple of Rolls of Masking Tape (optional)
A Daytimer or other scheduler
A Group of Boy Scouts or other Youth Service Organization

October: Collect all the newspaper that you can from you neighbors and
friends.
Boy Scouts are particulary skilled at this.

November: Shred the paper in 4 inch strips starting November 1, and
working
right of through the Thanksgiving Holidays (for those in the U.S.A).

December: Start Making the seed pots at about a million per day through
Christmas (for those who celebrate it) intersperse your seed pot making
with doing other holiday decorations.

January: Fill the approximitly bazillion seed pots with seed potting mix
(see
another post for amounts and quantities) Order Seeds from Catalog or
if making for the following season, start watching the commodities
market)

NOTE: Here is where the Schedular comes in handy. For the month of
february there are several task that need to happen consecutively.

February: Plant seeds in seed potitng mix that is placed in the
bazillion
newspaper seed pots. Water well.
February 2nd: Clean up water that over flowed unto the floor from
watering
too many newspaper seed pots.
February 3rd: Seed pots dry out. Water again. (there is assumption that
you have some sort of handy method to water all bazillion seed pots
in a 24 our period.
March: Frist sign of seedlings, thin them out
March 17: St. Patricks Day, sit in seedling room around the green plants
(if
you celebrate)
April: Mold hits, seedlings die. Discard bazillion seed pots in
compost pile. May: Start cruising the K-Mart for seedlings
June: (Zone 8) Plant seedlings in garden, Cover using Plastic Milk Jugs
as
frost protectors. If you don't have plastic Milk Jugs, have Boy Scouts
collect them.

July: Mulch seedlings using the bazillion seed pot compost.
August: Harvest early fruting plants
September: Harvest everything else.
October: Collect all the newspaper that you can from your neighbors and
friends.
Make this an annual event.
November: Take newspaper to recycler get paid real money so you can buy
seedlings in the spring.



Here's to good gardening,

rick