How to Make Pots That Will Rot Away

Garden stores sell biodegradable pots for planting seedlings, designed to rot away as the plant takes root. Biodegradable pots can be used for both planting in the ground and in containers. However, you can also make your own biodegradable seedling pots out of newspaper. Not only do you save money, but you recycle old papers at the same time. Fill newspaper pots with potting soil to start your seedlings, then transplant the whole pot into the ground or a larger container.

Newspaper, printed with black ink only
Glass pasta sauce or peanut butter jar
Scissors
Paper tape
Potting soil

Instructions

- 1
  Lay out a single sheet of newspaper on a flat surface.
- 2
  Lay a glass jar horizontally on the edge of the newspaper so that the top 2 to 3 inches of the jar is off the paper.
- 3
  Cut vertically up the sheet of paper approximately 3 inches past where the bottom of the jar touches it. This will create a lip of paper under the jar that you can fold in to create the bottom of the pot.
- 4
  Roll the strip of paper around the jar until no more paper is left.
- 5
  Fold the paper inward to touch the bottom of the jar. Fold one small section at a time diagonally over the folded piece before it, creating a flat pinwheel-shaped base. Using a jar with a concave bottom will help in this step, though it is not necessary.
- 6
  Set the folded paper upright, with the opening at the top.
- 7
  Place a piece of paper tape along the bottom of the pot to hold it together.
- 8
  Fill the paper pot with potting soil and plant it where desired.

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