Secrets to Scoring Cheap Seed Starting Supplies

I have a confession: I&#;m a dollar store junkie. I especially love going to the dollar store to get my car camping fix.

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If you&#;ve ever wandered the aisles of your local 99¢ Only (or in some states, there&#;s the absolutely fantastic Japanese 100-yen store called Daiso&#;which, silly as it sounds, is actually the $1.50 store once you convert the currency), you might be overwhelmed by all the cheap and practical car camping goods you can buy, especially for cooking in camp.

I always stock up on dish rags, scrubby sponges, plastic tablecloths, aluminum pans, aluminum foil, food containers, and zip-top bags on my dollar store sprees. I also replace utensils (especially grilling utensils) that get lost or left behind at campgrounds and cabins.

You know what else the dollar store is good for?

Cheap seed starting supplies.

While I always encourage repurposing and reusing containers you already have around the house, sometimes you need to buy a few things to round out your collection, and the dollar store is a great way to get started with minimal expense.

Anyone who says seed starting is an expensive endeavor should look beyond the traditional garden centers and nurseries, and even beyond the gardening aisle of their local dollar store.

Strange as it sounds, the best seed starting supplies are actually found in the non-gardening aisles, and they can save you a lot of money, especially if you just want to try things out.

But before I go into what you should buy, I&#;ll explain what you should never buy from the dollar store, no matter how tempting the deal may be.

Disclosure: If you shop from my article or make a purchase through one of my links, I may receive commissions on some of the products I recommend.

What NOT to buy at the dollar store

Don&#;t buy: Seeds or soil

First, never buy seeds or soil&#;those are two things worth splurging for from a reputable seed catalog or supplier.

You never truly know the origin of the seeds and soil you find at the dollar store, whether they&#;re actually organic or even contaminated, how the seeds have been stored and what kind of germination rate to expect. (Sometimes it&#;s zero, and by the time you realize your seeds won&#;t sprout, you&#;ve already lost a couple of weeks.)

Seeds and soil are the foundation of your whole garden, so it pays to know your sources.

Don&#;t buy: Gardening gloves (unless they&#;re your throwaway pair)

Second, don&#;t bother buying gardening gloves from the dollar store. I&#;ve worn through countless pairs of cheap gloves, sometimes several a season, and in the end it just makes more sense to invest in a good, sturdy pair that will last a long time.

(I&#;ve been using these same gloves for years and love them. The gauntlet version is also great for really getting into the weeds and prickly bushes. If you want more options, check out my reviews of the best gardening gloves.)

In a pinch the cheapies will work, but think of them as disposables so you won&#;t be disappointed when you blow a hole through the fingers.

I also rarely wear gloves for everyday gardening tasks, and never when I&#;m seed starting.

I like the feeling of soil between my hands&#;not to mention the smell of fresh earth&#;and my gloves only go on for heavy weeding, lifting, picking, or shoveling.

Along the same lines, don&#;t buy pruners, trowels, or other essential gardening tools because they seem like such a good bargain.

They&#;re not as sharp or durable as heftier tools from reliable brands, and you&#;ll end up replacing them sooner than you think.

There is nothing more frustrating than a tool that doesn&#;t perform or breaks in the middle of a job&#;I&#;ve been there.

(Though to be fair, I do have a dollar-store trowel that&#;s been with me for a few years, but only because it&#;s a backup that gets used once a year to stir up soft, fluffy potting soil.)

My recommended tools for getting the job done right:

That said, here are the things you should buy from the dollar store, and with proper care and storage, those cheap seed starting supplies can last several seasons.

Cheap seed starting supplies worth buying from the dollar store

Use multipurpose wash tubs for mixing soil and amendments.

Dollar store deal: Wash tub

This multipurpose tub works well for mixing soil and amendments (especially if you&#;re making your own potting mix), moving compost, bottom-watering small pots, and hauling supplies to and from your potting bench.

Together with a roll of plastic cling wrap (just cover the top and poke a few holes in the plastic), you can make a mini greenhouse for starting seeds in a warm environment without the need for heating mats.

Cookie sheets make inexpensive drip trays for seed starting pots.

Dollar store deal: Cookie sheet or baking pan

These things are so versatile. They make great drip trays for starter plugs, seedling flats, planter boxes, or lots of little pots.

When you&#;re ready to harden off your seedlings, cookie sheets make it easy to transport all the containers in and out of the house.

Set up a repotting station with several aluminum pans for holding seedlings and catching runoff soil.

Dollar store deal: Aluminum pan

Similar to the cookie sheet above, but not really sturdy enough if you plan to move your seedlings around.

On the upside, these aluminum pans are huge and work well as drip trays for lots of different pots.

If I need to repot seedlings, I usually have a row of these lined up on the table like so: two or three aluminum pans for holding all the seedlings, one filled with potting soil, and another for the actual potting task.

You can also poke some holes in the bottom of these pans (for drainage), fill them with seed starting mix, and use them to sprout your seeds.

Rubber-backed mats can spillproof any surface.

Dollar store deal: Rubber doormat

To protect your indoor surfaces from drips and spills, a thin, rubber-backed mat that you can hose off is a practical solution.

You can also use them as a cheap landing pad for muddy shoes before or after you walk in the door.

Cheap paper pots are a great alternative to DIY newspaper pots when you&#;re short on time.

Dollar store deal: Paper pots

I&#;m a fan of these paper pots when I don&#;t have the time to make newspaper pots at home.

They last just long enough until my seedlings are ready to be transplanted (usually a month or so) and I can plant them right in the ground with my seedlings or simply add the paper pots to the compost pile.

I usually keep a couple of packages around as back-up containers when I run out of reusable plastic pots.

Plastic cups work well as seed starting pots with a few holes poked in the bottom for drainage.

Dollar store deal: Plastic party cups

Poke some holes in the bottoms of these plastic cups with a nail, and you&#;ve got instant seed starting pots you can reuse for a season or two.

They&#;re also a good choice for potting up excess seedlings, starter plants, cuttings, and divisions you want to gift to friends.

A spray bottle is essential for watering new seedlings.

Dollar store deal: Spray bottle

For seed starting, I always use a spray bottle to moisten the soil without unearthing the seeds.

They might seem flimsy at first, but I&#;ve had good luck with my dollar-store spray bottles. I think they&#;re able to last a few seasons because they&#;re only used for a short time and then stored away.

You can also use them for mixing up a small batch of DIY insecticidal soap.

Stash a few watering cans around the yard to top off containers as needed.

Dollar store deal: Watering can

When your seedlings have moved into larger pots, you can start watering them with a regular watering can.

I like to keep a few of these around the yard so I never have to go searching for one if I need to top off a container. Dollar stores are also good places to find smaller watering cans if you have kids that like to help in the garden.

Here&#;s a neat trick: Plastic knives can be used as plant markers.

Dollar store deal: Plastic utensils for plant markers

A cheap and easy way to label a whole season&#;s worth of plants. I like to write on the blades of plastic knives (which typically have a wider surface) and then stick them in the soil.

(One thing I&#;ll mention, as I get a lot of questions about this, is you should avoid using plastic forks as a cat deterrent. There are many other ways to keep cats out of your garden that aren&#;t such an eyesore.)

If you can find them, wooden craft sticks are also handy for marking seedlings in the short term, but they&#;ll eventually mold or rot.

Clip a clothespin to the edge of your seed starting pot and use it as a plant marker.

Dollar store deal: Clothespins

Write the name of your plant on a clothespin (plenty of permanent markers can be found in the school supplies aisle) and clip it to the edge of your pot. Instant plant marker!

These plastic ones will last the longest, but wooden clothespins will do in a pinch.

Use the coffee filter method to test older seeds or germinate seeds that like to take their sweet time.

Dollar store deal: Zip-top bags and coffee filters

If you plan to start your seeds using the coffee filter (baggie) method, both of your supplies can be found in the same aisle.

Cheap zip-top bags are also handy for storing seeds that you&#;ve saved, among a hundred other uses around the house.

Plastic bins are the ultimate seed storage containers, especially if you categorize seed packets by bin.

Dollar store deal: Plastic bin for seed storage

This is a great score from the dollar store. You can keep all your seed packets organized in this covered container, and store your plant markers, clips and ties, extra bags and coffee filters, and other supplies in a second one.

If you&#;re a seed hoarder like I am, you can take it one step further and categorize your seeds by bin.

For example, all your nightshades in the first bin, legumes in the second bin, squash and melons in the third, herbs and flowers in the fourth (and so on). Or if your seed collection is smaller, you can store all warm-season seeds in one bin and cool-season seeds in another bin.

When it&#;s time to start seeds, all you have to do is grab a bin and go. (I talk more about good seed storage techniques in this article.)

Label the bins with a Sharpie and stack them on a shelf for quick, convenient access to all your seeds when it&#;s planting time.

I&#;m a fan of this method because the transparent bins make it easy to check at a glance what you may be running low on at the beginning of the season.

Organize hand tools, gloves, clips, twine, and other supplies in storage caddies.

Dollar store deal: Storage caddy

I&#;ve found all kinds of caddies in the organization and kitchen aisles; these are the same baskets you might use to store toiletries.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit cheap seed starting trays.

But for seed starting, they&#;re an excellent way to keep all your supplies organized in the closet, shed, or potting bench.

Think: hand tools in one caddy, plant markers and spray bottles in the next caddy, and gloves and twine in another.

Stock up on cheap dish towels and use them as garden-only cleaning rags.

Dollar store deal: Dish towels

I stock up on dollar-store towels to use as cleaning rags. You really can&#;t go wrong with them for the price.

Related: DIY Tool Cleaning Station: The Fastest Way to Clean Garden Tools

If you know you&#;re going to be spending the whole day on your knees, digging in the dirt, fold up a few towels and place them under your knees for some cushion.

Harvest root vegetables in a plastic hamper and hose them off before bringing them in the house.

Dollar store deal: Plastic hamper

I assume this tiny hamper is intended for tiny loads of laundry (a few of my jeans would fill it to the top!), but it&#;s perfect for keeping all your gardening supplies together and tidy.

When your plants start producing, it&#;ll make an excellent harvest basket. You can also gather all your root vegetables in the basket and hose them off before bringing them inside the house.

You can cover seedlings and frost-sensitive plants with buckets when a freeze is expected overnight.

Dollar store deal: Bucket

Store your soil, vermiculite, perlite, compost, and fertilizer in multiple buckets to mix and match as needed for your perfect potting mix.

You&#;ll find endless other uses for a bucket in the garden, like carrying bulbs, seed packets, small stakes, compost tea, mulch, and water from place to place.

In a pinch, you can also use buckets to cover seedlings and frost-sensitive plants if a cold snap is expected overnight. (Just remember to uncover them in the morning.)

Buy cheap brushes for scrubbing root veggies and cheap sponges for wiping your tools.

Dollar store deal: Cleaning supplies

I usually just shake out or hose off my pots between uses, but if you notice a lot of your seedlings dying from damping off or growing fungus on the soil, it&#;s a good idea to give your pots a more thorough cleaning with soap and hot water.

Read next: Why I Don&#;t Wash My Plant Pots (and You Don&#;t Need To Either)

Scrubbers and sponges are abundant at the dollar store, so you can keep a set especially for your garden to wipe off tools, clean your potting bench or utility sink, or scrub the dirt off root vegetables before you bring them inside.

This post updated from an article that originally appeared on February 19, .

View the Web Story on best gardening supplies from the dollar store.

Seed starting trays are one of the easiest ways to start vegetable, flower, and other plant seedlings indoors before the weather warms up. They come in a variety of sizes, with different features, and materials, but which ones are best?

Are some seed starting trays better then others and why? This is what I set out to find out this years growing season, in my quest to grow more of my own vegetables at home!

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Are Seed Starting Trays Absolutly Necessary?

In past years, I never really used seed starting trays and always went with a collection of mixed solo cups, old flower pots , yogurt containers, egg cartons, basically whatever I could find and put soil in! While all these containers do work, and can be a great way to garden on a budget, I never really found that much success with my mix and match approach.

The main problem with this approach is that it simply makes things harder to manage. The various containers all require different amounts of water to stay moist, they take up way more space, and you have to move each seedling individually should you want to move them out, under grow lights or into a new window sill.

In short, are seed starter trays necessary for the beginner gardener? No, not exactly, but they sure do make life a whole lot easier, and dramatically improve your chances of success!

Why would we recommend using seed starting trays?

Seed starter trays make life a whole lot easier by conveniently grouping seedlings into easy to manage trays.

• It is much easier to provide adequate lighting when all the seedlings are grouped closely together instead of being spaced out in various size containers. The trays easily fit under grow lights, and can easily be moved around as a group.
• As the seed tray cells are all a uniform size, it is much easier to water, and stay on top of the moistures requirements of the various seedlings. As the seed trays all contain proper drainage, they also help prevent over watering the seedlings.
• It is much easier to plant similar types of plants in their own trays, for example herbs in one, lettuces in another, etc. This helps when needing to harden off or transplant certain seedlings before others.
• Some seed trays even come with clear plastic covers or domes, which help regulate moisture, especially in the beginning phases of germination and growth.

Different Seed Starting Tray Materials and Designs

Most often seed starting trays are made of rigid plastic and are reusable, or are made of super thin recyclable plastic that is meant to be thrown away after using. Some are a combo of plastic drip tray with bio-degradable cells or peat pellets that can later be planted right into the garden.

There are a wide range of designs to choose from, and it can be overwhelming, especially for new gardeners.

Which you'll end up choosing depends on several factors and we'll go over some of the most common designs in this guide to help you decide what will work best for you.

Seed Tray Sizes

Most seed starter trays come in a 10" x 20" size, but differ in the amount of 'cells' or individual plants that can be planted in the tray.

The more cells a tray has, the shorter the time frame before the seedlings out grow the tray and need to be planted out or transplanted into larger containers.

Tray sizes range from 12 cell trays - 128 cell trays! In my experience, tray sizes between 24 cells and 48 cells work best and will safely keep your plants indoors for 4 to 8 weeks before needing to be transplanted.

• Trays with a high number of cells (and thus a shorter growth time indoors) work especially well for lettuces such as spinach, kale, and head lettuces, which can be transplanted out into the garden sooner, either under hoop tunnels or in cold frames, then other plants.
• Trays with a smaller number of cells (for example 24 - 36 cells per tray) are ideal for plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, herbs, and squashes.

Root vegetables, should when possible always be planted directly in the garden and not transplanted.

If you see roots coming out of the cells or peat pellet inserts, it's time to transplant the seedlings into a larger container or into the garden.

Bio-degradable inserts vs plastic cell trays

Which style of seed starter tray you choose is ultimately up to you.

Bio-degradable cell inserts are great, and make transplanting easy as the entire 'cell' is simply transplanted directly into a larger container or into the garden, and the tray material bio-degrades. They do need to be replaced yearly though and have a tendency to develop mold easier then plastic cell trays do.

Plastic seed starter trays are mostly re-usable, especially the more rigid plastic celled trays. The seedlings can be slightly harder to remove from the trays at transplanting time though, and you may need to use a butter knife, or spoon handle to help loosens the sides of the individual cells.

Never pull on the seedling stems to try and remove the cell from the tray as you will most probably damage the plant!

Additional accessories for your seed trays

Consider these accessories when starting and growing seedlings indoors. They make life a whole lot easier, and increase your chances of success! If you have to pick just one of them, I will always recommend grow lights be the first upgrade to your indoor seedlings!

• LED Grow Lights- specially designed lights to provide the proper amount of lights seedlings require to prevent growth issues.
• Heat Mats- help by keeping soil temperatures consistently warm, speeding up and aiding in germination rates.
• Base Trays- provide drainage for trays with drainage holes, and allow you to water your seedlings from below. Tis can help prevent disease and pest problems!
• Clear Dome Lid- Help keep heat and moisture in the seed tray. Especially important when waiting for seeds to germinate. A great and cheap investment when heat mats are not possible.

The Best Seed Starting Trays For Beginner Gardeners

In our quest to discover which seed trays work best for our vegetable garden needs, we purchased and trialed three of the most commonly available styles of seed starting trays. Biodegradable cell inserts on a plastic base tray, peat pellet inserts with a base tray, and a rigid plastic celled tray with a base for watering.

Jiffy Professional Greenhouse 72-Cell Starter kit

Review:

A great seed starting tray for beginners, just add water and the peat pellets expand. No need for extra potting soil, or filling pots. Seeds sprout quickly and the clear heat dome helps retain moisture, reducing the need to water as often. Downside to this size tray is the short growing time before the seedlings need to be moved to larger pots or transplanted into the garden. Plan accordingly. Perfect for lettuces or plants that can be transplanted within a week or two of germination.

Pros:

• Easy to plant peat pellets
• Comes with clear lid to retain moisture
• Comes with base tray for easy watering
• No need to purchase potting soil

Cons:

• Seedlings quickly outgrow the peat pellets
• pellets need to be replaced after each use

Check Price On Amazon

32 Cell Peat Pot Strips

Review:

Large peat pots provide enough space for plants to grow for 6 to 8 weeks. Perfect for tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, or squash seedlings. Base tray allows for easy watering, though care must be taken not to overwater to prevent mold growth. We found cutting the strips apart before planting made transplanting easier, with less disturbance to the plants. A great, easy to use tray for most plants.

Pros:

• Bio-degradable inserts make planting and transplanting easy
• Larger cell size allows for seedlings to stay indoors longer nd develop healthy root systems
• Comes with base tray for easy watering
• Allows for longer growth time before transplanting

Cons:

• Inserts need to be replaced yearly
• Requires a solid watering tray (sold separately)
• Requires potting soil to fill.

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Re-Useable 72 Cell Plug Tray

Review:

The re-useable nature of this seed tray requires only adding new potting soil before each use. The deep 1.8 inch plugs allow for more root development despite the high cell count. We found the seedlings to easily grow for up to 4-6 weeks before requiring transplanting. Perfect for herbs, peppers, lettuces etc. Plugs are harder to remove at transplant time though and require loosening of the sides with a spoon or popsicle stick, increasing the chances of damaging roots.

Pros:

• Entire plastic tray is reusable
• Each cell has dedicated drainage hole
• Deep 1.8" cells allow for more root development.

Cons:

• requires base tray for drainage
• seedlings are harder to remove then with bio-degradable inserts or pellets

Check Price On Amazon

Summary

Over all we found that all three styles of seed starting trays had their own pros and cons making them great for different things. With all trays we tried, we found planting 2-3 seeds per cell and then trimming back to just one seedling after sprouting to give the best results.

The small Jiffy peat plugs where great for starting lettuces, herbs, and brassicas that can be transplanted out sooner even in cool weather. Tomatoes and cucumbers struggled in these peat plugs due to the limited growing space for the roots and required transplanting into larger pots fairly quickly.

The larger 32 peat pots where wonderful for plants that require more time to establish before being planted out. Tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and squashes all did well in this tray for up to 8 weeks. The only downside was the need to separate and space out some of the plants once they grew so large they where shading the other seedlings.

The re-useable 72 cell tray with 2 inch plugs worked surprisingly well, even for our larger plants, such as tomatoes and peppers. The deeper cell plugs allowed the plants to stay in the trays longer then expected. Removing the plugs without damaging the roots was a bit of a challenge though and took some getting the hang of.

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