Without paper milk cartons, I wouldn’t know how to get along in my garden. They are durable enough to last a long time and easy to dispose of.
We have to buy them when we buy milk; it is a waste of money to throw them away and buy something else to use for the same purpose.
Uses Of Milk Cartons
Good Flats for Planting Seeds
Cartons make good flats for planting seeds in the hotbed or greenhouse. For this purpose, cut out one side of the carton and staple the pouring spout shut.
Then punch one or two holes in the bottom for drainage, and they are ready to use. They will last long enough for seedlings to reach transplanting sin, and then they are discarded.
Good for Transplanting
As individual pots for tomatoes or peppers, the cartons permit keeping plants in the greenhouse longer and transplanting out without disturbing the roots.
When I use them for pots, I cut out both ends and then set them on a board or concrete shelf.
The seed may be planted directly in the pot, or small seedlings may be transplanted into them.
When it is time to set out the plants, dig a hole large enough to hold the pot and set it in the ground.
Then slit one corner with a knife and lift out the sleeve. The roots are not disturbed, and the plants will continue to grow as if they had not been moved.
I plant enough melons for a hill in each carton for early melons. When the vines have the second or third leaves, the roots will have reached the bottom of the sleeve.
They are then transplanted in the same manner as tomatoes. This makes it possible to have melons two or three weeks earlier than planting in the open.
As Sturdy Hot Caps
Milk cartons make sturdy hot caps for protecting plants from cold weather in the spring.
In this case, remove the top end of the carton, turn them over the plants and push them down into the ground far enough to prevent blowing off.
To protect tender plants from wind, both ends are removed, and the sleeve is put around the plants. This allows them to get sunlight without being whipped about by the wind.
As Cool Caps In Summer
Cartons can also be used as cool caps in summer to protect newly transplanted plants.
When the strawberry crop is over, I start transplanting new plants into next year’s location as soon as they have developed roots. This is early in July in our locality.
I set the plants and turned a carton over them to keep off the hot sun. I remove the cartons each evening and replace them the next morning.
This allows the plants to get some sunshine and night dew. Once the roots have developed enough to maintain the plant, they are left off.
New trans shifted to them. This method ensures strawberry plants are large enough to bear the next year and eliminates the loss of a year in getting a new patch started.
44659 by D. C. Marshall