Don't Toss Old Muffin Tins When You Could Reuse Them In Your Garden

While there are many great seed starting trays available, you don't need to purchase any of them to be able to start your own seeds indoors. Instead, you can find free containers everywhere from in your recycling bin to the back of your baking cabinet. You can even plant seeds in egg cartons. While there are a range of great options for products to use to start seeds, muffin tins have some advantages. The tin's compartments are perfect for keeping your seedlings organized if you want to start multiple different veggies or flowers at the same time. And since cupcake liners slip in perfectly, it's a snap to take out your seedlings at planting time. The liners are also essential for providing proper drainage.

If you don't already have an old muffin tin that needs to be used, you can often find a perfect one at the thrift store. Alternatively, disposable aluminum muffin tins are available at grocery stores for a very reasonable price.

Seed starting indoors can be a lot of fun, but also a bit overwhelming. So start by getting together all your supplies. In addition to your muffin tin and liners, you'll also need your seeds and clean soilless seed starting mix. (Seed starting mix is similar to potting mix but generally has a finer texture.) Poke drainage holes in the bottom of the liners and then place one into each compartment in the muffin tin. Next, fill each liner with the seed starting mix. Then, following the instructions on the seed packets, plant your seeds into each liner. Make sure to label which plants are growing where.

Then it's just a matter of caring for the seedlings until they're ready to move outside. Keep your growing medium moist, but not waterlogged. If you accidentally overwater your seeds, you can lift out the liners and dump out extra water that has collected in the bottom of the muffin tins. It's also important to put your seed starting set-up in an area where there is plenty of light. This could mean putting them in a south-facing window, or you could opt to grow your seeds under lights.

Muffin tins have another great use once you're ready to transplant your seedlings to their permanent home in your garden. You can use the tin to space the young plants by using its bottom as a stencil. Just press it gently into the soil, and then you can use the grid created to help space out your plants evenly. Be sure to check the recommendation for the specific species you're growing to make sure the spacing works well for this crop.