Eliminate single-use plastic pots and give your seedlings a strong start to life with biodegradable newspaper pots! These simple pots are so easy to make and are great for your garden. 

We LOVE newspaper pots and believe that they are such a simple but effective way to grow a vibrant, healthy garden without plastic.

These are just some of the benefits of newspaper pots:

• Avoid single-use plastic pots and re-purpose old newspapers
• With one Newspaper Pot Maker you can make an infinite number of newspaper pots!
• Easy to make - each newspaper pot takes approx. 1 minute to make. Foolproof and kid-friendly!
• Gives your germinating seeds a secure, sheltered environment to grow into strong seedlings
• Allows you to transplant the whole pot and seedling into the garden, saving the root system from being disturbed 
• Allows you to start growing the next season's crops early so they're ready to plant when the time is right - they'll take off right away!
• The all-natural newspaper (only non-toxic vegetable inks used) breaks down once planted in the soil, allowing the seedling room to grow and adding extra carbon nutrients to the soil to aid with growth

Choosing your Newspaper Pot Maker

We stock two sizes of Newspaper Pot Makers and both are made locally from reclaimed pine timber. Use the larger one to make pots for large seeds (such as beans, peas, corn etc.) and the smaller size for smaller seeds (such as leafy greens, beetroot, carrot, herbs etc.). For small seeds, we recommend sowing a few seeds in each newspaper pot and thinning them after they've had a couple of weeks to grow, keeping only the strongest, healthiest seedlings.

5 Step Method to Making Newspaper Pots (In 1 Minute)

 1. Tear a strip of newspaper

Take a single sheet of newspaper and tear it along the grain of the paper. Tear horizontally along the page - it should tear fairly straight)! 

The width of the strip of newspaper should be approximately 9cm if using a small Newspaper Pot Maker, or about 13cm wide for a large Newspaper Pot Maker.

 2. Wrap the newspaper strip around the mandrel of the Newspaper Pot Maker

Keep the strip level with the edge of the flat part of the Newspaper Pot Maker (below the handle) and wrap the entire strip of newspaper around the mandrel (body) of the Newspaper Pot Maker.

Wrap the strip fairly tight, but keep in mind you have to slip the Newspaper Pot Maker out later.

3. Fold the bottom of the newspaper pot

While holding the rolled newspaper in place with one hand, fold the end of the newspaper under the mandrel. Fold in the loose end first to prevent the end from unraveling. 

4. Press into the Newspaper Pot Maker Tamper

Place the covered mandrel into the tamper. Use the handle to press down hard and twist! This will secure the shape of your newspaper pot.

5. Slip the newspaper pot off the newspaper pot maker

Slide the finished pot off the mandrel and it is ready for use! 

Fill the pot with good potting mix and sow your choice of seed. When the time comes to plant the seedling, leave the newspaper pot in place. The newspaper will quickly break down in the garden, adding a boost of carbon to the soil while avoiding root disturbance. 

Click Here to find your Newspaper Pot Maker at Urban Revolution today. 

We hope you enjoy using this simple trick for plastic-free gardening - let us know how you go!