Milk Jug Greenhouses to Start a Garden Now

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Usually I guild nearly of my garden seeds for the twelvemonth in January or Feb. A few weeks later I put together milk jug greenhouses. These piece of cake, miniature greenhouses help give seedlings a jump start on the growing season.

You can make them any time before your final frost date. This mail service will explain how to make the miniature greenhouses, what supplies you need and tips for starting your garden early.

Milk Jug Greenhouses

What Are Milk Jug Greenhouses?

In order to germinate, seeds need a medium (seed starter mix), a little water, warmth and time. Sunlight is important, but equally you lot will notice with these seed starter milk jugs, very footling sunlight actually enters the container through the top hole.

Much like a hoop business firm or typical walk in greenhouse, the milk jug greenhouses keep seedlings warm and safety from the elements. Information technology's also another way to alive dark-green, by recycling milk jugs. By making a milk jug greenhouse you tin can first your growing flavour early on and extend your growing flavor.

This is particular helpful for gardeners who live in climates with a colder season. I live in Northern Ohio where nosotros have full blown wintertime with snowfall and below freezing temperatures. But I don't allow our harsh wintertime ruin my plans to garden.

Milk Jug Garden

When to Use These?

Usually I put my milk jug greenhouses together old in February or March. Depending on the seed and how busy I am, I have even started them as belatedly as mid-April and yet reap some benefit.

In Northern Ohio, where I live, the final frost date is typically mid-May which is the first safe 24-hour interval to plant outside without a run a risk of frost killing a plant or seedling. The milk jug greenhouse allows me to plant earlier than this May engagement and accept fully established seedlings at planting time.

Actually these greenhouses can be made whatever time before that final frost date in your region. Some years I do not become around to transplanting my seeds until a few weeks after the frost date. Here is a frost map to help you determine your final frost engagement.

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Milk Jug Greenhouse

Why First Your Garden Early?

As I mentioned, starting your seeds early can aid jumpstart the growing season. Instead of planting by seed in May and experiencing a harvest 60 days afterward in July, your first harvest can come a bit sooner and then you take fourth dimension to plant another round of seeds for a fall harvest. Or you might keep your plants going all summer and just extend the season.

Starting your garden early helps yous make the most of the growing season and to extend it. When more than one crop is planted later on another it'due south chosen succession planting. Some other reason to beginning your garden early is to take something fun to practise in the wintertime months.

I'm not sure about you, but by March I'm itching to get outdoors but often nosotros are notwithstanding experiencing snow and frost. I tin can beginning my planting, still, with these milk jug greenhouses which helps break up the monotony of winter.

How to Make Mini Greenhouses

The offset time I fabricated milk jug greenhouses I followed Kevin's winter-sowing process. He also lives in Zone five, which is the same zone I am in, only he is in New York state instead of Ohio. It helps to know your hardiness zone when figuring out when to plant seeds and when to make these greenhouses.

Mini greenhouses tin can exist made from milk jugs or h2o jugs (if you buy water by the gallon). You only need a few other supplies as the entire project tin be completed from beginning to finish in less than two hours. It does not matter if the jug is opaque or more articulate, what matters is that you are creating a greenhouse effect for the bulb to aid it germinate.

Necessary Supplies

Before I share the directions on how to get together the milk jug seed starters, I want to share the supplies you will need in order to brainstorm this project. The gardening and other supplies you will need include:

• Empty, clean gallon jugs
• Box Cutter Pocketknife
• Pocket-size Ice Option or Power Drill
• Seeds (I recommend Botanical Interests)
• Seed Starter Mix
• 5-gallon Bucket
• Something to stir the mixture with (I utilize a paint stick)
• Small Hand Shovel
• Water (tap is fine)
• Permanent Mark & Duct Record

Milk Jug Greenhouse Directions

Now that you lot take all the supplies you lot will need, hither are my step-by-step directions to make the greenhouses. This is exactly how I make them every twelvemonth. I've been doing this for seven years now.

• Salvage and make clean milk jugs or water jugs for a few weeks prior to planting. You lot volition need one jug per variety of plant y'all are growing.

• Cut the top off the milk jugs with a box cutter knife. Leave one side of the top attached, so the jug has a "lid." I recommend making the cutting nigh 2/3 of the way up the container. If y'all cut too low yous won't have plenty room for the seed starting mix.

• Puncture the bottom of the jug with several minor holes for drainage. I used a pocket-size water ice pick to exercise this. You could also apply a power drill. Anywhere from 6-12 holes per jug is good. Set the jugs aside.

• Side by side, pour the seed starter mix into the v-gallon saucepan. Add h2o a little at a time and stir the mixture until all of the seed starter mix is moist (call up brownie batter) just not sopping moisture or dripping. Be sure to use a seed starter mix and Non soil from your yard or garden. If you are starting a lot of seeds at once you may need more than one bag of seed starter.

• Transfer the mixture to each jug using the small hand shovel. I suggest filling each jug with at least two-inches of the mixture to allow room for root growth. And so plant your seeds, i diverseness per jug, according to the directions on each seed packet. Well-nigh packets have a seed starting guide on them. Please note: If the package recommends direct sow only (such as for carrots) those seeds are best to found after your frost date and Not in the milk jug.

• Bend the "lid" back over the jug to close information technology. Seal each jug with duct record. Label the jugs with a permanent mark and leave the cap lids off the jugs. I recommend labeling the record and/or jug in more than than one surface area.

• Place the jugs outside in an area where they will not blow away or be knocked over. This could be in your backyard, on a patio or even a balcony if y'all live in an apartment.

Actress Tips for this Project

After I made make milk jug greenhouses the commencement time I realized I needed to cut the top of the greenhouse higher – near the handle – because mine were tipping over pretty badly. If you cut higher on the jug you can also add together a little more than soil. Also, I recommend mixing your soil with some h2o in a 5-gallon bucket and and so scooping the soil into the containers.

The first year I did this project in our basement and it was rather messy. Now I typically put the jugs together in the garage and so comport them outside once I'm washed. Any mess can simply be done down the bleed in our garage. Alternatively, you lot could as well make these straight outside. I try to pick a "warmer" day to do this projection so I'm more comfortable.

Paint sticks work wonderful for mixing the soil. The start time I made these, I tried "watering" the soil later I put it in the containers and it turned into a mess. Add together the soil to the bucket first, and so add a petty bit of water at a fourth dimension and stir. It should be a thick mush.

Where to Store Mini Greenhouses

Once made you store these milk jugs directly outside. I like to store the jugs close together between two raised beds in our backyard. The commencement twelvemonth I fabricated these they were more than in the open and the sun and rain shell down on the labels and I had a few mystery jugs as a result! This is another reason why it helps to characterization each jug more than in one case.

You tin can write on the jug itself with the permanent marker or on the duct tape – or if you are paranoid like me – you practise both and label each jug at least twice. I also noticed that past storing the jugs close together the labeling tends to not vesture off every bit easily. They are sort of "protected" that way.

Why Exercise I Accept so Many Small-scale Greenhouses?

This photograph higher up is from first yr I made these. I had forty of these greenhouses because I was planting a lot of perennials. I was trying to institute a new landscape after removing four-dozen evergreens from our thou. I do not usually have that many milk jug greenhouses.

Typically I take about 12 to 15 milk jug greenhouses each yr to jumpstart my vegetable garden. Most of the seeds I use in the milk jug garden are vegetable seeds. I practise start some almanac flowers and herbs in the jugs, too.

Here are some of the seeds I purchased through Botanical Interests (my absolute favorite source for organic and heirloom seeds) to use in my milk jug greenhouses this past year:

Milk Jug Garden

Bootleg milk jug greenhouses are a quick and easy way to starting time your garden early. In that location is no demand to wait until after your frost appointment to plant your seeds.

Keep in heed you tin can make these greenhouses anywhere from four to 12 weeks before your concluding frost engagement. The milk jug garden is a simple step toward in ground gardening.

Milk Jug Seed Starters

In Summary

This year volition be my 8th year using the milk jug greenhouses to start my garden early. I actually similar this method and exercise non program on doing anything different anytime soon.

Not only is this an affordable, fun way to start your garden early it also works and helps me to kickoff my garden sooner than most people. Also I save money past planting by seed instead of ownership plants.

Any questions on this tutorial? Delight comment below.

*This post was originally published in 2022 and has been updated and republished for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

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Source: https://blog.hollyhammersmith.com/milk-jug-greenhouses/

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