You can make pots for veggie starts out of newspaper instead of using plastic pots, or peat pots. One of the biggest advantages of paper over plastic is that newspaper pots can be put directly into the ground, so there is much less disturbance to the plant. This makes newspaper pots especially appropriate for squash plants, as they are especially adverse to having their roots disturbed. This year, I’m doing all our squash starts in newspaper pots. FYI: by “squash” I mean all of the summer annuals in the Squash Family: winter squash, summer squash, pumpkins, cukes, zukes, gourds, watermelons, cantaloupes, etc.

What you’ll need:

• newspaper
• a soup can or jar of similar size
• nursery trays, or something that can fill that function

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I can’t remember where I first heard this recipe, but it was over a decade ago, and it’s still the best one I know of. If you’re doing lots of starts (as in hundreds), this is much more economical than buying bags of potting mix. This is what we’re using this year at the Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Perlite, 4 square feet, preferably “propagation grade”
• 2 bags Worm Castings, 1 square foot each
• 2 blocks, Compressed Coconut Coir, only one size, I’m pretty sure. Might say, “expands to 2.5 cubic feet”

These ingredients are all appropriate for certified organic agriculture.

Coir is the main growing medium here, Perlite is for drainage, and the Worm Castings provide nutrition to the young plants. You can go with one bag of Worm Castings for plants that will spend a very short amount of time in pots before being transplanted out, like Squash (winter, summer, cukes, melons, gourds, etc.).

You can also add fertilizer to this blend. I add an organic complete organic fertilizer to batches of this I’ll be using for needy starts, like Tomatoes.

The Coir tales the place of Peat Moss, which I avoid for two reasons. First, its pH is on the acidic side, and second, it’s acquired by destroying peat bogs. We need to leave the remaining wetlands alone at this point.

You also need a tarp to mix this all on. A flat shovel, hoe, or other long-handled tool is also helpful, but not required.

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