Hi all! Earlier this year I got it in my head that I was going to grow some herbs, as I love cooking with fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. I was gifted some seeds (thanks Heather!) and simply needed to get them sprouted before I transitioned them into window boxes.
To be honest, the basil sprouted on its own in the window boxes – everything else needed to be sprouted first. I usually start with seed sprouting soil and seed trays, but after a tasty tofu stir-fry realized that tofu packaging looks just like small seed trays and would work perfectly for the small batches of herbs I was planning to grow.
I used Jiffy Organic Seed Sprouting mix – less than $4 at Lowes – and poked some holes in the bottom of my tofu trays with a pin, then loaded them up with soil. I fill the trays a little more than half way with the soil, then spray them with water to condition the soil. (You can try soaking them, but if you fill them too quickly the soil will literally float away). Next I sprinkle seeds evenly on the soil, spray a few more times, then cover the seeds with another inch or so of seed starter mix and spray some more.
I figure this is an excellent use of the Tofu packaging. I can still recycle it when I’m done, and re-use is the best form of recycling of course. I’ll show you how it all turned out in a future post.
If you’re interested in getting into gardening and don’t know where to start, Check out Food4Wealth. Until next time, go green!
hey Rick… thanks for the info… Just wondering how many seeds did you plant per tofu box? were these your permanent locations for the herbs? Did they become rootbound??? Thanks so much
Hi Christian – I used the Tofu boxes just like starter trays. For the herbs with larger seeds – like Rosemary – I planted around a dozen seeds per tray, but for plants with smaller seeds I eyeballed it and sprinkled a small handful around the tray then covered them with a bit more soil.
When the plants were big enough I transplanted them into window boxes, so they didn’t become rootbound. Thanks for your questions!