plastic cups...the cheap ones.

[bretty666]

Hi all.as most of you who read my posts know by now...im a cheapskate.
Does anyone see a possible downside to using the cheap white plastic drinking goblets (the sort you see at kids partys or adult partys where the host doesnt trust the guests with his glasses).yhe only downside i can see may be yhe colour of the cups?? Iv chose to do this as real plant pots the same size are about a euro for ten...whereas i can get one hundred cups for the same price..i have a massive drill bit about 6mm which i can get through a massive stack of cups in one go and i do twi holes in them....please feel free to pick faults with my method as i appreciate your imput. i have some wicked good pumpkins about 10cm tall in some of them already which is makinv me think that it can be done like this....but i dont have many popping up yet?? so maybe its not a good idea??

[alldigging]

They might split really easily.


I had a load of pot noodle pots I used a drill bit on. Most of them were fine, the odd one split. They are thicker plastic though.

[sammy_roser]

If they are as thin as the ones I'm thinking of the drill will shred the pots. You'd be much better using a hot poker to make the holes and spend a bit more time doing it right. Also I remember the cups would split down the sides with out much encouragement where are real plant pots will give you almost a life time of use these will at most give you a season. Whilst I use yoghurt pots and other food items to pot up I have paid no money for these so it doesn't matter how long they last, if I'm paying money for something you need to look not just at the original cost but how long they will last to see which will be the best value.

[Mikey]

How about calling in somewhere where they have a lot of kids parties and asking for all the used plastic cups, I reckon a busy place would get through 100 or more a day over a normal weekend.

Some people use the polystyrene cups from work, or the empties from a drinks machine, I like to use my yoghurt pots as labels for plants with a permanent marker pen, I can get a good 20 or so out of a large yoghurt pot easy.

[Bigmallly]

Try St4rbucks or Co5ta for their used cups & get some coffee grounds into the bargain...........

[Nannysally99]

I have grown all my seedlings in these cups with no problems. You will have to make holes with a small screwdriver heated up on the gas. I have just planted pea seedlings and they came out easily with no problems . They are in the 99p shop but I got my free from work. I keep them in seed trays to move them around btw

[Nannysally99]

I have grown all my seedlings in these cups with no problems. You will have to make holes with a small screwdriver heated up on the gas. I have just planted pea seedlings and they came out easily with no problems . They are in the 99p shop but I got my free from work. I keep them in seed trays to move them around btw

Sorry, just re read and you've done your holes - oops

[Tripmeup]

I have used them when pricking out tomato, chilli and pepper seedlings.. I mainly use the clear ones...
So they go from the seed trays or modules into these cups..I don't bother drillling holes in them, as they wont stay too long there and I water them by spraying the soil/compost around them with a plant spray bottle...When they move to pots, they get watered from the bottom. When transplanting them into their pots, I cut across the bottom of the cup and up the side, place them in the pot and lift the cup away.

The slightly better quality thicker cups, I do as you say..Pile a load on top of each other and make holes in the bottom with a drill (gently!). These I then use (and re-use) for cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower etc seedlings after pricking them out...

[Knight of Albion]

I don't blame you for being thrifty and innovative. Costs can soon mount up if you get everything from a garden centre.
Many things can be improvised to grow seeds and grow on young plants. If you get the drainage right and use a good compost you're away ...

[Chippy Minton]

Went to the edible garden show last year and the kids got a seedling each (chilli and a GD tomato) and they came in those from the Allotment Society. They'd just nicked a hole where the wall meets the base. I then grew a Prairie Fire in them (because 2 fit nicely in a pot holder I got as a leaving present) to full maturity and got a reasonable crop of chillies, I think they thought they were going to die (there's that tough love again ). Seemed like a reasonable solution to me....

[bretty666]

Good idea bigmally!!