I have tried using the cute little peat pots and pellets that come in the kits...what a waste of time and energy. I have used yogurt and butter tubs, just not big enough to keep plants watered for long in our spring temperatures. Last year I used the Solo Red cups and about 3 dozen egg shells. The egg shell idea I found in a magazine and in a perfect photographers world they looked great but not in real life. The red cups worked best but also didn't have enough soil for good roots. This year I am going to use frozen veggie bags and other water tight bags that used to hold food.... Seed starter containers ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) They are water tight (I will poke a small hole at the bottom) when full the bottom is flat so they will stand up and propped next to each other for support they will fit comfortably in the baked enamel trays I have. They should hold a good amount of soil for root growth and water retention.....I hope.
Toni, Do a little dumpster diving at a local nursery. They usually toss out 3" and 4" pots. I have about 100 (and I do not exaggerate!) stashed in the barn. I asked if I could rescue the pots when I saw them at a nursery, and they were happy to get rid of them. It seems they use lots of small plants to make up the mixed planters they sell for mega-bucks. Although I think your bag idea will work, also.
Interesting idea. I tried egg cartons last year... worked okay for getting the seeds started, but had to up-pot them pretty soon. The year before I made little pots out of newspaper... didn't work so well. I save all of my plastic containers... so I too have a good supply of the 6-packs and the 2 and 3 inch, etc pots. Gonna use them this year. Actually, I was just thinking the other day that I may want to start some things really early this year so they'll be big and healthy by the time spring rolls around.
A couple of years ago I had saved what seemed like a half a million of the black plastic pots and used them too. But again they didn't hold water because of all the holes in the bottom and our late winter/early spring weather has been so dry the seeds/seedlings were constantly dry. And some of the black plastic pots are almost paper thin and crack really easy. The ones with the recycle triangle on them get put in the recycle barrel now. We were soooo dry last spring, I am hoping that the bags will help keep the seedlings moister than any of the pots have in the past. I have been thinking about starting some early too Cheryl, maybe January. If we have another spring and summer like the last two they will need every advantage I can give them.
Toilet paper and paper towel rolls make excellent "plantable" containers. The ones in Christmas wrap can be cut to desired size too. And anything plastic can be used for a container, yogurt, margarine, sour cream, water bottles, milk jug, or 2-liter with the top cut off, frozen side dish tray, bought cake and cookie containers, Solo/Dixie cups, styro cups or deeper produce trays, peanut butter/mayo jar, Pringles cans are plastic now, juice boxes ... Leave intact or add holes as desired.
Toni, The "soil moist" crystals may be a huge help for the dry issue you fight in the spring. They retain a huge amount of moisture as a reserve for the plants. Diapers are the same concept except the crystals are quite small. works the same though.