Reusable Seedling Starter Trays

For as long as I can remember, I've always loved being outdoors. It's no surprise that in my 30's one of my absolute favorite summer hobbies is gardening. Over the years, I have learned what works best for me and while I'm no expert gardener, I have had some success with my backyard veggie garden.

Living in a place that actually gets snow and cold winters, and very little spring, I've learned that starting my seeds inside gives me a jump start to the season. I've tried a bunch of different ways to start my seedlings, and the reusable seed starter trays are my favorite, and here's why:

With the erratic temperatures, I typically don't officially transplant the seedlings until the end of May. These trays afford a good amount of space for the seedlings to start growing in before I can actually get started outside. I have not experienced the seedlings outgrowing the trays yet.

 

I am pretty impressed that so far I have gotten 3 years out of these bad boys. I used to start with the biodegradable cups/trays but often times, they did not breakdown in a full season if I planted them directly into the ground, and I often struggled with the roots of my plants penetrating the cups and getting tangled up in it. That's where these reusable trays come into play. I like the sustainability component of these. I do understand that portions of the trays are plastic, and that may be a turn off to some, however, with the side walls being silicone, it really makes popping the seedlings out of the cells and getting them planted in the garden so much easier. I've found that my plants do better, and I get more produce out of them by starting them earlier. I honestly think that these trays are by far the simplest trays I've used as far as getting the seedlings out without damaging the plant or roots.

They also have a drainage hole, which is very important (in my opinion). For instance, this year I started a variety of ~20 different veggies and herbs. The drainage holes help because everything does not require the same amount of water. I also like to soak the plants in water before I put them right into the ground, and by having the little holes, I was able to float the trays in a tub of water, saturating them before transplanting.

They are a little bit pricey, which at first put me on the fence with them (granted, I bought them a while ago at a different price point). I will say with being able to use them multiple times now, I have more than gotten my money's worth. They clean up so easily too, and fit perfectly into my garden tote in the garage--they're already ready for next spring!

There is an option for buying this kit with a green house lid which seems really cool! I'm very lucky that I have a sunroom that is the perfect spot for starting my plants out in and haven't had the need to purchase one with a lid yet (so I can't really speak to that--I've only purchased the 12 piece blue version).

Negatives: The corners on the top of the tray are super thin and tend to break over time. This isn't a big deal to me because I value using something until I can't get any more life out of it, vs replacing it for a picture perfect version. The cells themselves have taken on no damage over the years. The other piece that is a negative is that if you're trying to stay away from plastics, there are a few pieces of plastic on these--so it's something to consider when finding the right seed starter tray for you!

 Overall, I would purchase these again (which I have done with the last purchase time being 01/2025). If you're on the fence about these, there is a smaller quantity than the 12 piece version which makes a great way to test them out. 

 Amazon Shopping Link: https://amzn.to/45jh0JO

Happy shopping!

-Brittny

 

 

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