DIY Plant milk seedling trays

Now the weather has warmed up, it's the perfect time to get gardening. Here's a simple idea for germinating seeds using materials you might already have in the home!

Slowly but surely, I've been convincing my family to swap to plant milk. However, this means we're also throwing out a lot more cartons. Due to the mixed materials, cartons have to be recycled at a specific centre, which currently we only have one of- in Yorkshire. This plant is capable of recycling up to 40% of the cartons produced here in the UK, but an article by The Times found that only 10% are actually recycled. Considering many people swap to plant milk for environmental reasons, it's ridiculous that most of the time the cartons end up in landfill, slowly breaking down and releasing greenhouse gasses.

You can make plant milk at home, and it's a great option if you've got a zero-waste shop nearby because then you can make it entirely waste free. I have tried making my own oat milk at home, but I found to be way too watery for my liking- but I will have another go soon! Most of us have had the phrase 'reduce, reuse, recycle' drilled into out heads, so now, with lots of free-time and less options for buying things new, it's the perfect time to find second uses for things already in the home.

I am a huge fan of gardening, but for the past couple years it's been a bit difficult to get properly into it as I've been going to and from university. Staying at home this term has meant I've been able to give my vegetable patch some much needed TLC. This year, I wanted to grow some herbs from seed, and I needed containers to grow them in. I follow The Lazy Environmentalists on Facebook and somebody shared the idea of using cartons for seedling pots, so there was my answer. I've got oregano, chives and basil growing in mine, and I'm going to make some more to give to a friend with my leftover seeds.

So, if you want to have a go at making them yourself, here's how I did it:

1. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the carton. If it wasn't a screw-lid or you've lost the cap, tape over the hole to stop compost falling out. Lay the down on the side you want to be it's base and cut out the side facing the top, either with a pair of scissors or a Stanley knife.

2. Turn the carton over and poke some holes in the bottom so excess water can drain out.

3. Fill the cartons with good quality compost until almost full and water it so it's moist. Sprinkle over your seeds and cover with a thin layer of compost. Place the cartons onto a tray and put into a polythene bag (I used the bags my guinea pig's sawdust came in). Seal up the bag and put it inside- mine are on the kitchen floor so I can put them outside when it's sunny. I water mine every few days, but check the compost every day to see if it needs watering.

4. The seed packet will have instructions with how to plant them on there too so check this in case your seeds need anything specific, but this method has worked for all three types of herbs I'm growing. The packet will also say how long it will take for the seeds to start growing, but I had shoots appear in a week.