Sorry, it's not a good idea to use the opaque white ones, they are designed not to let light in. So they will not be good for WSing. You have to use the kind that are translucent, that you can see your hand through.

Maybe you could cut a window in them and cover/tape on some clear plastic ( if you still want to use them.)

It woulld be a little extra work but might let enough light in.

What do you think WS'ers? would a window cut in the side work?

Karen

Good to know Sandy. I bet some light is let in or yours would not have worked. My kitty litter containers are opaque and they did great last year.

This is my first year, and all I had were white jugs, so I feel your pain! After some kindly soul on the forum told me they likely wouldn't work because not enough light would get through, I just took the tops off and tried plastic wrap. Which I didn't secure and a few of them blew away. Now I'm topping the white milk jug bottom with gallon plastic ziplocks with a few holes in them over the top, and it's working much better. It's a nice tight fit over the milk jugs too, so they don't blow away!

Good luck!

Some of the seed packets I've got suggest excluding light for germination, perhaps that might be a use for your opaque jugs without the extra effort of redesigning the whole jug. I think they were a viola and pusatilla, I cannot think of any others but I know there are many.

MARY

Thanks to all for your info.,I think I'll try a few and see what happens. Went dumpster diving at the local refuse center and got a few more milk jugs but could only get a few because it was pretty gross in there!! I had saved my plastic pots that I bought plants in and they seem to work good. Cleaned them, put a coffee filter in the bottom and put my soin in. Put a piece of plastic wrap on top and secured with a heavy rubber band,cut some holes in top and good to go-I hope.

I got some milk jugs out of the trash, but how do you get the awful stinking milk smell out? I've put them to soak with some bleach in them. Help!

Try filling them up right to the top with hot water, THEN put in a couple of drops or so of bleach and cap them so they're completely full to the rim. Give them a gentle shake (I just turn mine gently upside down a time or two) to distribute bleach (and then let them sit for a day or two. WATCH OUT FOR THAT BLEACH, esp. if the cap snaps on and doesn't screw on !!! :)

I've not used this method for WSing but for using jugs to hold water for my plants and it seems to work. Just gotta let it sit a while so bleach it can permeate the plastic and get rid of the sour smell.

Finally solved my white milk jug problem. I cut a circle out around the top leaving the handle on, took a glue gun and glued the edges around the top, put a piece of plastic wrap on and trimmed the edges, worked great. Also found a small cafe that is saving all their plastic bottles for me--now if just half of the seeds I planted will sprout I'll be in seventh heaven.