I cut my litter containers the same as my milk jugs and leave a hinge on them, but I know some people that have cut them long ways and left the lid on to keep any dirt from falling out. They did them that way because it gave them more space in the container. I say use them, but be sure to clean them well in case you have cats outside in your neighborhood. You don't want them smelling the litter and peeing on your seeds!

Good luck!
Diana

Diana, cats won't pee from the smell of kitty litter, unless it has been used. Cats only pee to mark their territory, or where they can bury it. It's the ability to dig a hole and cover it that allows them to pee, or the smell of their own urine.

I've been owned by many, many cats throughout my entire life... never once have any of them peed on a kitty litter container!

I keep them handy just for the same purpose as your blogger: watering gardens & container plantings.

I've used them before as WSing containers, but only to the extent that I modified them a little:

Cut them exactly like a milk jug around the middle.
Made a giant upside down U shape on one side to let light in. I covered that hole with saran wrap- duct taping it on the inside of the jug so the weather was less likely to remove it- much like you'd cover a drafty window with that clear plastic stuff.
Otherwise, it worked fine, but was a bit cumbersome to make the window.

I have those Tidy Cat ones that are semi-opaque. I treat them the same as milk jugs, by cutting it so there's a hinge.
I have been using them for the varieties that I'm sowing many more seeds for (the things I want massed or in many places in the yard); I've also been segmenting them by using markers and sowing different varieties of the same plant in them (ie, varieties of Tomatoes).

If your jugs are opaque, I probably would cut a window in them instead of using the "hinge-method". That way, they will get light while still keeping the seeds encased.

Linda

I use crystal cat litter and the containers are clear. So I treat them the same as milk jugs. The openings are kind of wide, so I keep the lid and use clear plastic to cover it. the poke holes. Similar to how some pea\ople use butter containers and such.

Jen {{gwi:353542}}From Hosta Forum
{{gwi:353544}}From Hosta Forum

Thanks Nancy! For some reason I thought I remembered someone saying that a cat kept bothering their litter containers and they wondered if they hadn't cleaned them enough. I'm glad to know that's not a worry!

Diana, were your containers clear/opaque, or white? If white, you had good results with them?

Well, unfortunately, my container is white, just like in the photo I linked to. I won't use new plastic, so I won't do the plastic wrap or plastic bag thing. I guess I'll use the container(s) for something else. I haven't even read that blog I linked to yet, lol, but it looks like there are some good ideas on it.

Thanks everyone!
Dee

I haven't actually used them yet, but here is how I prepped one.

{{gwi:353546}}

Before I can use it, I need to make some kind of dividers, because they are way too big for sowing one kind of seed. My garden isn't big enough to need that much of any one thing.

Bonnie

I am using the litter containers that are more clear than white. I just cut across three side and left a hinge - didn't even cut a flap for light. Then I cut air flaps in the top part for ventilation. I did leave the caps on these since the holes are so large, but I'm going to switch to plastic. I'm going to clean and use plastic baggies I would throw away after use.

Diana

Thanks for that further info, Diana. I appreciate it. I figured you were using clear/opaque containers. :) I sure wish this one was clear. Funny how after WSing for a few years one gets all excited over containers. I sat here last night just looking at this stupid kitty litter container thinking how nice it was and how I could use it, for WSing or other purposes. Thankfully, people here will understand, lol!

Bonnie, so am I right that you will close the flap and leave the top lid off, but cover with plastic? Do you think there will be enough light? I know you haven't used these yet this year, but have you ever used them? My concern is getting enough light inside. I know white milk jugs don't let in enough light. I wonder if the larger opening of this container would...

Thanks again!
:)
Dee

You know Dee, I guess I could cut that flap all of the way off, and then tape a piece of Saran Wrap over it, but my thought was to close the flap with a twist tie, and go capless. No, I never got around to using it last year. Too lazy to engineer the dividers I guess. Plus, that was before DH quit drinking soda, so I had plenty of other containers back then. I can't be so picky this year!

Bonnie

Thank you Bonnie. I think I will stick to my milk jugs and use the kitty litter containers for other things, probably storing my fish emulsion (the five-gallon buckets are too heavy to handle easily). Or maybe bird seed. Hmmm...

Thank you for your input everyone. Much appreciated!
:)
Dee

Bonnie,

Trudi suggested that if you plant, say, two different kinds of seeds, plan ones where the seedlings look different and can be easily told apart.

I have been using long, deep aluminum baking pans, the disposable kind. I label both ends with entirely different seeds and stop each in the middle. If you dont want to make dividers for your kitty litter jugs, maybe that would work for you.

Amy

Something you want to use as a ground cover might work too. Like some nice thyme. Then you could make HOS plugs to tuck in everywhere.
Storage is good too though.

I have the large semi-transparent ones that I have been using in two different ways. I used some for WSing and I cut them like the milk jug, wrapped a piece of cardboard in foil and used it across the center as a divider. I planted two different seeds with completely different leaves so I could still tell them apart by eye if needed.

My second use, and you could do this with the opaque ones too, is to fill them with water, put the cap on tight and place them in my cold frame where I have a few potted perennials and rooting cuttings in pots. They are large so hold a few gallons of water.The water warms during the day with the sun and warmer temps inside and them provides some heat from radiational cooling overnight. It does seem to work since I can see condensation on the inside of the jug even when the temp outside is well below freezing. This is my first year with the cold frame. I plan to sow some tender annuals early and put them in the cold frame instead of trying to start them inside which always fails for me. I'll use more litter/water jugs to help keep those pots warm.

Great ideas on the kitty litter jugs. Maybe I'll have to switch to an opaque litter for awhile.

Mine are solid white.

I threw the tops away and kept the bottom parts, which were about 5-6" high. I liked them because they were free for me, and everyone was saying that deeper was better when it comes to the soil. Plus, I'm a lazy gardener and figured they wouldn't dry out so fast if the soil was a bit deeper. That said, I only filled them about 3 1/2 to 4" with soil, because soil gets expensive.

I did this:

1. I chopped the top 1/2 off by sending them through a tablesaw (with goggles on, 'cause some of the plastic does fly).

2. Used exact-knife to poke holes in bottom.

3. Filled with soil, moistened soil, sowed seeds and labeled.

4. I put all of them together outside in a wooden box frame that I happened to have which is about 10" deep. (Anything could be used..like a children's wading pool, for example. ) Then I covered that large box, edge to edge, with 2mm opaque plastic sheeting, poked vents in the plastic and attached the plastic with clamps. Occasionally, I'd have a problem with wind, but it was in a protected spot on east side of my house, so only had to re-clamp maybe 2 times.

5. When watering was needed, I just watered right over the sheet plastic and the water dripped through the little slits, just fine. Eventually, I added more vents as the weather warmed, and finally, I took the plastic off entirely.

This worked great! I had like 30 of them. Each plastic kitty "flat" had 8 varieties of tomatoes. I sowed double seed in each of the 8 holes, so many times I ended up with a lot more than 8 plants in a "flat". I sold these "flats" for $5 each at the end of my driveway, with a sign. Honor system. They flew out...people got 8 to 14 tomato plants, for the most part. A great deal for them and I kept a bunch for myself and friends, and brought in about $100. I gave the buyers a little sheet that said what kind they were...I had put numbers with a sharpie all the way around the outside so I'd know which variety was which.

Since the flats were all snuggled tightly side by side for just a few months, the sharpie numbers managed to hold up through the sale time.

This year, I'm going to make 2-plant "flats" with styrofoam mushroom containers that we get from the grocery. I have the 8 oz mushroom size, which I'll put 2 maters in, and the 16 oz, which I'll try and do 4 maters in. After all, a lot of people don't need 8-14 tomato plants!

I have some wooden benches...I'm going to place them 5' apart, fill in between with all of my flats, and then cover with the plastic sheeting, bench to bench. Put bricks on plastic sheeting, and voila! Mini winter-sowing greenhouse, easy style. At first, I'll probably put the benches close enough together so that the plastic sits directly on the rims of the "flats". But later, if I need more circulation, I'll just move the benches out a bit..and because of their height, it will lift the plastic up and allow for more air circulation. Hope that makes sense.

Mary b great ideas about tomatos what varietys did you sow and share?

ML

Dee,
What Bonnie has in her picture is what I was trying to say about the "window" instead of the "hinge" method for the white containers.
Because the kittylitter containers are so sturdy, I would think you could cut a window to extend three sides, if you were concerned about light. Or just do the front and one side. I think they'd work well.
Personally, I'd hate to cut the top off the jug. It seems that would kinda defeats the nice cover the top of the jug would give the seeds. For that, you could use butter/margerine tubs. Just my humble opinion.

Linda

Hi Linda,

I see what you mean about the windows in the container, but I am pretty environmentally obsessive, lol. If I did the window method, I'd have to cover with plastic or put the container in a plastic bag, and I just can't bring myself to use plastic like this if there is another way to WS without the plastic. That's another reason I like the milk jugs - no need for extra plastic covering.

And it is such a nice container that I'd hate to cut the top off too, lol! I'm just going to use it for another purpose where it will be put to very good use.

Thank you!
:)
Dee