That is one very good reason to get a cold frame! I never have to worry about covers.... well until I run out of room in it, anyway! The cold frame I have can even come apart for storage during the other 3 seasons. It's simple PVC pipe and plastic sheeting, a little chicken wire. Easy!!

You can also save the bottoms of the jugs and cover them next year with plastic bags, or duct tape a plastic cover to each jug.

I don't think it's worth saving them. I cut the tops back on my milk jugs gradually, so by the time it comes off completely, it's not whole anyway. And the bottoms get pretty worn. Some people do prefer to save their containers, and I do think it depends on what kind of container you use, but for me, using milk jugs, saving them is not worth it.

Hopefully, they are not going to the landfill, but to the recycling center, so it's not all bad.

:)
Dee

Huh? You don't have to cut the tops off and you can save them. I'm not sure what the saddness is about. People use and re-use every year. I can't stand clutter, so I rinse mine and recycle.

Yes, you can cut off the tops and then re-use them the next year with a clear, punctured top.

bakemom, someone on another thread mentioned that the jugs were in their opinion, unsaveable, from year to year. And that trying to save them, by keeping the almost cut off tops on them near planting out time makes them too likely to topple over on windy days. So, I was sad that I hadn't really saved the jugs from landfills, and sad that I would have to get more next year.
But if you can hold on to yours out in Ohio, which I think is as windy as here, if not more windy, than I can save mine too! I will try anyway.

THANKS!

You don't have to cut off the top, just open when weather warms and leave it attached and reuse if you like, like this
{{gwi:194665}}

But if you do a lot of jugs it is a lot of clutter to keep around for a whole year.

Karen

Karen, I like the way you cut your milk jugs. I could never cut mine so that the top folded back. I'm going to try your way. Thanks for the pic!

I don't save mine b/c I am a neat freak. You can certainly save yours!

We Buckeye winter sowers are here to support you.

proudgm: If you cut around the corners on the attached side and crease open it will stay that way pretty well. Just be sure to go around the bend on the corners. Or, clip open with a clothespin.

Karen

I saved some of the 1 gallon and 2 1/2 gallon plastic jugs last year, the ones that were cut 3/4 of the way around (to make a hinge) and closed them with twist ties. In that case I didn't cut the tops off of the jugs when planting out the seedlings. Some jugs I cut up and put back in the recycle bin.

I rinsed and stored in large a plastic garbage bag in the basement, where there is plenty of room. There was also a bagful of 2 ltr bottles. A few of the 1 gallon jugs got a little bent out of shape all crammed in the bag. But still perfectly re-usable.

To me it's important to be able to re-use the containers, because it's much easier when you don't have to collect them every year. This year I will use more 2 ltr bottles and large plastic salad boxes, because those are very easy to reuse.

I save mine too. I cut my milk jugs all the way, and then cut inverted Vs into the top, so it sits inside the bottom. As it warms up, I might tilt the top. (I do the same with 2-liter bottles) Tops don't blow away, and it works out fine. (And we get a lot of wind sometimes!)

You don't even have to rinse the containers if you don't want to. :)

Thank you all! And that is a helpful photo Karen!

Audrey

I shall now go and take some more jugs out of my neighbor's trash.

I saved most of mine from 2 yrs ago. I didn't WS last year, was to busy moving. I saved them so I didn't have to hunt up so many this year, and I also didn't have so many to cut open. I cut them like kqrna does,and I tape them together. I hung mine from a rope. You run it through the handle and keep adding on to it. I hung it from the rafter in the corner of the garage. Donn showed us how to do it, to save space. I don't rinse mine out either. I tried the "cutting v's" in the 2 ltr's, but I had a hard time getting it back together, so I cut it almost all the way around and tape it. When it starts getting warm enough to remove the top, I remove the tape a little at a time, as they get bigger. Jennie

I didnt keep any containers last year, I was REALLY glad I didnt when the garage and crawl space flooded. Imagine all that plastic floating around--make ya nuts!!!!!

Im going to keep buying milk and food anyway, so unforunately, there will always be more containers. You have to think about the fact that you DIDNT buy those nursery plants with plastic pots and send those to the landfill .

REUSING, even if its only once, is good.

anewgarden, I may have been the person who said it wasn't worth it in my opinion to save the containers. I think I also shared my reasons why. But here's the great thing about the WS forum. We all have different preference, try different things and have different opinions. There are certain things about WS that are not negotiable. You must have drainage and you must have vents. And if you want to be successful you must also have seeds. LOL. But after that, keep in mind that the method is adaptable. If I were only keeping 25 jugs, and could get my planting out done before the sun warped my jugs, I might have a different opinion. Heaven knows I'm a saver. But after trying it, it really wasn't the right answer for me. It could be for you. So please don't be crestfallen. :)

Seedmama

I hack mine up to transplant-makes the process much easier and it goes much faster for me. I figure I gave those jugs one more life before the landfill or recycle warehouse.

Karen

Think of it this way, they would be going to the landfil or recycling anyway. Even if you only use them one season and they end up there anyway, at least you did get a second use out of them. The other alternative is just one use--the original one. Even though my friends' jugs will eventually end up in recycling, I didn't have to buy anything for this hobby and they didn't have to throw them away.
alison

I do see that point now, even if we end up only using them one season, we didn't BUY all sort of other seed starting stuff we just throw away.
And also, seedmama (my daughter thinks you have the coolest name on here). you are right, just because someone suggests something here doesn't mean it's what I'll end up doing!
thanks again
Audrey

As seedmama said, the basics stay the same. The rest is up to each of us to do what works best in our situations.

I reused many of my milk jugs last year and am using them again this year. I cut mine with the window or the U flap. When I plant out if I am not reusing the container I cut the top off. If I am planning to reuse the container I just put my hand or a spoon in the jug and pull out a HOS.

Eventually all the jugs will go to recycling as after several years they get brittle.

I save and reuse all my 2Ls also.

Some are gathered on a string and hang in the garage. Others are stored in large garbage bags.

As a first time WS, I was wondering the same thing re saving or not saving containers for re-use. We don't get those nice plastic milk jugs here in Canada, so I have an assortment of commercial and saved take-out, salad, ice cream, etc. containers. I intend to re-use some of these, but know others are not worth keeping. I really liked reading everyone's suggestions. It answered several questions for me.