I use those big round ice cream buckets. I can't remember what size they are - either 3 or 5 gallon, I think. I cut the center out of the lid, then stretch plastic wrap over the tub and use the rim of the lid to hold it all in place. I cut slits in the plastic wrap for ventilation and holes in the bottom of the tub for drainage. It works fine, but isn't deep enough for a lot of stuff so I only use it for those things that I'm going to transplant when they're small.

I love the couple of ice cream containers I put out, just used the whole lid with the printing (light still gets thru, they're translucent enough until they germinate), burned holes (taped most of the top ones until warmer). Sometimes I just burn slits (depends what tip is on my woodburning tool) or use xacto knife for baggies. I've mentioned them on at least two different threads; mine are one gallon. I just learned about the ice cream thru my daughter who forgot and left hers in my freezer, and I liked it so well I ate it all in about a week, love it) or would have saved them all year. One I stuffed my toilet paper rolls I saved into am now out and made myself throw the last one I finished the other day in the wastebasket :-). Don't need any more this year, plenty of time to save for next.

By the time it's time to take the lid off, I figure it will be time to transplant or just leave it off.

Cups, yes fewer expensive seeds. But 6-cell deep well packs are just as good and wish I had the standard ones but don't, just used and broken up after reusing some I found last year. I sowed 18 cups in a daisy tray today, goes so fast (unless the seeds are teeny tiny). I'll stop there because there were two plastic cup threads and a demo gallery in the past week or so, read what others are using and like and especially go with what you already have or can find easily, for free or cheap.

Thanks for the info. I have gone thru a lot of the cup posts and decided I'm going to go in that direction. Also the toilet roll idea above--I'm guessing that you fill each one up with soil and seeds and then pack them next to each other in a container (an ice cream bucket would probably work well) and then plant the roll with the new plants in the ground. Or am I way off base here? Does it work well? Mary

No, you're not way off. What you do is flatten the tp roll, then flatten again to make a square shape, cut up what is going to be the bottom a half inch or a little more at each fold, fold the flap up, repeat until you've cut 4, then fold around so when you get to last fold, lift up one corner and slide the last one underneath to secure it. That will hold the soil better.

Does it work? I don't know. Guess what? I found *a* thread started by someone else, and a post by nancy drew that has photos how to fold, cut and tuck in the flaps, photos still up.

Some say the soil sucks out the moisture from the soil and dries it out too much. Some say to pad with newspaper. Some say the tp rolls by spring disintegrate and are difficult to get apart.

But I still think it would help some to keep your plants separate. Wish I'd watered those containers w/tp rolls a little better though initially. One I had the soil moister and could see the water dampening the tp rolls. The melting snow might help with moisture plus I don't see where the seeds are doing much when they're frozen in anyway.

The useful link was all in 2009, and I know I saw it within the last couple of months, so nancy drew must have posted again.

I sat here and prepped all mine on the other station work space while I was reading threads.

Here is the critical photo I couldn't explain very well.

Hmmmm, I see the contextual links they were talking about have begun.

{{gwi:352173}}

Here is a link that might be useful: toilet paper pots - Winter Sowing from 2009