I just cut them with my Fisker garden scissors. No problem.

Karen

It's a great tool! Handy for lots of crafts and projects. Mine was a gift, I got it the xmas I started wintersowing--a lucky coincidence. Scissors do work fine--a person can buy a lot of seeds for $13, so I understand someone not wanting to buy something extra for wintersowing. But, it really does making cutting up the containers so easy. Way easier than with scissors, at least for me (I kept making jagged cuts, and the points would stab or scratch me)

What it doesn't work well on are hard rectangular things like juice bottles.

I also use the B&D scissors. It is great for pepping jugs and for removing the tops when I am ready to plant out, zip-it's done. I got mine on sale for less than $10 around Christmas last year.

I use a tar paper knife, well at least I think that's what they are called and I also tried the exacto knife but ended up stabbing myself in the ball of my thumb. This summer I bought a wood burner to poke holes in my jugs (1.00 at a garage sale) Couldn't pass it up!

I bought myself a container prep present this summer, a soldering iron! People on this forum mentioned they use them to makes holes in their container, but I just used an awl tool last winter.

Then this summer I raised Monarch butterflies and re-used the plastic salad boxes that I used for winter-sowing - they are a great size for raising the caterpillars, are clear so they're easy to see through, and they already had the air holes! Except that the awl made holes that had sharp edges, which is fine for winter-sowing but not good for the caterpillars who could cut themselves on the edges. I'm hoping that the soldering iron will make holes with smoother edges (and it will be easier).

I gues you have to watch out for fumes when using a soldering iron, so it's best to use it outside.

I also use a soldering iron for making drainage holes in the bottom of the jug. Then I aim about halfway up the jug and make a dime- sized hole in the side. This is where I slip the B & D power sissors in to "start" the cutting. No more stabbing with pointy sissors to get started.

I think it is very sweet of you to be so considerate of the butterflies Terrene! They must be very happy in your gardens.

Hi All,

I've been using an electric drill for my holes. Then I use a box cutter to slice around, but the B&D sissors sound neat and would be good to use for Christmas wrapping too. I'll have to get one of those next time I'm at homedepot.

Peaches