Hate to tell you Wendy, but they are not biodegradable. They will last forever and ever and on and on. :) One fell into my compost pile last year and it's still there. I can't believe that in this day and age, they can't make a biodegradable coffee cup for Tim's.

I haven't tried them for winter sowing. I do know that they come apart at the seam after being exposed to the elements for a while.

I used the styros last year for the first time and when it came time to planting, I just pressed lightly on the sides and then popped the bottom and out they came. They stayed so intact that I washed them and will be reusing them this year.

I also like newspaper pots, but they do attract pillbugs/sowbugs after a bit. I do use them for things which resent transplanting.

I have used plastic cups just for potting up my seedlings. But I found the 2 liter pop bottles to be the best. Toilet paper rolls just soaked up too much of the water and didnt work well for me.

I use the super-easy newspapers pots inside my favourite containers (Costco salad boxes or milk jugs).

The dead-easy method is just to cut a 4" strip off the bottom of the page (4 or 5 pages thick), wrap the strip around your fingers to form a tube and use a small piece of tape to hold it together.

Pack the tubes into your container and fill with soil. You don't need a bottom on the tube as your plastic container keeps the soil in the tube.

I used the top of a milk jug as a funnel to fill the tubes, and a chopstick to stir the soil a bit to make sure it got to the bottom of the tube.

Make the tubes only as deep as you want your soil. I discovered that if you leave a rim of newspaper exposed above your soil level, you just have to rip it off when you plant out, or you have a short newspaper fence around every seedling.

The newpaper above the soil will also act as a wick and take moisture away from the plant/seedling.

I use them every year, to transplant into.
I suppose the cup could be used for germination as long as it is in a plastic bag so the soil doesn't dry out. After germination you can leave the strongest seedling to grow on in the same cup!
I burn holes in the bottom for drainage & water absorption.
I have seen them disintegrate after a summer in the ground as collars on tomato or pepper plants. If the rim remains it gets tilled into soil or thrown into garbage.
Many of my transplants done in June are still growing in 'Tims' pots. If standing in moisture for months they will disintegrate.
I'd say try them! Much cheaper than buying pots.
sam

Hi ,

I used timmy's cups to plant daylilies in , in the house last winter and I can tell you they dont last long .....they do break down , at least mine did and I had to replant bunches of daylilies into plastic cups so that they would last till I could plant them outside. I started planting in them in January and by March they were falling apart.

Signet

It is the wax covering that keeps them from deteriorating quickly. They will eventually break down, but I am thinking that they would be good for WS. Afterwards, one can dispose of them, just like you would have originally when cleaning out your car. LOL