Good for things like squash, tomatoes, larger flowers and anything that grows fast or needs to be tended in the greenhouse for a while before being planted out. These paper pots are very quick to make with the aid of a tool made from an old beer can, (recycled of course if you want to drink beer, brew your own!). A standard can will make pots with a diameter of about 7cm (2 & 3/4 inches) for smaller ones try an energy drink can such as 'red bull' or 'solstice' (harder to find though).....


1.
With a pair of scissors, cut the top and bottom off a can leaving about 11cm of tube. Then at each end, carefully fold a 1cm strip inwards - this smoothes the edge and gives the tube some rigidity - you may need the use of a pair of pliers. Don't discard the bottom as you will need this later.





2.
Next take a single sheet of newspaper - ours was around 39x29cm - fold in half lengthways and roll around the can so that the messy end sticks out, this will be the bottom.




3.
Neatly push in one side (where the roll ends)









4.
Fold the other side over







5.
Then tuck in the flaps.







6.
Invert the whole thing, and place on an inverted can bottom, which you saved from before, you may want to fold the edges in again to remove sharp edges.







7.
Use a thin stick to gentley beat the paper into the shape of the can bottom, this is what keeps the pot together.







8.
The finished article. Keep them in a seed tray to support when wet and for easy transportation