WS in 16.9oz bottles

These soda bottles are 9" tall, so there is room for 4" of soil and 4" of air and the cap...? Think these would work for a few seeds?

You should be ok for height, you can't get many seeds in though. You don't put the cap back on the seeds need air and water. Remember you need to put them in a crate or some kind of container so they don't blow over or away.

I don't use them simply because the volume of soil mix would be so low that it could dry out quickly when the weather turns warm. I work during the day and I'm not here to keep an eye on them.

In your zone you could probably discard the top sooner to keep them from frying in the sun, but they will still be more prone to drying than, say, a milk jug, simply due to the volume of soil.

Karen

Good point Karen, I have never used a container that small so didn't think of that. I do know that some people use paper cups so they must have a way to manage that. I will have to find out for curiosity sake only.

Pauline

I half half a dozen shallow plastic pans -- think litterpan but more shallow. I thought I could water from below and keep them in the winter sun and spring shade. I was hoping for only a couple of seeds per bottle as separating the little roots would make me a little crazy...

And I thought of these bottles because people do use plastic cups -- these have their own greenhouse with them so no worries about plastic wrap flying away.... Will see how it goes.

Keep us posted please.

I use individual water bottles. I don't put many seeds per container either. I do put in a good 4" of soil and have never had a problem with them drying out too quickly. But our spring days are not unusually hot and I have lots of shade.
Pam

I'm also using soda and water bottles this year instead of larger containers, but I do plan to hinge the bottles at 4 1/2" and I wasn't planning on using the caps at all. Should I be revising that plan? Sounds like people intend to keep the caps on and I'm wondering why.

No I don't keep the caps on. Open tops let the rain and snow in.

I am with Woodthrush, leave the caps off. At least in MN.

(I was absent from the thread for awhile.)

I did use some styrofoam cups kept in an underbed storage box to retain moisture. And I added moisture polymer in those to keep moist. Worked well but I used those for things that I could plant out fairly early. Also, I was on sick leave then and was home all day to keep an eye on them. I had the whole box placed in an area with only morning sun for a short time.

Karen

My bottles will sometimes be buried in snow. I don't think you need to worry over them :)

I use gallon jugs and last winter they were so covered with snow you wouldn't even know they were there.

No, no worrying in winter. It's in the spring/early summer when moisture becomes a problem.

Karen