These DIY wooden seed starting trays are easy to make and they are very sturdy. These wooden trays can last for years so make your own!
Have you ever wondered how people started seeds before plastic was invented? Well, one item that wasn't used were plastic seed trays.
Instead, they used a tray very similar to the one I am going to teach your how to make. These seed trays were used to set pots in or the soil was directly placed into these trays and planted in.
While you may think that these trays are more expensive than just buying plastic ones, you would be wrong. These trays are very inexpensive to make.
How To Make These Wooden Seed Trays
Let me show you each step I took to make my own seed starting tray. The special wood finish I add is said to make the wood last 50-120 years and it's non-toxic.
Step 1
Before you make these seed trays you are going to need wood! For my trays I used a very old crate that was used to ship glass.
The wood on this crate was probably over 50 years old, but it was still in good condition, and I really liked the rugged look of the wood.
Wooden pallets would be a great option to use. The slats on the pallets as well as the sides would make the perfect seed tray.
You can often get pallets for free (or a small fee) if you ask around at businesses. When you do find pallets, make sure they are not pressure treated as those chemicals can harm plants (heat treated wood is fine to use).
Step 2
Once you have your wood, you need to decide on a tray size. I used standard dimensions for a seed tray because my pots will easily fit in these.
I cut two side pieces at 12" and two side pieces at 21". Both these side pieces were around 3" tall. You can make the height of these sides however tall you want, but this fit my needs well.
I then cut the slats down to 12" each. Because each slat was a different width I had to lay them out and find the perfect combination to cover the entire bottom of the frame.
You will want each slat to touch each other on the bottom of the tray. The water will be able to seep through the cracks, but it can still support the pots or soil.
Step 3
Now that you have all the pieces cut, you can start to assemble your seed tray. First, nail the frame of your seed starting trays.
I used 2" galvanized siding nails for this and they worked great. I used two nails at each joint of the frame which made it very sturdy.
After your frame is nailed together, you can attach the slats to the bottom of the frame. I found that the nails were splitting my thin slats so I chose to use a brad nailer.
The brad nailer worked great and I was able to attach all the slats without splitting them.
You now have your assembled seed tray. You can leave it at this stage, but if you do the next step you can greatly extend its life.
Step 4
I wanted to finish my seed trays with a non-toxic finish so that I could extend their life in the greenhouse. I finally came across the Japanese technique called Shou Sugi Ban.
This wood preservation technique uses fire to preserve the wood and is traditionally used on cedar siding. It is said that this can extend the wood's life anywhere from 50 to 120 years.
Shou Sugi Ban
Here is how I processed my seed trays using this technique. This involves a flame so please be careful when using a torch.
Take your seed tray to a location where you will not burn grass or start a fire. I chose to burn my trays on cement away from anything flammable.
Use a torch and start burning the exterior of the wood. This handheld torch worked great for burning my trays.
I burnt the wood till I noticed the surface change to a dark black color. Make sure not to burn too much of the wood when doing this.
I continued to move the torch back and forth till the whole seed tray was black. You can then use water to wash the seed tray and cool it off to stop the burning process.
I then used a wire brush and brushed with the grain of the wood to remove the soot. Continue brushing and rinsing till most of the soot is washed off. The longer you brush the lighter the wood will be.
Allow your seed tray to completely dry before applying a coat of oil. You can use beeswax, tung oil, and many other oils intended for wood.
I used this food grade mineral oil on my trays. I simply used a clean rag and rubbed the oil into the wood. Let the oil soak into the wood and now it is ready to use.
Using Your Seed Trays
These seed trays can be used for soil blocking, holding pots, or you could put soil directly into them. If you fill them with soil, you can easily grow a flat of lettuce.
When filling the tray directly with soil, you can layer newspaper in the tray and then add the soil in. This will make it easier to pull the seedlings out when they are ready to plant.
Soil blocking is a great way to start seeds without using any plastic pots. These seed trays are also perfect for the greenhouse!
Pin This!
Leave a Reply