Just realized old picture frames make great seed starting trays

I had a pile of mismatched frames from a garage sale last month, probably 8 of them for like $5 total, and was about to toss them. Instead I took the glass out, laid the frames flat, and lined them with plastic wrap. Filled them with potting mix and now I've got 40 tomato seedlings going in a space that would've taken up my whole kitchen counter if I used regular pots. The depth is shallow but it works perfect for starting, then I transplant before the roots get too cramped. The learning curve was realizing I needed to poke drainage holes in the plastic or the water pools up and rots the seeds. Also the frames stack nicely on my porch shelf so they don't take up much room at all. Has anyone else repurposed random stuff into seed trays, or am I just cheap? I'm thinking about trying it with old baking sheets next since those have rims already.

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the_cora16d ago

40 tomato seedlings from picture frames? That's honestly wild, my brain just short-circuited for a second trying to picture that lol. I respect the hustle though, my cheap ass would've bought those frames too without knowing what for. The drainage hole thing sounds like a total pain, I probably would've drowned half my seeds before figuring that out. Baking sheets are probably a solid next move, but make sure they're not the super flimsy ones or they'll bend with wet soil. Your porch shelf setup sounds like some next level gardening hack, I'm honestly a little jealous.