Country Living

Where to Find Free Seeds

Save seeds from foods you use in the kitchen (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash).

Save onion bottoms with the roots from foods you use in the kitchen.

Host or attend a seed exchange at your local library.

Free Heirloom Seeds – I have gotten some seeds from this website before.

Robin Greenfield Seeds for the People

Join in on the conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post. Or start a conversation on X.com/sarahderinger88.

Are you struggling with knowing where and how to start gardening?

Do you find yourself wishing you could grow things all year round rather than being stunted by the growing season?

What are some other resources that you would recommend for learning about gardening year-round?

What are some other resources that you would recommend for beginning gardening or spring gardening?

Where else do you know of that you can get free seeds?

This spring and summer, I decided I wanted to see if I have a green thumb or not. So I decided to try starting seeds in egg cartons after I watched a friend try it out first. I’m surprised and pleased to say that I can at least start seeds in egg cartons!

To prepare, I looked up a few articles on starting seeds in egg cartons. These were the articles I looked at:

I started out with these seeds in egg cartons: cactus, a variety of flowers, cilantro, tomatoes, radishes. So far one set of flowers hasn’t shown much promise, even though there is a sprout or two. I have yet to see any growth from the cactus seeds at all.

After my dad and I were able to plant them outdoors, we also planted sweet corn, summer squash, winter squash, green beans, more tomatoes, turnips, and sunflower seeds. Later on, my mom and I planted the flowers around our house.

Things I learned from starting the seeds in egg cartons:

If you start the seeds in your home, have a plastic trash bag and maybe even a cardboard box underneath the cartons to catch and hold the water from dripping everywhere. This was a great idea that my dad had.
Not everything will grow. Sometimes some seeds just won’t grow. Don’t be afraid to try anyway.
Some seeds need a longer time to grow before you see any growth on the surface. Don’t give up on it too soon.
You may need to only water them every other day in order not to over-water them.
When you plant them, you may need to leave each of the seedlings in the egg carton circle because the roots like to grow through the cardboard egg cartons.
When you move them and plant them outdoors, the bugs will most likely swarm your new plants. A lot of bugs flew around my newly planted cilantro.
When moving the plants outdoors, the plants will be in shock at first, so expect them to droop a bit. However, before long, they’ll adjust and grow stronger.
Mark where you plant your flowers and other seedlings with some sort of tag, so you’ll hopefully know what is a weed versus a plant.
Pay close attention to the description on the label. If the instructions say that your plant likes sun, place your plant in a place that gets lots of sunlight, or get a sun lamp.
Some seeds don’t grow well with others. Here’s a few great resources to find out which ones pair well and which ones don’t.
It’s more fun to plant flowers and seeds with someone else because it’s a lot of work!