Eco-friendly, Compostable Plant Pot/ Seedling Pot

Why are we buying plastic pots for our seedlings and cuttings when we can make our own eco friendly ones?!

Step 1: What to Use?

Anything A3 paper size (ish), and paper like. I've used newspaper pages, A4 printer paper (it made an adorable little pot) and in this instructable, I used the paper that Amazon pack their boxes with instead of bubble wrap.

You could also use wrapping paper, your dissertation, blueroll, card, etc.

Step 2: Flatten

Lie your paper out flat. it should be about twice as long as it is wide.

Step 3: Fold

With your paper portrait, fold the bottom to the top. It is important that you do not fold the top to the bottom, as the folded "crease" side will be the bottom in the next pictures.

Step 4: Fold Again

With the open edge at the top, fold the paper again, left to right. line the edges up, make a crease in the paper (to mark the middle) and open it back up again.

Your paper should be folded once, the fold at the bottom, the open end at the top.

Step 5: More Folding

Take the bottom right corner, and fold it up, and in. the side should line up with the vertical crease that you just made to mark the middle.

repeat on the left.

Step 6: One Layer

Take the top layer only of the paper at the open top edge, and fold it down. The edge of the paper should be in line with the top of the triangles that you folded in the last step. the triangles should still be fully visible (if there is paper covering them, you've folded the top too far.)

Please note; depending on the size of the paper that you used, you might have more (or less) paper available at the top to do this with. It will still work. if you have less paper, you will have a 'lip' on your final box. If you have more paper, your box sides will be thicker, with no lip. You can see the difference in the photo.

Step 7: Same Bit, Fold Again.

Take the same top bit from the last step, and fold it down. It will now overlap your triangles a bit.

Turn the whole thing over.

Step 8: To the Middle

Now that you are looking at the 'back', take all of the paper on the right hand side, and fold it so it lines up with the center crease. This is the same crease that you used to make your triangles.

copy on the left.

Step 9: Fold the Top Down

Take the only sheet of paper left at the top and fold it down, and down again, the same as step 7

Step 10: Tuck

Open out the flaps, and you will see two, small triangle flaps inside. take the paper that you just folded down from the top, and tuck all of it inside the pocket, behind the triangles.

Step 11: Open Out

Insert your fingers inside the bottom gap, or the bottom of the hat, and open it out. the bottom will look pointy.

Step 12: Squash

Squash down the pointy bit towards a corner, and crease. This will give you a nice flat bottom.

Step 13: All Done!

Fill with compost and plant some butterfly and bee flowers (SAVE THE BEES!), vegetable seeds or some mint cuttings (how to make a mint plant grow from a cutting here https://www.instructables.com/id/Unlimited-Mojito-... )

The pots hold up surprisingly well when wet, and when you are ready to plant your seedling, you can plant the whole pot in the ground!