Take-out Cup Greenhouse

Learn how to make a simple greenhouse for your seedlings using nothing but an old plastic cup! This is a great way to reduce your environmental impact and improve the quality of your young sprouts!

A clear plastic cup with a lid

Potting soil

Seeds or seedlings

Rinse the cup of any left-over beverage

Fill the cup about halfway with dirt. Make sure to leave room for your plant to grow underneath the lid.

Make a hole in the dirt and transplant a seedling or plant a seed of your desired plant. Water the plant lightly. Be careful not to over-water as water will not evaporate as easily from this container. In the images you can see the dirt with a small divot and the transplanting of a basil seedling.

Put the lid of the cup on and place the container in the sun. The straw hole will act as a vent, helping to prevent the plant from overheating and allow CO2 into the space to replace what the plant uses. Water as needed, but this will be less often than a traditional planter. You should see water condensing on the walls of the cup within a day. This is your very own micro-climate forming within the greenhouse! When the plant is bigger, transplant it to a container of your choice or simple remove the lid and allow the plant to grow out of it.