Garden in a Jar

What you need:

• Newspaper (black and white, not colored pages)
• Flour
• Water
• Pencil
• Powdered milk
• Paper napkins
• Rubber bands or twist ties
• Mason jars
• Flower or vegetable seeds
  

1. Tear a newspaper page into strips an inch or two wide (figure A).

2. Make a simple paste by mixing together a little bit of flour and water.

3. Lay the newspaper strip down flat and, using a pencil, dab small amounts of paste along the strip (figure B). Space the bits of paste as far apart as you want the seeds to grow. Continue along the entire length of the newspaper strip.

4. Place one seed on top of each bit of paste (figure C); as the paste dries, it will "glue" the seeds to the newspaper. Once seeds are placed, let the tapes dry thoroughly. Now they're ready to store.

5. Pour some powdered milk in the center of a napkin (figure D). Powdered milk is a deliquescent compound that absorbs moisture so that the seeds don't sprout prematurely or rot before planting.

6. Fold up the edges of the napkin and use a twist-tie or rubber band to secure the "neck" of the powdered-milk pouch (figure E).

7. Put the powdered-milk pouch in a Mason jar. Roll up the seed tapes and put them in the jar around the powdered-milk pouch. Label the jar so you know what seeds are inside and store the jars in a closet until planting time.

8. Come spring, all you have to do is "plant" your seed tapes. The newspaper will rot away in a matter of days and you'll have healthy seedlings in no time!