Recycled Deli Container Growing System

The Deli-container Growing System is a stable growing system that is easy to construct for all age learners growing Wisconsin Fast Plants®.

Made from recycled deli-containers, these growing systems can be cleaned and reused for multiple years.

Download Deli Container Growing System Instructions »

Materials
  • One 8 oz plastic deli-container
  • One 16 or 32 oz plastic deli-container
  • Wicking material (cotton or polyester macrame cord or thick string)
  • Planting medium (a soilless seed starter mixture)
  • Fertilizer: solid pellets (Osmocote™)—added during planting
  • Wisconsin Fast Plants seeds
  • Water
Instructions

Step 1
Poke a hole with scissors in the bottom of the smaller, 8 oz deli-container.
Cut 12–14 centimeters of wick.
Step 2
Wet the wick thoroughly with water. Push 1–2 centimeters of one end of the wick into the hole in the bottom of the smaller container.
Step 3
Pour 1/4 cup of soil into the smaller container.
Step 4
Spread around 18 pellets of fertilizer on top of the soil.
Step 5
Add 1/2–3/4 cup of soil on top of the fertilizer pellets.
Step 6
Sprinkle water over the top of the soil until you can see the water dripping from the wick underneath the cup.
Step 7
Carefully place 10 Fast Plant seeds in a circle pattern on top of the soil.
Step 8
Lightly cover the seeds with 1/4 cup of soil.
Step 9
Pour 1 cup of water into the larger container.
Step 10
Set the smaller container into the larger container with the ends of the wick floating in the water. Lightly sprinkle water over the top of the soil covering your seeds.

Growing Your Plants

The last step is to place your Deli-container Growing System under a fluorescent light with the soil mix surface approximately 10 cm from the light bulb. Adjust as the plants grow to also keep their growing tips 10 cm from the light bulb.

NOTE: As your plants grow, you may begin to see algae growing in the water reservoir. Two solutions to this that we recommend:


Solution 1
Cut a piece of black plastic trash bag into strips the width of the height of your water reservoir, and tape the plastic around the reservoir to prevent light from getting to the water.
Solution 2
Rinse and clean out the water reservoirs approximately once a week to prevent a build up of the algae.
Download Complete Illustrated Growing Instructions »
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