If you’re new to lawn care, it may surprise you to learn that there are a lot of nifty gadgets for all your lawn care needs. That includes special contraptions for spreading grass seed. But maybe you don’t want all that fancy — and pricey — equipment. There’s a very low-cost (practically free, in fact) reusable object you can repurpose to spread your grass seed, and it might be in your kitchen right now. It’s the plastic container your berries came in.
Yes, those clear plastic containers full of holes — that allow airflow to keep your berries from getting moldy too fast — turn out to be the perfect size and shape for planting grass seed. No need to buy a wheeled spreader or a special pitcher or jug. Preparing and using these recycled containers is super easy and they’ll make the chore of spreading grass seed very easy too. Save them up and wash them out after your berries are gone, and you can use them for helping your lawn stay green.
Using empty berry containers to plant grass seed
After your berry containers have been washed with soapy water, rinsed, and dried — to prevent any possible contamination from fungus or other plant diseases — they’re ready to use. Because these containers have holes, you have to have something to catch any grass seed that spills out, so use a foil pie pan, a paper bag, a small box, or whatever works.
Load the container up with your choice of grass seed, and any seed that spills into your pan or bag can be poured into the container and used. The holes are spaced out evenly, making these the perfect “shakers” for grass seed, allowing for even coverage when planting to fill in any gaps in your lawn. Just shake the container gently to “broadcast” the seeds across the desired area.
Always make sure to follow the directions on the package for when to plant grass seed and for instructions on soil preparation and watering. Most grass seed will last for an entire season, but if you have any leftover seed, store it in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark place for the following spring.
Other yard uses for berry containers
These handy containers are not just useful for spreading grass seed, but for spreading granular fertilizer as well. You can also use them to sprinkle lime, crushed eggshells, used coffee grounds, or other amendments onto your lawn or garden. They’re also useful for storing fall-planted bulbs — like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses, bluebells, and lilies — during the fall planting season, keeping them away from squirrels and giving them plenty of airflow.
Finally, you can use these stackable containers to help keep your shed or storage area neat by using them to store small objects that always seem to get lost or jumbled about. This could include bungee cords, rolls of tape or twine, clips or clothespins, small tools, tubes of adhesive, or zip-lock bags containing leftover garden materials like milky spore, bone meal, fertilizer spikes, and other useful things. The clear plastic lets you see right through the container so you know what’s inside.
