Glass jar vs. plastic tub for my seed starting setup, no contest after one spring

I used to start all my seedlings in those plastic yogurt tubs, but they kept cracking and holding too much moisture, so last March I switched to old pasta sauce jars with holes poked in the lids. The glass keeps the soil warm evenly and I can see root growth without digging, which has saved me from overwatering at least 5 times this season. Anyone else notice glass just works better for drainage, or am I missing a trick with the plastic?

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alice99122d ago

Toss the plastic tubs and never look back... I started with those too and they always ended up with that gross soggy layer at the bottom even with holes. The glass is a game changer for seeing when the soil actually needs water instead of guessing. One thing that helped me even more is using a spray bottle to wet the top instead of pouring, keeps the roots from sitting in a puddle at the bottom of the jar. And for the lids, I found that punching four or five holes with a nail works better than drilling, less cracking around the edge. You're not missing a trick with plastic, it's just harder to work with for drainage unless you go full nerd with fabric pots inside them. Stick with the glass, it just makes sense.