How To Make Newspaper Pots

1) Start off with a double-wide piece of newspaper.

2) Fold the page in half along the crease that is already there.

3) Fold the page in half again length-wise.

4) Place a soup can on the end of the page with some of the paper hanging off the end. The part that is hanging off will be the bottom of the pot. You'll notice one side of the paper is just a crease and the other side is all the edges of the paper. I like to make the crease part the top of the pot. It looks nicer and stays together better.

5) Roll the paper around the around. Try not to do it too tight or you won't be able to slide the paper off the can later.

6) Slip the whole thing over so you are looking at the end hanging off the can. Find  the end of the paper. Here you can see it hanging off a bit.

6) Starting with where the end meets the side, fold in the bottom like a roll of coins. If you fold in this part first the pot will stay together better. Otherwise the pot will want to unravel. 

7) Fold in the side across from the first fold. You now have two tips sticking up.

8) Fold in those two tips and try to flatten everything out as best as you can. If  you can see the can, you didn't leave yourself enough excess on the bottom. Undo the folds, pull the paper down so it is hanging off the can more, and try again. If the is too much paper for it to lay mostly flat, undo the folds and slide the can so there is less paper hanging off the end.

9) Carefully slide the can out of the paper.

10) Fill the pot with dirt and plant your seed.

Once the plant is big enough that you need to put it in a container or garden, you plant the newspaper pot directly in the soil. Over time the newspaper will breakdown and become compost. This also prevents you from having to take it out of a pot to transplant, thus reducing stress to the plant and roots. The other benefit is that you should be able to find old newspaper for free. You get to use it, recycle it, and feed your plant with it!