• Home Home

Gardener shares clever hack using old plastic cupcake tray: 'This is such a good idea'

"Well done!"

"Well done!"

Photo Credit: iStock

Gardening is a great hobby with a ton of benefits. And it can be a low-cost hobby when you repurpose items you already have to help you get started.

In the r/upcycling subreddit, a Redditor shared a photo of their clever hack to reuse an old plastic cupcake tray as a way to start propagation and seedlings.

"Well done!"
Photo Credit: Reddit

"From plastic waste to plant propagation station," the original poster wrote in their caption. "Transformed a mini cupcake box into a propagation tray for my smallest cuttings."

This hack is a great way to save money on gardening supplies. Containers and other supplies can add up over time, so it helps to cut expenses where you can. And by reusing an item that was going to end up in the trash, you can also give it a new purpose.

Single-use plastic often ends up in landfills, where it takes hundreds of years to break down and releases microplastics. Or the plastic can make its way into waterways and the ocean, where it threatens wildlife and the ecosystem. 

By reusing plastic trays, you can minimize the amount of plastic that goes into our ecosystems. And by not buying a new plastic item for your garden, you save on the resources and dirty energy that go into making plastic. 


These little steps seem small when it comes to a greener future, but every little bit helps. If each person uses just a little less plastic, the less it ends up out in the world.

Redditors in the comments appreciated the OP's hack.

"This is such a good idea," one person wrote, adding that "the dome aspect would help keep the moisture in the air" for the propagated plants.

Another person said they use them for a different storage solution, organizing spools of thread, and praised the OP's hack. 

"Ones with different-sized holes can be used for all sorts of organized storage. I love the idea of using them for plant propagation too. Well done!" they said.

What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home?

Not enough time ⏳

Not enough space 🤏

It seems too hard 😬

I have a garden already 😎

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.

Cool Divider