By growing your own vegetables, you can try different varieties, control the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and eat produce fresh from the plant. To grow vegetables from seeds, you have many products at your disposal: pots, seedling trays, mini greenhouses and more. But to keep planting simple, skip the tiny pots and start your vegetable plants directly in a bag of potting soil. You'll need a warm porch, greenhouse or potting shed where you don't mind a little mess.
Lay the bag of soil flat in a large plastic tray. Put the tray in a warm, sunlit space where you won't have to move it while the seedlings sprout and grow.
Cut 1- to 2-inch horizontal slits along the sides of the bag, one-third of the way up from the bottom. These slits will provide drainage so excess water can seep into the plastic tray.
Cut holes in the top of the bag of soil. These openings will serve as your planting pots. Cut long, narrow ovals, rather than small separate holes, if you want to plant rows of seeds.
Water the bag until the soil is moist. Plant your vegetable seeds in the potting soil according to their package directions, then follow those directions for care and watering.
Thin the seedlings once they have sprouted. Allow the seedlings to grow in the bag until they are large enough to transplant.