Gardener sparks conversation on clever ways to reuse empty toilet paper rolls: 'Worth a try'

Looking to save some money on gardening this year? Fear not, the Internet has you covered. A recent Reddit post has uncovered several exciting hacks for planting on the cheap.

The scoop

On the Gardening UK subreddit, one user stated that they saved several empty toilet paper rolls and have been wondering how to best use them to help grow sunflower and sweet pea seeds.

"I have a greenhouse I can use to get them going," they wrote.

Repurposing toilet paper rolls into starter pots for plants is actually fairly simple. 

First, you have to plan ahead — stockpile these rolls over the course of fall and winter so you have enough of them by the time warmer weather arrives. Then, create a bottom by folding the two sides of the tube so they touch in the middle and pressing down. 

Once you've done that with enough tubes, put them in a large plastic container, fill with potting soil, and make a small hole in the center of the soil. Then, place a single seed in the hole, thus tamping down the soil.

After that, just treat them how you'd normally treat any plant — place them near sunlight and give them regular water.

How it's helping

The benefits of this hack are twofold. 

First, as mentioned, it will save money. Gardening is not necessarily the most financially taxing hobby around, but every little bit of savings helps out (especially if recent economic projections hold). 

Secondly, it also benefits the environment. We all learned the phrase "reduce, reuse, recycle" growing up, and while it's certainly catchy, it also encapsulates how you can contribute to environmental responsibility. 

How often will you be gardening this summer? Every day 🥗 At least once a week 🥕 At least once a month 🌱 I don't garden 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Using toilet paper rolls as a makeshift soil bed to help start seedling growth may not seem like a major decision, but these environmentally-conscious lifestyle choices add up over time. Reusing paper and plastic products instead of throwing them out is an active choice to reduce waste, which in turn reduces crowding in our landfills and protects our oceans from pollution.

Make enough of these choices, and we can make a world of difference to our environments, both local and global.

What everyone's saying

So, does using old toilet paper rolls to prep seeds work, or is it just efficient and environmentally friendly? Well, it's complicated.

"I've used toilet and kitchen roll inners, and they are... OK," one user wrote. "Personal experience, they can dry the soil out a bit faster, so you water them a bit more. … Like many planet friendly things, it's just a bit more complicated than the plastic option. But worth a try."

Another response was encouraging: "I use them most years for runner beans. Plant the whole lot directly into the soil and the loo rolls are completely degraded by the time you're harvesting."

"Sweet peas love long roots," stated another Redditor. "I use toilet rolls every year, just tie a bunch together as they lose structure after a while."

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