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    Home » Let's Have Fun » Crafts

    How to Make Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starters

    By Debi 14 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This site also accepts sponsored content

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Do you like to garden? Want to save money while growing your plants and vegetables? Try this simple recycling tip as a way to start seeds. Try these Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starter.

    How to Make Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starters

    Don’t spend money on those expensive seed starters. Try this simple way to start seeds to save money. Start a garden on a budget.

    I love gardening, and I love recycling. Adding to the 2 together just seems like a natural concept. Since we started working on getting our garden together last week, I decided I would get a jump-start on my seeds and get them going too. It seemed like a perfect way to use Toilet Paper Rolls For a Seed Starter.

    More Gardening Articles:

    • Create this beautiful Topsy Turvy Flower Pot tower for your flowers.
    • Make a turtle for your garden
    • Make a simple bird bath that will look beautiful in the garden.
    • How to Attract Humming Birds

    Can You Germinate Seeds in Toilet Paper Rolls?

    Planting already started plants is easy. It is a simple dig a hole and put the plant in. The problem comes in with the price of plants. Some annual flowers can cost up to $5 a plant, depending on where you buy it. Growing plants from seeds are much more cost effective. Even the expensive seeds I have seen are less than a single plant and with a seed pack, you can grow a dozen or so plants for the price of one. Many people don’t like to grow from seeds because they don’t know how or think it is complicated.

    How do You Use Toilet Roll Seeds

    When you germinate seeds in toilet paper rolls, you do not have to disrupt the roots moving them from from a pot to the ground. The rolls are compostable and will disintegrate in the ground.

    How to Start Seeds with a Seed Starter

    Make sure you buy good seeds. Do not save the seeds for the year. Those seeds usually do not grow. I do not recommend the seeds from the dollar store either. I rarely have luck with those. This can leave you frustrated.

    How to start a garden

    We collect toilet paper rolls, so we always have a bunch of them lying around, just waiting for a craft or repurpose. I *think* I saw this idea in a magazine that I was glancing through in the line at a store. But at the time, I was only flipping through, not paying much attention, so I don’t know what magazine it was, if it actually was even a magazine, or if that is even where the idea came from. I just know, I saw it somewhere, sometime, and it stuck in my head until I actually did it.

    RELATED: Want other great gardening ideas? Get Your Garden Ready For Planting and Creating a Special Planter for Your Plants.

    Supplies Needed

    What you will need:
    Potting soil I love this kind. It gives me beautiful flowers every time.
    Gardening gloves
    A box
    toilet paper rolls– cut down in halves
    Seeds: There are so many beautiful flower seeds

    Pro Tip: I prefer to buy everything online if I can. I hate traveling to a store and not finding what I am looking for. I order online so that I do not have to go out to a store. It is a huge time saver.

    How to Make Seed Starter Pots

    You will need something to hold all of the toilet paper rolls up. You can use a plastic container if you want. I choose to recycle a box since it is something we have tons of them too.

    How to Make Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starters

    Get the box ready. I cut the top off which had the side flaps attached to it. I could have kept it on, but I didn’t want to always deal with it being in my way.

    How to Make Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starters

     Fill the box with as many or as little tp rolls as you want for your seeds. I like to fill the box with soil, and then add the rolls in. You can certainly fill each roll on its own.

    How to Make Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starters

    Be sure you are using the right soil. If you are plating veggies, don’t use flower soil. The chemicals are different. Some soils are made for both. That is the kind I have. I recommend using gardening gloves. A lot of potting soil that has fertilizer in it, has cow manure or something similar. This isn’t really something you want on your hands.

    Now, you can add your seeds.

    Press the seeds into the dirt and cover them up.

    Then give your seeds a bit of water and some sunshine. It will not take long before the plants are sprouted and ready for the ground. And since you are using cardboard, it can go directly into the ground, if you didn’t want to worry about taking the seedlings out of the roll first.

    Want other ways to use old toilet paper rolls? DIY Recycled Heart Stamp Craft, Recycled Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeders, Make binoculars with your child, Halloween Craft: Treat Bag using Toilet Paper Rolls

    Don't spend money on those expensive seed starters. Try this simple way to start seeds to save money. Start a garden on a budget.
    Print Recipe
    4 from 7 votes

    Using Toilet Paper Rolls For Seed Starter

    Keyword: toilet paper roll seed starters

    Ingredients

    • Potting soil I love this kind. It gives me beautiful flowers every time.
    • Gardening gloves
    • A box
    • toilet paper rolls- cut down in halves
    • Seeds: There are so many beautiful flower seeds

    Instructions

    • You will need something to hold all of the toilet paper rolls up. You can use a plastic container if you want. I choose to recycle a box, since it is something we have tons of them too.
    • Get the box ready. I cut the top off which had the side flaps attached to it. I could have kept it on, but I didn’t want to always deal with it being in my way.
    • Fill the box with as many or as little tp rolls as you want for your seeds. I like to fill the box with soil, and then add the rolls in. You can certainly fill each roll on its own.
    • Be sure you are using the right soil. If you are plating veggies, don’t use flower soil. The chemicals are different. Some soils are made for both. That is the kind I have. I recommend using gardening gloves. A lot of potting soil that has fertilizer in it, has cow manure or something similar. This isn’t really something you want on your hands.
    • Now, you can add your seeds.
    • Press the seeds into the dirt and cover them up.
    • Then give your seeds a bit of water and some sunshine. It will not take long before the plants are sprouted and ready for the ground. And since you are using cardboard, it can go directly into the ground, if you didn’t want to worry about taking the seedlings out of the roll first.
      Don't spend money on those expensive seed starters. Try this simple way to start seeds to save money. Start a garden on a budget.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ari

      April 29, 2013 at 3:47 pm

      Oh now that’s a great way to reuse the toilet paper rolls. They look like a great fit for each seedling and like you said, can be directly put into the ground once roots and the seedling grows. It’s also non-toxic and won’t damage any other plants around. Thanks for the idea!

      Reply
    2. Sarah L

      April 30, 2013 at 12:10 am

      I agree that it’s a great use for the TP rolls. I don’t care where you saw it, as long as you remembered it enough to use it and share it with us.

      Reply
    3. Lisa R

      May 03, 2013 at 5:22 pm

      wow, something useful to do with the roll after the real job is done….LOL

      sibabe64 at ptd dot net

      Reply
    4. Gianna

      May 05, 2013 at 10:17 pm

      Cool idea, I never thought of doing this before!

      Reply
    5. ANDREA MACKAFEE

      May 13, 2013 at 10:23 am

      THATS AN AWESOME IDEA!

      Reply
    6. Stacy Alfano

      May 25, 2013 at 12:18 pm

      This is a great idea for all those toliet paper rolls I keep saving for crafts!

      Reply
    7. Darlene Jones-Nelson

      May 28, 2013 at 8:18 am

      I have seen a lot of crafts used from toilet paper and paper towel rolls but this one is the most creative yet. I love to reuse and recycle everything I can Now I know that next year I can start the flower seeds for the easy mother’s day soup can project I don’t have to go out and buy a seed starter from the garden place.

      Reply
    8. Piper Leigh

      June 20, 2013 at 4:00 pm

      Wow, I never thought of using the toilet paper rolls. Thanks for the great idea!

      Reply
    9. Phindile

      November 17, 2021 at 2:57 pm

      What a great idea of recycling toilet paper rolls… I will definitely try it over the holidays. Thank you for sharing it with us.

      Reply
    10. Becky

      January 27, 2022 at 12:08 pm

      I love this idea! Gonna do this! Thanks for the great tips!

      Reply
    11. Linda

      March 17, 2022 at 4:59 am

      Interesting you say not to save seed for the year. My Mom passed in 2018 and I found some family heirloom cabbage collard seed in a jar marked 1993. I was so excited about the find and maybe germinating my grandmother’s prized collards. So, I did the test with paper napkins and moisture in a Ziplock bag and they finally sprouted after a couple of weeks!

      Guess I am a bit more toward the natural way of saving seeds like my grandmother, a Cherokee Indian lady that loved the land. So instead of discarding old seed, give them a chance if they are important to you. If you put them in warm water for 15 minutes and they are not floating to the top, they are viable seed to be planted.

      The toilet paper seed starters can be taken one step further. Cut the end in small sections about 1/2 in and fold in. The creates a little pot that will not require any soil except what is in them. The container you set them in will only be for keeping moisture in.

      Reply
    12. Jennifer Hendricks

      February 19, 2023 at 12:50 pm

      Going to try this in a couple days, can’t wait. 🙂

      Reply
    13. Franny

      April 27, 2023 at 8:27 am

      Can you put the rolls directly into your garden bed, instead of starting one in the house?
      Seems like this would’ve great to kick start your seeds directly in your garden
      And not having to transport them
      Hope I heard back

      Reply
      • Debi

        April 27, 2023 at 10:44 am

        Yes, you could put it straight in the ground.

        Reply
    4 from 7 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Debi!

    Welcome to my world. I am a 40 something year old mom to a lot of kids and a lot of pets. When I am not busy with the kids, grandkids, or animals, I love to do crafts and read.

    I love to knit and can often be found working on a project.

    More about me →

    We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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