Making Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starter Pots

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This time of year thoughts turn to the garden but it's much too early to be planting outside. Here's a recycling project that might help channel some of that frustrated gardening energy!

To make little seed starter pots from toilet paper rolls, first flatten the roll and then turn it and flatten it again. You will end up with four creases running the length of the cardboard roll. Cut each roll in half cross-wise.



Cut up about 1/2" from the bottom along each of the 4 creases creating 4 tabs.



Next, fold each tab in, overlapping them, like closing up a box. This creates the bottom of the seed pot.



Gather up your little pots and put them in some sort of tray for ease of handling. I use these foam vegetable trays.



Fill each seed pot with potting soil and dampen it.



Put one or two seeds in each pot, tamp them down, add a little more water and put them under the lights. I staple the torn off part of the seed packet with the variety name onto the front of the blue trays.



It's a tiny garden but it's something! When these little tomato plants are ready, it'll be time to put them outside. When you plant them in the garden, just stick the little pots right into the dirt. There is no need to remove the plants from the pots, which will degrade right into the garden soil.