Starting seeds in recycled material

your markers are ingenious!!

“grow little seeds, grow”

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Looks good … keep us posted on how your seeds do! Hoping for “good beer”. :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Well done! Life is too short to drink cheap beer!

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

toilet roll idea is genius! im so doing this for my next round of seeds. not only for the great use of recycled material but also im sick of buying seedling pots! there is never enough! i just keep buying and buying. great job.

Ive been using small vege boxes you get from the markets as mini seed beds, and they seem to work great, but imnot sure if there is sufficient drainage. toilet rolls are a definate winner.

Love your idea. I have a huge number of toilet paper rolls saved for my graddaughter at school for projects. She doesn’t need any more was going to dispose of them. Do u just set them on a tray or what?
Vera Jo in Elm Grove, WV

-- Vera Jo in Elm Grove WV

Love it as well.
Any recycling ideas anybody has, I for one, would be more than interested in hearing about! :-)

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

I’m not too sure about the chemicals in those toilet rolls? I doubt if they are harmfull to humans but they could be too acid or basic to support plants.
Too bad you couldn’t have tested one or two with mung beans or the like before committing.
If anbody need markers, just cut up one of thos old plastic venitian blinds in to strips.
I got a couple a few years back and I’m still harvesting markers from them. (mine are white)

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

Wow, that’s a really good idea Bob..

When we moved in there were blinds in the windows. Granted we’re leaving them, but the stupid people never trimmed them to length so they have TONS of extra slats.

Will stash the excess when we trim the next few down.

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

Wait, you’re worried about the chemicals in toilet paper rolls, but are willing to use plastic venetian blinds, which may contain lead, polyvinyl chloride, phthalates, or more chemicals I can’t even spell?

I don’t think you have to worry about the chemicals in the toilet paper rolls.

I don’t have another picture, but the seedlings are growing fine – most of them anyway. I forgot to water two days in a row, and lost a few. The tubes are standing up on an old cookie sheet, and I just pour water into the cookie sheet for the tubes to wick up. It’s easy to tell when to add water because the tops of the tubes start to look dry. (The hard part is remembering to do it, but that can’t be blamed on the tubes.)

Here’s instructions on how to set these up from someone else:
http://www.yougrowgirl.com/thedirt/2007/04/13/toilet-roll-seed-starter/

-- -Jerrica --Kansas City, MO --zone 5

Thanks Jerrica for the site. It is full of neat ideas!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a