Eco Tutorial: Toilet Paper Roll Planters

Here’s a quick and easy way to get a jump on your spring planting by using a common household item, the empty toilet paper tube.

What you’ll need:

Empty toilet paper tubes
Sharp scissors
Potting soil
Seeds or cuttings
A tray or lid to hold your plantings

Cut four flaps at the bottom of the tube, about .75” long, and fold them in to form the bottom of your planter.

Once the tubes are filled with dirt and watered, the weight will keep the tube closed, so there’s no need to tape it shut. Place your planters in a waterproof tray, plastic lid, etc. (I used the bottom of a cereal box lined with aluminum foil). Fill your planters with soil, plant your seed or cutting, and water well. Keep the dirt moist and in no time you’ll have happy little sprouts. When it’s time to plant them outside, you can either gingerly tear the tube away, or just open the bottom and plant the whole thing in the ground.