Step 1: get a seed to germinate.

I’m pretty laid back when it comes to transplanting young plants, which is a really bad habit, because I end up with plants that are stunted because they’re stuck in small pots that were only supposed to house them for a week or so after the seeds germinated.

Well, you know that they sell little biodegradable paper pots that I suppose if you forget to transplant the young plants, will just fall apart with time and if they’re sitting on more soil, the plant can keep growing. Those are perfect for procrastinating people like me. But then, I thought, why buy them when I can recycle something already in the house?

Step 2: let the plant grow long enough to develop a decent root system.

Enter the cardboard tube from the middle of the toilet paper roll…

Oh, I’ve tried using paper pots made from newspaper, but it’s so much easier to just use the TP cardboard roll, or even from kitchen towel rolls – just trim them to the length you want.

Step 3: dig a hole deep enough to bury the cardboard roll and place the plant in it.

All I did was fill them with potting mix (not soil – that would have spilled out the bottom), then place them in a tray with a rim, sow the seeds, and water them well. After a few days in a nicely lit area, you should get your seedlings.

Step 4: Fill up the hole with soil and add a little fertilizer, if you want; then water the plant well, and keep watering it well so that the cardboard will disintegrate faster over time. (I left the top rim of the roll exposed for the sake of the photo, but covered it when I was done.)

The beauty of this system is that you can let the young plants grow one or two sets of true leaves before you plant them out. This also gives them a chance to grow a stronger root system – which you won’t disturb at all when you plant the plants out in the garden.

I love it!

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