Making & Using Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starters

I have always loved finding new and affordable ways to prepare my garden each season and one of the main processes I use each year is making seed start pots out of old toilet paper rolls. It is easy, affordable, and I love that you can transplant them directly in the ground keeping the plant less stressed in the process. Below is a general breakdown of ways to prepare them and tips when starting seeds in them.

Making and Preparing for Planting

There are multiple ways to use the rolls which is detailed nicely in Lady Lee's Home blog referenced in my resources at the bottom. Here is a shortened version:

Tall Roll with No Bottom - For this method you basically sit them vertically in a container to stabilize them and plant in them all tightly packed until it is time to transplant.
Short Roll with No Bottom - This method is the same as tall rolls, but you can cut them in half for seeds that don't need as much soil. This can also give you more quantity to work with.
Closed Bottom - With this method you cut 4 slits in the bottom of the roll and fold them in to hold the soil in in case you need to rearrange.

Here's how easy it is to prepare the closed bottom with no other materials:

Planting Tips and Experiences

You can treat the rolls similar to any other pot you would use for seed starting. The main difference is that because they break down so easily, they are great for transplanting in the roll. But, because of this, they also are not the most stable to maintain before planting.
In general, it is best to use toilet paper rolls for faster growing seeds like peas, beans, squash, etc. due to them breaking down the longer they are kept wet. They are still great to use for seeds that take a little longer, but you will need to be ready to work with how they evolve through the process. Once watered for a while, the rolls can start to unroll. This is not a major issue, but because of this, I like to keep them fairly tightly packed to support each other until it is time for planting.
Another thing to note is that the rolls tend to mold. This usually does not harm the plants, but can be unwanted. What I do is make sure to keep them in their own zone, so the mold and moisture is maintained away from other items / plants in the house. Just keep an eye out for more mold then might be expected in case you need to let them dry out a little bit more before the next watering. I have never had any mold effect a plants health in this process.
When ready to transplant, it is super easy and avoids stress on the roots to just plant the roll directly in the soil.
A great transplanting tip mentioned in The Spruce blog referenced below is that it is best to make sure any exposed cardboard is removed or covered with soil to avoid losing moisture that is pulled up through the roll to the surface before the roll breaks down fully.