Growing Carrots In Toilet Paper Tubes Has Unexpected Benefits

Late winter is a great time to get your garden season going by starting your seeds indoors. Planting vegetables and flowers in a sunny spot inside the house will give you the advantage of healthy seedlings ready to go to the garden when the weather and the soil have warmed. Some plants, like carrots, don't like to be transplanted because the seedlings are delicate and their fragile roots can be damaged in the process. Instead, save your spent toilet paper tubes to make little pots to plant your seeds for a cost-effective hack that will help your seedlings and reduce landfill waste. 

You can easily grow many vegetables in cardboard tubes, but this is especially useful for carrots, as it protects their long taproots and allows them to be transplanted safely — you will plant the whole pot, so the roots will not be disturbed. The cardboard will naturally biodegrade, with the unexpected benefit of feeding the microbes as they break down the cardboard and enrich the soil. 

This method will also help the carrots be more evenly spaced in the garden. If you've ever planted carrot seeds, you're probably already nodding in approval. Carrot seeds are tiny — think cumin seeds, and you get the picture. After all, they are in the same botanical family. To plant them in the garden, they must be scattered and invariably end up in clumps; thus, the need to thin out the seedlings as they emerge to give the remaining carrots plenty of room to develop. 

Carrots prefer cool temperatures, but if you get started now, you'll be able to harvest spring carrots before the weather gets too hot. Gather all your saved toilet paper, paper towels, or gift wrap cardboard tubes. Cut larger rolls into 4- or 5-inch pieces. Make a few cuts around one end of the rolls, about 1- to 1½-inch long and ½-inch apart. Fold the cut sections toward the center of the roll to make the bottom of the pots. 

Place the pots on a tray, large plate, or bowl — even better, in empty drink cartons or plastic tubs — and fill them with growing medium. Carefully put a couple of seeds in each pot. It's okay if a few more go in, too. You can always cut off some seedlings and use them like greens in a salad or pesto. It's important to keep the pots moist but not wet. Seedlings should emerge in six to 14 days, depending on the variety of carrot you choose. Carrots can reach their full size within three weeks after seedlings emerge, so don't wait too long to plant in the garden after hardening the seedlings.

Plant the toilet paper seed pots in the garden as they are. If the cardboard sticks out above the soil, cut any excess off, as it can wick moisture away from the roots. Carrots thrive in loose soil, so if yours is heavy or clay-based, they will be stunted or oddly shaped — best grow them in a deep container. Most varieties will be ready 90 days after planting, so sow your carrots in succession to harvest through the season rather than dozens of carrots all at once.