Earlier this year I dived into the whole snail seedlings debate. That was the thing about whether starting seeds in a snail-like wrap of paper towel (which makes for a terrific imitation of a giant sushi roll BTW) was actually a better way of growing seedlings. I’m pretty sure the debate is still raging. Allow me to toss one more firecracker into the hullabaloo.

A trio of spent toilet paper rolls ready for action.

I’ve never been a big fan of those tiny fibre sacks that are a seedling’s first home at commercial nurseries. They’re eventually transferred into their own individual pots, roots still snuggly ensconced in their teeny fibre sack, and put out for sale. We, then, buy the plants in pots and replant them–soil, plant, wee sack and all–into containers or in a garden bed. Now, we’ve been told that said sack is biodegradable and I’m sure that after, say, a hundred years, it will finally disappear. But I’ve poked around the roots of dwindling plants before and found that the sack was still very much intact and making the plant root-bound. I’ve had to dig up the plant, cut the sack apart and peel it away from soil and roots and then replant the plant after which it goes on to prosper.

Toilet rolls to the rescue

Back in the day, I took a certification course in organic horticulture. Among many wondrous things I learned was that earthworms love cardboard. I never discovered any hard core research to back up this notion. But most earthworm composting experts will include cardboard in their recipes for creating a healthy and productive composter. The prevailing thought is that the earthworms love:

• that the wood fibre in cardboard soaks up and retains moisture
• the glue that holds the layers of wood fibre together
• that the glue is made up of cornstarch which is nutritionally valuable to the worms

Now, I really don’t know whether toilet rolls in particular are manufactured using cornstarch but there’s something holding those twisted sheets of brown paper together.

Reasons to roll with it

If you’re looking for an alternative to sacks or paper towel sushi rolls, consider that toilet rolls offer:

• more room for root development.
• a stable container. Cut a few one inch slices into one end of a roll and then fold the resulting tabs in to make a sturdy bottom for each roll and fill with your seed starting medium. They’re sturdy enough to stand upright on their own but you’ll probably want to group the rolls together in a pan for added support and efficient watering.
• easier handling. Once you’re ready to plant out your seedlings you’ll find that popping a roll into the soil will be easier than unravelling a paper towel roll or dealing with a tiny fibre sack.

But why nurture your seedlings in earthworm-attractive casings? Good question. Earthworms are great for:

• improving soil drainage around a plant’s roots
• breaking up the soil in general to promote better soil structure
• increased soil nutrition by recycling nutrients (hello, worm poop!)

Timing is everything

So why am I telling you all this now when we’re well into fall and seed starting won’t happen for months?

Because if you decide to go the toilet roll route you’ll have to start collecting your rolls now.