TP Your Garden
In this time of uncertainty a garden can provide security.
It is a hobby for many, but it is a hobby with a purpose. A garden, well-tended,
can feed a family and possibly your neighbor’s family, too. It is a hope for
fresh, delicious fruits and vegetables throughout the summer and into fall and
winter. And, so today, we at Mile Wide Crafts begin our long awaited series of
Crafting in the Garden.
This post is appropriate for the beginning of this series as
it is about starting seeds. As many of us know toilet paper has been a topic of
much discussion lately. With so many of us home all day, every day, we
inevitably end up with empty tubes from toilet paper, paper towels, and similar
items. Some of the tubes shown in this post came from wrapping paper, too. I
had been collecting these tubes for a bit as they are also useful for making
periscopes, but that is another post.
In this episode of Crafting in the Garden, cardboard tubes
are transformed into free, compostable planters for starting garden seeds.
Materials:
TP tubes, or similar cardboard tubes
Garden seeds
Potting soil
Water tight container
Permanent Marker
Instructions:
Step 1: Obtain a water tight container
Call up your favorite locally owned restaurant and order
takeout or delivery.
My favorite containers for this project are the kind with a
clear plastic lid as the lid can be used to help contain humidity when the
seeds are first sprouting. However, any container that holds food without
leaking will also hold water and soil for your seeds.
Don’t go out and buy a container for this without checking
out your recycling bin first.
Step 2: Cut your tubes to length
How big your tube needs to be depends on what seeds you are
starting. If you are starting bigger seeds like beans and squash, you will need
enough room around the seeds for it to sprout and grow roots, so you may wish
to leave the tube a little longer. If you are starting tiny seeds like lettuce,
you can cut the tubes shorter to get more planters out of one tube.
The other consideration is the depth of your water-proof container
from step 1. If you have a clear lid and wish to use it to hold humidity during
the sprouting stage, you will need to cut your tubes to fit in the closed
container.
So, how long should the tube be?
Measure the depth of your container and add about 1 inch for
regular TP or paper towel rolls.
If you have a wider cardboard tube, from wrapping paper for
example, you will need to measure the diameter of the tube. For those who may
have forgotten geometry, the diameter is the distance across the opening of the
tube. You will add half your diameter in place of the 1 inch mentioned above.
So, as an example, if my container is 1.5 inches deep and my
wrapping paper tube is 2 inches across, I would take 1 inch (half my diameter)
and add it to the 1.5 inch depth to get a total length of 2.5 inches. Please
use centimeters if you are more comfortable with them.
You may wish to make one tube that fits as you like it, and
use it as a template to make more the same size.
Step 3: Cut tabs in your tube
Cut slits into the end of your tube so that the end of your
tube can be closed to hold soil. The slits should be about 1 inch deep (for
regular TP or paper towel tubes) or whatever amount you added as half your
diameter in your last step (for larger tubes).
For a regular TP tube cut about 8 slits evenly around the
tube. For other tubes space out the slits so they are about a half inch apart
all the way around.
To keep the slits even, I found it easiest to think of the
end of the tube like a clock face. Start with slits at 12 and 6. Then, do the
slits at 3 and 9. After that just do the other 4 slits halfway between the ones
you just did.
Step 4: Fold in your tabs
You should have about 8 tabs cut into the end of your
cardboard tube. If you gently scrunch the tabs together, you will notice that
the tabs tend to overlap with one edge going over the edge of the one next to
it. This is what you want. Try to arrange the tabs so that one edge (either
right or left, doesn’t matter) always goes over the next tab.
When the tabs are arranged, keep pushing the tab tips toward
the center of the tube until you have a closed flat bottom on your tube.
If your tabs are a bit long and don’t lay completely flat, just
tuck them toward the inside of your new container so that you get a sort of
dome shape when you look inside your tube.
If your tabs are a bit short either cut them all a bit
deeper or place a small bit of paper inside to cover the hole.
Your tabs will want to spring open a bit. This is ok.
Step 5: Plant your seeds
I am assuming that you have made multiple TP tube planters
at this point. You should be pretty good at it by now…Make sure that your tubes
all fit pretty well standing up in your water-proof container.
Find a tube and figure out what seeds you want to plant in
it. Use the permanent market to write the name of the seed on the outside of
the tube. Most other ink will run when you water your plants, so be sure to use
a permanent marker.
Hold the tube shut with one hand and fill it with loose, dry
potting soil to the rim of the tube. Place the filled tube into your
water-proof container and add a seed or several to the soil filled tube. Stir the
soil a bit to cover the seed(s) and tamp it down. You may wish to hold down the
cardboard tube so the bottom stays shut while you do the tamping down. Add a
bit more soil to the surface if needed.
Step 6: Water your seeds.
Once you have planted all the seeds you are going to plant
in a particular container you may add water. I don’t recommend watering before
this.
When watering the newly planted seeds, add water to your
water-proof container rather than to your soil. Do this SLOWLY as the tubes
occasionally begin to float and may tip if your water-proof container isn’t
tightly packed with tubes.
You may wish to hold one hand on top of your tubes as you
add about a half inch of water to your container. In time the cardboard and
soil will absorb the water and stabilize, but until then, the tubes can be a
bit tipsy.
Step 7: Wait
Place your newly planted seeds in their water-proof
container in a warm sunny window.
Now is the part all the school children hate. Now we wait
for the seeds to sprout.
If you have a clear plastic lid for your container, use it
at this stage. You should see condensation on the inside of the plastic lid. If
you don’t see any after the container has been in the sun for at least an hour,
add a bit more water to the bottom of the container. You may need to add water later,
as the seeds begin to germinate, too.
If you don’t have a lid for your container just make sure
the cardboard tubes stay damp. It is ok if the top of the soil looks dry as the
seeds will absorb the water they need from the tubes, and the seeds are under
that dry soil.
Step 8: Plant your garden
When the soil is warm enough and the days are long enough
and your seedlings are strong enough, plant your seedlings, cardboard tube and
all, in your garden. The bottom of the tube will open up on its own at the
seedling’s roots push their way out. Eventually, the cardboard will decompose
and add nutrients to your garden soil.
If you object to having the tube in your soil, you may
remove it from your seedling by carefully peeling the cardboard apart. If you
look carefully, most TP tubes are made from a single strip of thick paper that
has been coiled into the roll. If you find the top corner of this strip of
paper, you will be able to unpeel it to remove the cardboard. Be careful not to
damage the seedling’s roots, though, if you choose to do this.
Enjoy your new
seedlings and stay tuned for more Crafting in the Garden!
Special thanks to my neighbor, Jennifer R., for sharing the
seeds which are shown being planted in the illustrations in this post. Her
generosity is such that many of our neighbors will have food this summer.
Many, Many Thanks!
