Save your empty paper towel & toilet paper rolls. Cut toilet paper rolls in half & paper towel rolls into similar-sized sections. Stuff a bit of crumpled newspaper into one end of each tube section & set them upright, newspaper side down, snuggly, in a watertight tray. Pack each with moist, sterile potting soil & plant your seeds.

At planting time, you can either gently remove the newspaper & tube, or just leave it, & plant the entire tube in the ground. You can also leave some of the tube above ground to act as a cutworm collar.

Sounds intrigueing.

My DH won't throw them out, he leaves them lined up on the window sill next to the loo. I was thinking about using them just for this. I've used egg cartons for the same reason but for me they just don't hold enough soil.

Took a small aluminum tray with a plastic dome cover - that some Chinese takeout came in - & measured it so I'd cut my tubes the correct size to allow for dome covering. I was able to get 4 rows of 3 tubes across to make 12 snug-fitting containers. I left them bottomless & simply filled each little cut tube with potting soil. I sprinkled some Escarole seed into each one & then poured warm water into the tray to bottom moisten the mix. I then placed the plastic dome over the tray & waited.

Even though the seeds were from 1996, within 4 days I had 100% germination. The seedlings are about 1/2" tall, the tubes have held up perfectly, even with additional watering, & I can move them about without even the soil coming out of the bottomless bottoms. None have fallen over.

Since Escarole is a cool-weather crop, I'll be putting them out into the cold frame tomorrow to continue growing on a bit, & then I'll gently peel off or cut off the tubes & stick them out in the garden.

Would definitely use this method again. I think that if you're having trouble with them falling over, you aren't cutting them short enough.

She didn't have any trouble with them rooting together because each kid held onto his or her own, but maybe make sure to stuff/cover the bottom with newspaper like the first post said? I really don't know, as I've never done it personally... just wanted to report how L. fixed the "falling over" problem.

I don't consider these "better" than a plastic cellpack, just a frugal way of duplicating a cellpack.

as a tube user from way back, some tips to the newcomers:

1. don't bother cutting in half, too much trouble.

2. They need no bottom other than tamped down moist potting soil

3. Put them in something to keep from flopping - I use the trays you get from nurseries when you buy a bunch of small plants.

4. A little white mold on the side? don't sweat the small stuff - I've started seeds for 35 years and have never had any losses from white stuff on the side of the pot

5. If you get a bit of mold/fungus on the seed medium, pinch it out - ditto on the losses in #4

6. Plant them out when they start to melt (or before)

so maybe tubes aren't useful for plants requiring long germination - but they are perfectly appropriate for anywhere you would use peat pots, and better for the environment AND your health

happy potting

I am also finding these plastic clamshell containers invaluable as "mini greenhouses" for seed starting even without using the tubes. Just fill with your soil mix, plant, & close the lid.

Not only do these containers work great, but they are durable enough to be used several seasons. I have quite a collection now in all different sizes.

I cut slits on the bottom to make tabs and folded them over like a box-top to help hold the soil in.

Then put them in a milk jug =)