A gardening expert encouraged fellow gardeners to save up cardboard toilet rolls to use outside this month
Mia O’Hare Senior Spare Time Journalist and Ellen Jenne Senior U35 Spare Time Writer
15:59, 13 Apr 2026
A gardening expert encouraged fellow gardeners to save up cardboard toilet rolls to use outside this month(Image: PamWalker68 via Getty Images)
Gardeners are being urged to hold on to one common household item this spring. As the weather starts to improve, many people will be casting their eyes towards their outdoor spaces.
It signals the time to head outside and tidy up gardens ahead of the summer months. If you’re looking to spruce up your own outdoor area, you might want to think twice before throwing away one particular everyday item.
Gardening expert Ish, who regularly shares tips and tricks on TikTok, insists that cardboard toilet rolls should never be thrown away, as they have a surprisingly useful role to play in the garden. While it might seem like an unlikely addition to your outdoor space, it could turn out to be remarkably handy.
Gardeners have been urged to keep hold of their toilet rolls(Image: Getty)
In a video posted to his @gardening.with.ish account, Ish outlined three ways to make use of the humble toilet roll, as reported by the Mirror. To begin with, he showed how they can be transformed into seedling pots.
Given that toilet rolls are made from thin cardboard, Ish described them as “fantastic” since they will naturally break down over the months ahead. The toilet rolls can be placed in a large tray or directly into the ground to protect young seedlings, reports the Express.
Ish added: “Now, if you’re trying to start to make your own compost, these work absolutely fantastic too. Simply just chuck the tubes in, and pile that down with layers of organic material.
“The worms absolutely love this stuff – it will break away and give you some pretty good compost.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
“Cut up one of these tubes, and lay it flat on the ground, and all of a sudden you’ve got yourself a really good weed membrane and that, over the next few months, will slowly break down.
“But, while it’s been doing that, it’s protecting your plants from any weeds growing up,” Ish said. “You can also plant this underneath your plant beds, and that will also protect anything from growing through.”
With milder weather on the horizon but a lingering nip still in the air, toilet rolls can even serve as an insulating layer to shield your plants from the cold.
Ish said: “It seems there’s not really any end of possibilities when it comes to things like cardboard tubes, and I’m sure I’ve missed some.”
His video has attracted a flood of responses from fellow gardening enthusiasts, who’ve offered their own clever suggestions for repurposing toilet rolls in outdoor spaces.
One said: “I fill them with kitchen waste (veg, fruit, paper, egg shells etc) then dig into the garden beds when full.”
Another added: “I grow sweet peas in them as they like as long root run, magic.” Someone else commented: “I sow runner beans and peas in them as they don’t like root when planting out.”
Comments are closed.