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Households told to put toilet rolls in garden for 'vital' reason this month
Reach Daily Express | March 10, 2026 11:40 PM CST

Gardeners are being advised to retain one everyday household item this spring. With the weather beginning to brighten, many will be turning their attention to their outdoor spaces.

It marks the moment to venture outside once more and spruce up gardens in preparation for the summer season. If you're keen to enhance your own plot, you may want to reconsider before discarding one everyday item. Gardening specialist Ish, who shares advice and techniques on TikTok, insists you should never dispose of cardboard toilet rolls as they serve a valuable purpose in gardens.

Whilst it may appear to be an unexpected item for your outdoor area, it could prove remarkably beneficial. In a clip posted to his @gardening.with.ish account, Ish outlined three methods for using the humble loo roll, reports the Mirror.

Initially, he demonstrated how they can be utilised to create seedling pots. Due to toilet rolls being constructed from thin cardboard, Ish described them as "fantastic" as they will naturally decompose over the coming months.

You can position the toilet rolls in a large container or directly in the soil to safeguard seedlings.

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.

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"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."

Whilst sunny days lie ahead, there is still some chill in the air. Toilet rolls can even function as a thermal layer to safeguard plants.

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 been inundated with comments from other gardeners who have shared their own suggestions on how to use toilet roll in the garden.

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."


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