The SNAIL ROLL Gardening Hack | Huge Space Saver

[@talisman8402]

I love these, they work beautifully, and I have some suggestions. I ran out of room starting my tomatoes in solo cups. I tried this then... one roll to germinate all my peppers and another to start my tomatillos. Mine are about 6 in tall since they’ll be planted before needing to be up-potted. First, l don't recommend craft paper like you're doing because that disintegrates too fast. I get your preference to avoid plastic but that's what most of us use anyway with seed starting cells, trays, and solo cups. I made use of what l had. Didn't buy packing rolls... l buy bird seed, dog food, and cat food in bulk size bags. I cut those empty bags into strips and its perfect. Its kind of a paper laminate and we already know they're food safe. Also.. no need double the thickness and fold them up. I imagine you did that because you're using paper. Better to use a more sturdy wrap and leave the soil accessible top and bottom because these will sit in trays or something where you want to bottom water. When it comes time to up-pot, you wont need to do that at all... just unroll the snail, add more soil (maybe 2 or 3 times as much) and just reroll it again. Its also easy to keep track if planting all different seeds or starts into the same roll. I slid in plant tags all around mine right up against the spiral and planted my seeds right where those marked the spot for them. Thanks for sharing this. It's a new thing and a lot of people haven't seen this yet. Much love. ❤

[@MimiGardens]

I like these revisions to this concept!

[@amandar7719]

Putting in plant labels to mark where to sow seeds is the best tip ev eeeer! Thank you!

[@miephoex]

The idea is to get away from plastic I believe. Chelsea from Little Mountain Ranch makes pots of food safe newspaper every year. Love it. You want safe food, use food safe products. 😊

[@miephoex]

Beautiful job. Thank you. 😊

[@loanalacy4701]

This has been my experience as well. I. I used both. And I’m noticing better growth in the plastic than the paper

[@catherinecampbell8540]

Hi Rachel. You might want to tie some twine around them, as the tape will become wet and lose its stickiness. ❤. What a great idea!

[@amandar7719]

Or pop the whole thing into a similar sized container.

[@deborah2768]

I think putting each roll in a quart or 1 gallon plant container might keep the snail roll steady and confined if the paper gets soaked with water. This way it wouldnt come apart? Just a thought and I hope this works out because, like you, my growing space is bursting at the seams with plant starts.😊❤

[@mariagibson2567]

Chelsea from Little Mountain Ranch does her pots of paper for starts. She's been doing this method since I've been watching her

[@jamjar5716]

I am fascinated by this technique! I can't wait to see you plant the slips and watch them grow!

[@marilynmiller9864]

Amazing! Space saving and much more sustainable! No more plastic! 😁

[@AdamChenevert]

This would be great to do the roll, add seeds, and then plant the whole thing in a container. thanks for sharing

[@winningrabbit9843]

I always put my slips in soil - individual cups on a heat pad. They are in soil for 4+ weeks before going outside. I didn’t know we are supposed to plant bare roots. Still new to all of this after 3 years in. This concept seems very interesting so it will be great to see the results.

[@rachelcornacchio]

I did it for the first time this year also. I am growing zinnias, cucumbers, squash, summer squash. So far so good! I used wax paper because that’s what I had.

[@buckonono7996]

This is an entirely new concept for me, but my first thought was that all the plant tops will become tangled and I would worry they would be damaged when you unroll this. If planted whole, the plants will be very overcrowded. You already have well established roots, so I would be more apt to plant them in the ground. This seems like it would be better suited to actually starting the seeds, I think. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

[@kgs2127]

The reason they do poorly, or are slow to start once transplanted, despite having a "well established" root system, is because these roots are "water roots". She will be establishing soil roots with this method.

[@galethomas9383]

I'm wondering if, when putting the dirt in, you could leave enough empty space (without dirt) at the end to wrap around the snail roll and finish it off without the filling falling out.

[@ruthkedward2461]

I think I'll try this with tomatoes, but put the roll in a pot after to hold it together 😊

[@BootsandBountyHomestead]

Great idea! This year, my daughter sold strawberries for FFA so I kept everyone's containers and just started all my seeds in them and then potted. I sold probably 200 plants to friends! This would have been great for the ones I needed to keep but I just took them straight out and put them in the garden. Worked great! Your idea is the best for a longer time inside too! Awesome job Rachel!

[@mariagarcia-po6kl]

Hi Rachel. Nice way to plant your sweet potato 🍠. The snail 🐌 method is the way to go. And later, your going to have a lot of plants growing and ready to harvest this year. God Bless you Rachel. HUGS 🤗. Mari'a. 🤗🤗🤗❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍👍👍🌼🌸🌺🍠🐌

[@rita4liberty699]

50 years ago thats how we purchased tomato, peppers and brassicas, in butcher paper snail rolls. I never thought they were growing them that way. Just assumed thats how they packaged them for selling. I'm intrigued now, got my mind whirling. When you buy the flower pkgs from dollar tree they are in rolls, so I am going to try it with some sun flower seeds. Thinking. I might cut the top off a gallon milk jug and use the bottom, so there is something supporting the paper in case it gets to soft.

[@Gardencook5]

Rachel, I’ve never heard of this, snail roll method, before but I am excited to try it! I lack indoor growing space too. Thank you for bringing us along on your gardening journey as I have learned so much about gardening & preserving from you over the last few years. You & Todd are a blessing to watch, listen to, & learn from and I thank God for you. I pray God blesses you and keeps you and makes His face to shine upon you and your homestead with bountiful blessings.

[@jenniferrosario1489]

Never heard of this concept. I'm gonna give it. A try with my flowers and herbs. Keep us posted on their progress

[@pennysantana7809]

Chelsea, @ Little Mountain Ranch makes paper pots for her seedlings out of organic newspaper and plants them directly or out of it. She just had a video on that. I think hers and your idea is a wonderful way to recycle. Great idea, I would imagine it holds the heat in as well. Thank you for the idea 😊 God bless 🙏

[@kgs2127]

Great idea! I have a couple suggestions for you. One put your paper roll in a grow bag, looks like they'd fit in a one gallon (I made own out of cheap weed fabric, you sew so easy peasy...I actually stapled my first ones together, to experiment with the grow bag bottom watering concept, and they lasted years). Second suggestion is to just use landscape material ("cloth" type) for your roll BUT I actually see a problem with this suggestion because plants like grow bags sooo much they might root through the fabric in this configuration (wouldn't 'air prune'). Upon further reflection I think putting your paper roll inside a grow bag will be the best course of action, it will hold it all together when paper fails from water.

[@gingerpaxman9286]

What an amazing concept Rachel! How fun will that be to “unroll” and plant those!

[@jenmag0313]

The snail roll is a great idea! Definitely would take up less room. Happy gardening to you as well!

[@charlenejutras1595]

Thank you for sharing this GENIUS tip-I like that you used the packing paper. I just took some out of my recycle bin after seeing this. Love your channel!

[@JoyoftheGardenandHome]

Gardening in Canada just did her version of this. I'll try it next year for sure

[@marking-time-gardens]

Fascinating! New concept for me. This is definitely something worth experimenting with for sure. Thanks Rachel! Blessings on your day Kiddo!🌻🐛Carolyn in Ohio 🌿

[@freerangegardening]

What a fun concept! I’ve never heard of it before. Thank you for sharing it! Now I am going to have to try it with something myself lol. Stay rooted!

[@judyabernathy80]

What a great way to save growing space. Can’t wait to see the video where you plant them!! ♥️🙏🏼♥️

[@MimiGardens]

We've had our sweet potatoes in water for about 3 weeks. We have some roots developed, but no starts yet. I hope that changes soon!

[@Playitagaindian]

Patience for the impatient! I’ve been waiting 2 months for my slips to start. Finally this past week. 👍🏻

[@MimiGardens]

@@Playitagaindian Funny, my mom told me buds are appearing today. :)

[@angelamarden9684]

That's a fantastic idea. I'm so interested to see how they progress. Thanks Rachael

[@dinavoutour7796]

I had never heard of this but think it is a cool idea, that it is cast effective and space saving.i hope to try it with my fall garden 2024 for seed starting! Thank you for this information! ❤

[@karmennash7479]

Cannot wait to see how tomatoes go!!!! Love these techniques. Ruth Stouted my potatoes this year - so fun!!!

[@GraceTheBabbler]

I think I might try using the old compost bags. I have no compost of my own yet. But working on it!

[@marybethbowers5620]

I think I’ll try this with the plants I have because our weather here in central Ohio is cold and warm,cold and warm just not good for plants

[@jennbidwelledwardson2885]

Thank you for the pros & cons of in ground v. raised bed gardens. I went straight to raised beds when I started because I thought it would be easier. Later, I realized we do have clay soil, so I think I made the better choice for my area. I do have 1 no dig area that I fight grass and weed creep all the time.

[@carolynlivingston5418]

What a great idea! Ive been using the double cup method for years! Im definitely going to try this now. Thank you for sharing.

[@karnaxiom1635]

Wouldn’t the roots get all tangled together? I love the idea but I would be nervous with the roots.

[@TheTinkerersWife]

That's cool you discovered the snail roll. I've wanted to try it after finding it last month. Thanks for the sweet potato tips.

[@samanthathornton9330]

Maybe tie some twine around it for stability? Love the idea!

[@XOjmmXO]

I start some starts in my hydroponic gardens and then transplant them outside. In order for them not to go into such shock, I put the root systems into water mixed with soil and let them sit overnight. They seem to do just fine then.

[@LynnerdSkinnerd97]

I wonder how that paper is going to hold up for a month of wetness... I'll be watching too see your results.

[@Playitagaindian]

Thinking it will collapse. At least put in a container. Will dry out quickly. That’s why the sheet foam works well. 🤷🏼‍♀️I get that people don’t want to use plastic, but I am recycling my sheet foam and can reuse it over and over. Less drying/watering is minimal. I keep mine in a plastic container with holes so it can be set into water and bottom watered if needed.

[@missykuss9975]

You’re getting a lot of great ideas here. I think perhaps my favorite is to set each bundle into a container (like maybe a plastic milk gallon jug that has been cut off at the bottom of the handle. A flower pot might work well also. It might not save quite as much space, but it would be much less space needed that solo cups, etc. Looking forward to following this!

[@teresecox4109]

I’ve never seen this! Wow! I can’t wait for your feedback on final results once you plant out in the garden. In Zone 8a, North Georgia, I’ve planted out most of my plants with exception of sweet potatoes and peppers. But just found out we may be dipping into the 30’s and now worried! I even waited two weeks after our estimated last frost.

[@prubroughton1864]

I never cut my sweet potato slips - I grew these commercially, I always pulled them off and they usually have roots on the slip. I sprout the potatoes in soil - cover the tuber with about 2.5 cm of soil and keep in warm spot. I grew thousands this way every year. I also used bottom heat

[@tanyapayzant5261]

Wow, that is new to me! Great idea!!🇨🇦

[@veronica6514]

HI Rachael . This reminds me of the bean experiment we did in school back when schools actually taught you something . I don't no what it was called but we took a few pinto beans an wrapped them in a wet paper towel an put them in a jar to keep them moist an they would root . Then we planted them in dirt . It's kind of the same concept . Cool idea . Thanks

[@pamschonfarber1041]

That's a great idea Rachel, thanks for bring to our attention.

[@trishapomeroy9251]

What an interesting idea. I look forward to seeing how it works for you.

[@traceydysert6096]

I just seen this on Facebook yesterday. Pretty neat.

[@slyborgl]

This is great!! Can't wait to see how it works out for ya! 😊❤

[@JohnHamilton-wd6iu]

How do you keep all the roots from becoming a big intertwined mess there so close together and there's lots of roots already? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@smas3256]

If I heard you correctly, these are a temporary holding because you will be planting soon anyway. I think this is brilliant. Paper should hold up till then. Best wishes. Someone else here commented about maybe you wrapping the snail in twine now.

[@marybethbowers5620]

I’m not planting sweet potatoes this year,but next year definitely

[@joyce663]

❤ what a nice content we love you from Kenya Africa

[@jackiehorsley9263]

that's a Clever Idea

[@pamschonfarber1041]

WOW Rachel you are on top of your game this yr, I wish I were.

[@fleurettewoods6080]

I just heard of snail roll last week. I am going to try it too

[@TannaPhillips]

Can’t wait to continue watching how this goes!!!

[@rhondamontiel3827]

What a great idea! I'm so short on space

[@dianawilliams-coe7747]

I will be watching to see how this works. thanks, I will wait until I get feedback from you.

[@thatonegirl1837]

Thanks! I can't wait to see the results! I feel like it would fall apart easily after being bottom watered. If not, this is the perfect solution to my lack of space!

[@LauPulstar]

I think it Is important that once you roll it, you put it right where it Is going to be and not move it till you want to break it apart and plant those sidlings. That paper Is strong enough to keep its shape and stay in place as long as you dont mess with it very much

[@thatonegirl1837]

​@@LauPulstarGood point!

[@LauPulstar]

@@thatonegirl1837 i learned that from Chelsea of little mountain ranch. She uses newspaper pots to uppot her sidlings every year

[@thatonegirl1837]

@@LauPulstar Newspaper pots sounds like such a great idea too!

[@gogogardener]

I'd never seen that done before. Great idea! Would it help to put the roll in a gallon pot?

[@itme7685]

This method looks great. I hope it works. I might try it. I have a roll of craft paper still left from moving. I ended up laying some down before putting mulch down at least one time. I might try this.

[@rogoforjohnthreethirty]

Love this! Thank you!!

[@fallenangelwi25]

That's an awesome idea!!!

[@kathyhoot7277]

My 1st year trying sweet potato slips. Very interesting. I will try anything to get a harvest.

[@shervin6711]

Never heard of this. How interesting!

[@amyfletcher4749]

Awsome idea!!!

[@karenhunter8969]

I love this idea. Great. Thank you

[@dinavoutour7796]

In thinking about this I have bought something similar at the dollar tree store just to check how well it worked. It was seeds in a roll in sort of a piece of loose fiber fabric. It appeared to be a synthetic fabric. I planted it in my garden and waited but nothing came up for me. I think it has petunia seeds which are pretty easy to sprout and grow. I think it was probably in 2018 or 2019 when things were still only a dollar at dollar tree stores.

[@lizlinder6013]

I plan on sharing some of my slips and this will be a great way to package them.

[@janetsandham7058]

Thank u so much for sharing this Hopefully I can do it as I have lots of bell peppers ,I grew from seed , And tomatoes ect ,so will give it a go

[@joybartlett9784]

Thanks for sharing this. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

[@marilynclayton3430]

I’ve seen this! Thank you for doing a video. Clips are hard to tell if it really works or not. I’m excited to see how the snail roll works💚

[@JodiMontano]

Wow, I hope this works well. It'll be a game changer!

[@loripretti843]

What a genius idea!!! I love it!!! I will Definitely be using it in the future!!! Thank you so very much for sharing it with us!!! I truly Appreciate it!!!! God Bless Us All!!!!

[@ginco5203]

Interesting! My indoor green house is about maxed out and I have a few more starts to start at the 4 week before last frost mark coming up. Maybe I will also up pot my tomatoes this way to free up a shelf.

[@crmlmichael]

If they get too big it could end up being a big tangled mess and you may end up with a loss of tomatoes or just a lot of broken limbs. When doing tomatoes I would do them at least 10 in apart and only put five or six in a row. If you put them too close together you're just going to ask for trouble when you go to unroll them.

[@Meeminator603]

I use only greenstalks now, too old to be acquainted with the actual ground so my biggest problem up on my back porch where I have my "stalks" is cabbage moths and somehow those disgusting tomatoe worms. I've tried various fixes, haven't beat them yet, but plucking the disgusting ones is helpful, while still being DISGUSTING. Thanks for your vids, they make me happy about the things I can no longer do and happier about the ideas for variety in planting harvesting and preserving. You're a great pair of hoomans.

[@Aknightgal]

I think greenstalk sells a frost cover. If you can sew you could make a cover out of netting.

[@robinlj5767]

Greenstalk now has an insect protection cover! I bought one last year👍

[@cynthiafisher9907]

Spray the caterpillars with Bt, it’s organic and will kill both types.

[@suzie2080]

I've never heard of that! That's amazing! A lot of times people will have rolls of burlap for decorations on wedding tables. I wonder if that would work. Would burlap be sustainable? You could use it over couldn't you? If it would work, a lot of brides sell their decorations very cheap when the wedding is over.

[@cynthiafisher9907]

Great idea! But I think it wouldn’t be reusable, the roots would grow through the fabric, they might stick the roll so you could t unroll it, idk.

[@kathyelam2196]

I will definitely try this. I have very limited space ❤

[@loriy7532]

Great video Rachel , so many people need these great ideas. Always a pleasure to visit.

[@paulagreen7839]

Thank you for sharing ! This would be a game changer for me

[@donnahudson-q3c]

cool idea!

[@shervin6711]

I am wondering if you could even START the seeds in them, skip transfer. Hmm.

[@lispottable]

Wow that is fascinating Rachel. I may have to try it. I’m curious how you keep from getting fungus gnat in your seedling soil. I have had them so bad this year and have tried all the tricks. I’d love to know what you do.

[@sophiabultena6781]

Getting slips to START in soil fixes this problem Stat them in soil from the very beginning ❤

[@gymgirllja]

I have beautifully started slips that need to be rooted. I was just thinking to root some in water and root some in the snail roll. See which group does better after transplanting. I just love garden experiments!!

[@shervin6711]

I am wondering if a bucket might work better. Wondering if they really will wick up that tall. Or just top water instead...hmmm

[@jackienoel2864]

This is an amazing idea! I wonder if when they are ready for the garden, if you could just cut between each one and stick that whole thing in the dirt? Then nothing to have to compost?

[@cynthiafisher9907]

Great idea! You could probably pull them apart while tearing the paper, so you don’t lose many of the roots.

[@cynthiafisher9907]

What a novel idea! I hope it works great for you.

[@catracampolieto8989]

How would you label each tomato if you snail rolled them? Great space saving technique.❤

[@talisman8402]

Just slip standard plant tags into the roll all the way around the spiral to mark which variety each seed or start is. They slide in right up against your wrapping material.

[@ruthanneflear3122]

I saw this year too. Really want to try this.

[@pamschonfarber1041]

You can say that again about sweet potatoes are slow starters, unfortunately I didn't get any slips this year, I think the potatoes I used were treated. This yr so far is weird, I'm on my 2nd planting,I'm due to go on vacation for a week, so I may just wait until I get back and start in my greenhouse outside.

[@chrisa6682]

I just tried this method yesterday. I planted pea seeds. I just discovered last year that the birds eat my pea sprouts outside so growing peas is difficult here. So I'm starting them inside with the snail roll because they like to have deep soil for their roots and also don't like their roots disturbed. Hope it works out. I'll plant the seedlings outside when they're 3 to 4 inches tall.

[@anonanon1982]

There is bird netting. A lot of people use it to protect their strawberries and such.

[@cynthiafisher9907]

Great idea!

[@Peachy08]

Well keep us posted on how using paper goes.

[@anounimouse]

Rachel, have you ever made cinnamon rolls? The filling & rolling principle is the same: Stay away from the edges, esp the final few inches. EDIT - now that Ive viewed multiple other Snail Roll sites, I like yours best bc you fold up the bottom to contain the loose soil. I hope you do another vid when you unwrap them so we can see your results!

[@Mrs.Bosslady]

Hey Rachel 😊

[@pherhymeswithamc6399]

i imagine it might sort of work like air pruning my concern would be the paper falling apart. what about using burlap? ive got a whole bolt of burlap just laying around here. only so many scarecrows and potato sacks you can make, am i right lol i might try this. i havent been able to garden in a long time though because i just cant handle the heat. it would certainly help with preparing for fall planting so the plants can get going in a controlled environment away from the extreme heat, lack of rain, and bugs until theyre a lot bigger and stronger.

[@wendyr435]

That’s a great idea! I’ve got rolls and rolls of burlap after decorating for my daughter’s wedding! Thanks for that idea!

[@cynthiafisher9907]

You might want to put a piece of paper down the roll before you roll it up so the roots don’t grow into the burlap and make it hard to unroll without tearing a lot of roots.

[@pherhymeswithamc6399]

@@cynthiafisher9907 great suggestion!

[@nancyrasmussen2016]

Sweet potatoes like it hot. If you planted some it's probably too early now to plant them. Nancy from Nebraska

[@angietaylor5311]

Just a little tip I was told was to remove any sticky tape or plastic labels Rachel from paper, hope this is helpful for you ♥️

[@1870s]

There was nothing on this paper

[@Krehbiels05]

I always move mine from water into soil before planting for that reason. Sweet potatoes do seem to hate the shock of water to soil outdoors.

[@TalesFromTheRanch]

I’ve never seen this before. I don’t pot my sweet potato slips. I leave them in the water jar until it’s time to plants them out.

[@donnanorman340]

Little mountain ranch on youtube uses newspapers, and it works perfectly for her. She makes the paper pots first, then she fills them with her soil, then she plants her plants. 💛 from 🇨🇦

[@cynthiafisher9907]

Yes, but the point was saving space.

[@donnanorman340]

@@cynthiafisher9907 which these also do.

[@cynthiafisher9907]

@@donnanorman340 The paper pots Chelsea makes are not space saving, they are pretty big, but they are cool. Chelsea is amazing, I’ve been following her for many years.

[@donnanorman340]

@cynthiafisher9907 true, but you could make them smaller if need be. My point was that you could also use newspapers.

[@cynthiafisher9907]

@@donnanorman340 Yes, you are right about that you’d have to use quite a few layers, as newspaper disintegrates easily when wet.