
Last year I learned about a seedling method called the “snail method,” and I tried it using some leftover bio fleece. Some plants worked well and others didn’t, but this year I used plastic bags and it worked smoothly 😅
The photo at the beginning shows my Bonsai Chilli, a small but very spicy chili pepper that I grow every year. Even I want to grow many plants—for myself, for friends, and for the local market—they can grow surprisingly well in one 7 cm pot. The roots had developed nicely.

I gently separated them by hand and planted about 4–5 seedlings per pot. In total, I ended up with 11 pots, which means around 50 plants. Amazing!
I also grew my favorite green onions this way, which really helped save space. I brought them to the garden and planted them here and there as companion plants.

At first, I used plastic bags from my kitchen, but then I realized I can simply reuse them. Now I keep suitable ones together with my seed packets and use them again.

The place I live in now isn’t very big—not the balcony, and not the indoor space—so every year growing seedlings feels like solving a puzzle. Today, I visited a garden center early in the morning and found some narrow seedling trays on sale. They fit perfectly on my windowsill, so I’m thinking of getting a few more.

The temperature in Germany has dropped again, and I’m still waiting for the right timing to sow cucurbit seeds. I hope it will finally get warm and stable by mid-May.
Happy gardening! 🌱
去年スネイルメソッドという育苗方法を知って、余っていたビオフリースを使ってトライしたらうまくいったものアリ・いかなかったものアリだったのですが、今年はプラスチックのバッグを使ったらすんなりうまくいきました😅
冒頭の写真は毎年育てている小さくて辛い唐辛子がなるBonsai Chilliです。
自分用、友人用、近所のマーケット用とたくさん育てたい場合でも7cmのポットでこんなに育ちます。巻いていたのをほどいてみるとこんな感じでいい感じに根をはっていました。

手で優しく分けて、1鉢あたり4-5本、11鉢になったので、50本ほど植物が育っていたことになります。すごい!
私の大好物のネギの苗も省スペースで育てられて助かりました。ネギは庭に持って行って、コンパニオンプランツ的にあちこちに植えました。

当初、台所で使っているプラスチックのバッグを使っていましたが、再利用すればいいんですよね。良い感じのものを種袋と共にとっておいて再利用するようになりました。

今住んでいる家はバルコニーもさながら、居住スペースもそこまで大きくはないので、毎年育苗はパズルのよう。今日は朝イチで見に行った園芸センターで幅の細い育苗ケースがセールになっていたので買ってみました。うちの窓際にぴったりだったので、もういくつか買い足そうと思っています。

ドイツはまた気温が下がって、いつ瓜類の種をまこうかタイミングを見計らっているところです。無事5月半ばには安定して暖かくなってくれるといいな。
それではみなさん、Happy Gardening!
oh wow the root growth looks amazing. I'm definitely going to try this method come spring.
Ah yes, you are now in autumn in the other side of earth! I can recommend this technique for the next season. I wish you have calm relaxing autumn/winter ☺️
Keep sharing these practical tips—they’re really helpful for growers 👍🌱
Thanks. It helps especially those with little space indoor like me ☺️
I'm trying out seed snail this year, the bak Choi are doing well, and tomatoes are starting to germinate. The chilli and green peppers failed, but I think it might be due to me using seeds from the fruit I bought from the supermarket to eat.
Did you fold the bottom of the plastic in and roll it? I read it's best not to do it as it causes water log and restricts root growth. But obviously that didn't impact yours as yours has come along nicely
Yey, we are snail friends 🐌 I folded the bottom as it's easier for me to roll. For water, you can make holes or cuts after rolling but as you wrote it may affect root growth. I now see especially the stuck bottom for spring onions. Interestingly peppers stayed in a snail around 2 months look OK but it can be because they are dwarf plants. My experiment continues 😊
By the way, the fig trees survived the winter even those stayed outside 🙌
https://www.reddit.com/r/plants/comments/1srqmt8/starting_young_plants_in_a_7cm_pot/
This post has been shared on Reddit by @dreamrona through the HivePosh initiative.
Genius space hack.