I have always grown my own transplants in either plastic nursery six-packs or in peat pots, but this year I think I might try something new. I was leafing through the Gardener’s Supply Company catalog yesterday and came across a product that was awarded the 2013 Green Thumb Award for its ease of use and practicality. (I am gonna tell you right now that nobody ever pays me to talk about their products—I talk about them because they are exciting to me or I find them useful in my own garden.)
They are called Peel Away Pots. Made from Velcro-brand fabric, the reusable pots come in 2- or 4-inch sizes. What looks so interesting to me is that, when the time comes to plant the transplants into the garden, the fabric pot just peels open. Ingenious!
Just as exciting to me is the fact that they come with a self-watering tray and a capillary mat to make watering easier. In the past, I’ve always used my own trays and a homemade capillary mat system for my seedlings, but this looks much easier to use than my usual setup. I’m excited to give it a try.
The downside, of course, is the expense—and expensive they are. A set of three 4-inch pots with the tray and mat will run you $24.95, and without the tray and mat a set of three pots will run you $9.95. There is no way I could afford to grow all my seedlings in Peel Away Pots, but I think I’ll try them with a few tomatoes first and see how they go. Wish me luck!
