Make Your Own Compostable Plant Pots

First you need to cut strips of news paper to the size specified in the instructions that come with the Paper Potter. Then you wind one strip at a time round the larger part of the paper potter and tuck the edges underneath and into the space in the bottom. Finally you push the upper part into the lower mould to fix the base of the pot. Pull off the finished pot and away you go. I tend to make a batch of as many as I need for a sowing session.

Then you are ready to fill with compost and sow your seeds.

This year I've started ALL my veg in the pots made this way and it does mean that the roots aren't disturbed when you pot the plants on or plant them in the ground - the whole thing goes in and the newspaper rots into the soil and any failures can go straight in the compost heap or bury them in the soil when you're planting out. It's recycling at home combined with composting!

The carrots and dill in the image were all started in paper pots and the result is that this is the first year in this house that I've succeeded growing either to a decent crop. I attribute that to starting everything off indoors and giving it a head start - something I couldn't have done as easily without the Paper Potter!

Essentially, if the seed is small enough to go in the pot then you can use them. Even veg that hates having its roots disturbed, like carrots, does well this way because the roots are left alone inside the pot.