Allotment : Paper Pots

This is our first full season with an Allotment. Last year we got a very overgrown allotment quite late in the season and spent a good deal of time digging it out. We did get a fruit cage in and a huge amount of tomatoes – that was largely it.

This year we are trying to get going early. We started with staring a bunch of plants in the house to get them out as soon as we could. This means making our kitchen look like a greenhouse. It also means using lots of plastic and compostable pots. I had been reading about these paper pots and finally saw the maker in a local nursery.

Its great!

You simply cut some three inch strips of newspaper (full length), roll it around the ‘pestle’ and then press and twist it on the ‘mortar’ a few times and it crimps the bottom. Then you have a free, biodegradable pot. The only problem is that its too small for any larger seeds… but its far better than the plastic trays.

And the kids love making them. It does take some time, so make a cup of tea/coffee and talk to someone reading the paper while you whip out 30 or so.

I highly recommend it.