The opening pot. A smart system where you can open the pot like a book and thereby avoid damaging the long roots that many seeds have.

Photo: Nelson Garden
Written by Lars Lund 
Edited by Louise Curley

 

There are all manner of vessels that can be employed to start off seeds. You can raid the recycling bin for yoghurt pots and plastic fruit trays, or make your own pots using newspaper and a wooden pot maker to form the shape.

Coir jiffys are round balls of coir compost into which you sow individual seeds. The biodegradable outer layer means that the individual plants can be planted directly into the ground, avoiding root disturbance.

While most gardeners are trying to reduce their use of plastic, if you already have a stash of plastic pots and trays it’s important to reuse these and to wash them and store them when they’re not in use, as this will mean they last longer.

There are an increasing number of eco-friendly, sustainable options too, with trays and pots made from recycled plastic or biodegradable materials such as bamboo.

Root trainers are nifty containers designed for crops that need a long root run, such as beans and peas. To use them, clip them together, fill with compost and sow like you would into a normal pot. The clever bit is when you come to plant out the young plants you simply open up the root trainers as if opening a book. This allows you to remove each plant, minimising any root disturbance.