Nether Wallop Paper Potter

a life-transforming tool

Here it is, the little tool that's making it all possible for me this sowing season. I've seen these around for years on various eco-concious websites but I never looked at them as a serious solution for my needs.  I don't personally know anyone who makes their own paper pots and I've certainly never heard them recommended.  Perhaps I'll look up Monty Don in a moment and find he has them on some list or other of gardening essentials, but not now or I'll never get this finished.  So why did I buy?  To be honest, I was enjoying shopping on seedaholic's website so much that I actually wanted to buy more from them than the seeds I had in my barrow.  I presume this is what happens to those people who enjoy 'shopping' as a leisure activity?  How dangerous!  Anyway, it seemed the time was ripe and I invested my £9.95.  I now wish I had bought the set of two which included a larger version more suited to larger seeds.

 
The key to the success of the little gadget is in the abundance it provides.  Assuming you have paper, you can have as many little pots as your heart desires or your propogation requires.  At the point of taking the above photo, I had run out of yoghurt tubs and was wondering what to prick out into.  Then the paper potter arrived and the tomatoes (far left) were rehomed in a jiffy.  Then I sowed my Cynara cardunculus “Cardoon” straight into pots to see how that would work out too.  I made enough pots -about 40 in the time it took for my son to have his cereal and clean his teeth.  


I didn't find the suggested paper dimensions worked for me and anyway I didn't have a great deal of spare newspaper.  I started recycling some ancient OU notes on A4 paper, which seems to lend itself beautifully.  You can grab about 10 sheets at a time, fold them in half down the length and slice through with a kitchen knife to create a neat stack of raw material.  Next I folded the paper along the margin to make the paper strip narrower. This has the advantage of strengthening the walls of the pot but not bulking out the bottom, facilitating the forming of the pot.  I wound the paper around the potter with the folded edge at the top of the potter, loosely folded the bottom over (just like gift-wrapping a cylinder) and the pushed and twisted against the mould.  A little twist is all it takes to remove the pot from the potter and there you go.  The potter is made from untreated FSC oak, which I couldn't resist rubbing with a little vegetable oil to bring out the grain and make it more enjoyable to handle.


Other than perfect availability, other benefits of the potter are: 

• no root disturbance, you simply plant out into the soil where the roots can grow through the damp paper.
• it disappears!  Less plastic clutter to have to store when not in use.
• once you have your potter, all the pots are free!
• it feels great to do.

For all the official info and eco credentials click here

Like a duckling?

  

Lupinus polyphyllus seedling

I've always thought a lupin seedling conveys just the right amount of cutsieness.  The fat seed leaves, all dark glossy and succulent are shortly followed by lighter green palmate leaves, all edged in fuzz.  The combo of robust and delicate, smooth and fuzzy, remind me of all the perfections of new life.  Ducklings in particular!


There are nine lupins of this size growing away nicely.  They're one of my favourite cottage garden plants which I've been trying to cultivate for years.  I have a three year old plant, a blue 'Russell' type that I grew from seed (the only survivor of about 30) which is already looking promising for this year.  Now I come to think of it, I did save some seeds, where on earth?  Possibly the electric meter cupboard?  In addition to these nine young chaps, I also have a tray containing the rest of the seed packet that were started when these ones were pricked out about ten days ago.  I literally threw the remaining seeds in, poked them down and watered them in.  They seem to have germinated as well as those that I was extremely careful with.  I'm sure He Who Is Mostly Concerned With The Tidiness Of The House will be very glad when the living room window cill is freed up again -at the moment it's my germination zone.


Next post will be of the Nether Wallop Paper Potter.  How can you resist a name like that?


p.s. The Wiki link to lupins is very good if you are interested, they seem to grow all over the world.  I just found out the 'Tremolços' that I enjoy so much in Portugal are in fact a lupin bean. 

Promise of Spring

Propogation is looking more abundant this year.

With a couple of trestles, an old door and a 'paper potter' my scope has increased on past years.  I've previously had a love affair with tropical planting which sounds lovely in the rain but all gets a bit 'green' after a  while.  Then I was totally into food.  If you couldn't eat it, I wasn't interested. (Those of you that know my husband will understand why).  It was hard work but did at least grab His attention and proved  that it was all worth while.  I even got three raised beds created in order to 'keep things a bit tidier'.

The last couple of years have seen me introducing more flowers, importantly for the bees, but mostly because I adore them.  Especially the big blousy ones, Paeonies, Old Roses, Lilacs, Poppies, the list is endless.  Due to the fact my floral desires are greater than the contents of my bank account I'm going to town on the seeds this year.  I intend to fill my garden with blooms and edibles of all kinds.  There's so much mizzle in a Cornish garden it's hard to feel enthusiastic at times, especially when you look out and see the slugs have just enjoyed the previous evening's planting :(  But here I am enthused and just willing  these seeds to wake up and get growing.  While I'm waiting, later posts will share with you what it is I am growing and the intended changes to the garden.