We invite you try this easy and earth-friendly way to start your vegetables and herbs. These biodegradable pots by Jiffy have spared the use of many pounds of plastic.
Here is the trick to handling our pots:
Keep plants watered while they wait to be planted. Don’t let them dry out.
To ensure success, drench the pots thoroughly just before planting. Then let them drain for a few minutes before putting them into the ground. The pots turn a dark brown when they are wet.
Remove the shrink-wrap label from the rim of the pot. Cutting it with scissors is the easiest way. Also tear away the top of the pot so that the rim is not exposed above ground after planting. If the pot dries out, it can rob moisture from the roots.
Finally, tear away the bottom half of the pot before placing the plant in its hole. This exposes some roots to make sure that they make direct contact with the ground immediately. If the pot falls away from the root ball, this will not hurt the plant. You can compost any pieces of the pot or turn them into the ground, where they will break down, adding a little organic matter to the soil.
Bury the pot so the top of the root ball is just even with the ground. Exceptions to this are tomatoes and cabbages, which are planted deeper. See the How to Grow Tomatoes and How to Grow Cabbage for planting depth on these.
Avoid air pockets. When refilling the planting hole, gently press the soil back into the hole, leaving no empty spaces, or air pockets, underground.
Water thoroughly after planting so that the pot and soil settle in place.
We trust that you will find Bonnie’s exclusive 4- and 5-inch pots by Jiffy an easy and responsible way to start your garden. Bonnie plants have served gardeners since 1918.
I’m about to plant some of your sweet basil in an earthbox. Do I break up the 4 seedlings to properly space them…or let the 4 grow at close quarters and just space them as clusters?
Hi Harry,
You can plant the Sweet basil seedlings as they are in the Bonnie pot. It’s possible to separate the seedlings very carefully, but the plants will grow well as they are.
Happy growing!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
I planted a celebrity hybrid in an hanging pot and put it on
my porch. It was in the bio degradable pot so i put it in fertilized it and saturated it with water, I didn’t take off the
shrink wrap off the pot. will the plant still grow through the bio degradbale pot if i keep it well watered? It would be a lot of work to take it apart now.
Hi Mark,
We really do recommend that you remove the shrink wrap from the rim of the pot before planting. The plant may grow but it won’t grow nearly as well as it could. The plant’s roots should eventually grow through the biodegradable pot if it’s kept well-watered, though. However, a bigger question… Is this an upside-down planter, such as a Topsy Turvy, or is this a regular hanging basket? I am concerned about the success of Celebrity tomato in a hanging basket. Celebrity is a shorter tomato plant but it still reaches 4 feet tall. If you’re using an upside-down planter, it should be fine, but the only tomato we carry and recommend for hanging baskets is the Sweet ‘n’ Neat cherry tomato.
Thanks for your comment!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants