CowPots 4-inch Square Biodegradable - Pack of 12

This is our new favorite pot, hands down. The good folks at CowPots have found a way to create a win-win product that works great and does great things for our gardens and our planet. CowPots are post-methane manure planters that break down completely into the soil, enriching it with nitrogen and enabling plant roots to spread freely as they grow.

Made on a dairy farm in Connecticut, these pots begin as cow patties from the resident herd. Then the methane is extracted and used as fuel to power the farm buildings. What's left is separated into liquids (which go right onto the crops at the farm) and solids, which continue to compost until being molded into CowPots. By this time they are odor-free, and because they have not been mixed with other materials, they are free of weed seeds and other debris. Nitrogen-rich and porous enough to let roots grow through and air circulate, they are the perfect container medium for seeds and seedlings.

To use CowPots, simply fill with your choice of potting soil, then plant the seeds, root the cuttings, or transplant the seedlings. Place the CowPots in a tray as you would a peat pot, so that drainage can run off. Then give the seeds or plants heat and light (if starting indoors in a cool room) and wait to see shoots.

The only difference between CowPots and standard peat pots or plastic pots is that the manure tends to retain moisture, so don't overwater. And if you can space multiple 6-pack cells of CowPots an inch or so apart in the tray, rather than butting right up against each other, you will get better air circulation. But these are details—the CowPot behaves just like any other small pot until planting time.

When it's time to plant out, simply set the whole pot into the soil. You don't have to tear or crack the sides of the pot like many of us have learned to do with peat pots, to help the roots find their way out. And while peat pots can often take several seasons to break down, nitrogen-rich CowPots begin biodegrading immediately, and are completely integrated into the soil within 3 months. Best of all, there is no transplant shock associated with plants grown in CowPots and then transplanted into garden or container.

So: as your plants grow, CowPots are feeding the soil with nitrogen, a nutrient it craves. There is no mess, no transplant shock, no worry about whether the roots can really "grow through" those compressed peat walls. All you have is a fully integrated plant, better soil, and a good feeling about how you've used only a 100% renewable resource as a planter. Peat bogs are in finite supply, but cows are chewing cuds right now to make us more CowPots.

Please give these innovative containers a try this season. We can almost guarantee you will be so delighted with them, you'll be back for more in no time.

Dimensions: 4 inch length x 4 inch width x 3½ inch height

• Pots and Trays