Use Manure-Based 'Cow Pots' to Grow and Plant Your Seedlings

Just like maintaining our physical health, to keep our environment in top shape, we need to make small changes in our consumption every day that, down the road, will add up to larger, positive change.

One such change is selecting greener home gardening products, such as plant containers. Even a small thing, like choosing the type of pots used to grow seedling plants, can have a significant effect on the world at large.

In the past, home gardeners have had only two less-than-green choices when buying seedling pots: peat, or plastic. That's because neither product is a renewable resource, thus putting stress on the environment. Plastic pots are derived from finite fossil sources such as oil, and, if not recycled, often end up in landfills. And, the raw material in peat pots, despite being organic, is mined from bog ecosystems, thus depleting a natural resource.

Plastic and peat pots are also less than ideal for growing and planting, as nonporous plastic pots tend to produce cramped, root-bound young plants, and peat pots must be torn at the top before putting them into the ground, often resulting in bruising and shock.

Now two Connecticut dairy farmers, with--as you might expect--lots of organic material on their hands--have come up with a greener solution: completely biodegradable seedling pots, made from a 100% renewable resource: composted and dried cow manure. And, they've christened these--as you might have guessed--Cow Pots!

Since Cow Pots are made of manure, they provide growing seedlings with natural nutrients. And, the pot's porous construction allows root systems to grow freely, resulting in stronger and healthier mature plants.

And, there's no barnyard aroma, as all odor is removed, along with weeds and pathogens, in the manufacturing process--a process which also extracts green energy, reducing the maker's carbon footprint.

Best of all, when you're ready to plant, the entire pot can be buried in the ground intact, so there's little transplanting shock, and nothing to recycle! And, after three to four weeks, the pot's decomposition is well under way, attracting earthworms and allowing both plants and soil to continue to benefit from the manure's nutrients. (Cow Pots take 12 weeks to disintegrate completely.)

Cow Pots retail at $7.99 for a pack of 12; that's about 67 cents a pot, and more than competitive with peat and plastic pots. Not bad for a smart gardening choice that's plant-friendly, easy to use, and 'udderly' green!

(For additional information, visit www.cowpots.com)