Peat Pots

[GriffR]

Hi All,
Newbie here - Novice veggie grower who started growing last year and have been using this as site so much that I thought it was about time I joined in
I just wondered if anyone had tried growing in these peat pots that you can plant the whole pot on ?. I got some this year as they seemed like a good idea, however I wasn't prepared for the astonishing rate at which they seem to suck every bit of moisture out of the compost in them !!. I finally gave up on them before I created a water shortage and moved everything to plastic pots where everything now seems happy (although I am not sure how nearly everything survived as some of the contents of the peat pots was virtually complete dust !).
I just wondered if I should have been doing anything different with them compared to plastic pots ?

[Bigmallly]

Welcom to the vine GriffR, I have the same problem with them drying out. you just have to keep your eye on them & water when need be. I find them a lot easier to use than 3" pots as they take up less room, are planted into the compost therefore no washing up to do. I know there is conflicting thoughts on the use of peat pots as there is most other subjects.Personal choice I guess.

[OllieMartin]

Last year I used them successfully for peas and beans. But I also tried to use them for tomatoes and found it almost impossible to keep them moist enough or dry enough. They seem to go from the sublime to the ridiculous.
This year I just went with sowing in module trays, but I bought two squash from B&Q in peat pots and found they were incredibly unhappy for the same reasons. I've since transplanted into plastic pots and they're much happier.
Frankly, transplanting from plastic pots is not exactly difficult and I feel these peat pots solve a problem that was never really there. Perhaps they're useful for plants that don't like being disturbed, but a better answer for them is to sow direct and cloche them.

My 2 cents.

[CaroltheCarrot]

i buy these pots every year and everything i plant in them nearly always dies,so have made promise never to buy them again

o and hello

[DaveJ]

Never tried them myself but thats just down to personal choice.

[Alison]

I don't buy them because I actively avoid using peat based products wherever possible but my dad always used them for his runner beans. Not sure why but it seemed to work for him.

[Flummery]

I avoid peat but years ago I did use them once. Once tells you all you need to know about my opinion on them!

[solway cropper]

Like most others I find peat pots a bit of a disaster....either sodden or bone dry and difficult to get the balance right without constant attention, and I mean constant. Everything I sowed in them seemed to give up the ghost so I stick with modules and small plastic pots.

[falkon]

peat pots are complete failure,, last year I used them and a couple of them were on the window sill inside and in the hotter days, there appear very small white maggots on its outer surface.. still got one packet but not willing to use them... ..
but if u are using them and have problem in keeping it moist then put them together and wrap plastic on the sides...it wont dry that quick,
try using compressed seed pellets instead, the ones that expands when u water them.. they are ez to use, I used them for tomato and chilli seeds this year and got good results..

[gojiberry]

Have never used them as they always seem so expensive compared to using a pot and compost.It could be that they are a bit like using loo rolls as they tend to dry out quickly, and I find the answer is to keep them as close together as possible.

Ian

[rana]

Another problem with peat pots is that once they've inevitably dried out it knackers the plant roots that are trying to grow through into the soil, resulting in poor quality restricted plants. Tried them over couple of seasons years ago. Never again.

[Nik]

They're useless. I tried them this year for the first time, everything dried out about an hour after watering. Of eight seeds, only one germinated. I won't be using them again.

[Bigmallly]

it knackers the plant roots that are trying to grow through into the soil, resulting in poor quality restricted plants.

I always tear the bottom of the pot off before planting.

[freewheeler]

I have been using them for the last few years with few problems to be honest, mostly for my brassica's and legumes from which I had fantastic crops particularly last year. All going ok this year too, I have switched my legumes into loo rolls though, but all ar progressing nicely.

They do tend to dry out but the key to managing this I have found is to place the pots in a tray, this way you can thoroughly water the pots themselves and then leave adequate water remaining in the tray which the pots and compost will wick away over time. As the previous post mentions I too open up the bottom of the pots and make a couple of cuts in he sides when planing into final positions.

[Bigmallly]

Welcome to the vine freewheeler........gees, there are a lot of 'e's there.