How to Use Peat Pots

Ask any garden enthusiast and they will tell you that peat pots are perfect for starting seed for your garden. The seed starts can be vegetables or flowers but plants like to begin their life cycle in a pot of their own. Read on to learn how to use peat pots.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Peat pots
• A plastic or wooden tray
• Potting soil
• Seeds for planting

1. Look for peat pots at your local garden center or superstores garden department. They usually come bundled in packages of 50.

2. Buy a tray to hold your pots unless you have something at home that will work instead. Any flat pan or cookie sheet will also work.

3. Purchase a good quality potting soil to use in the pots.

4. Open the package of peat pot strips carefully to prevent damaging the pots. Separate the stacked pots.

5. Fill each pot three-fourths full of potting soil.

6. Place two or three seeds in each pot. Cover with more potting soil to the depth recommended on the seed package.

7. Place the peat pot strips in the tray or other flat surface. Water until the pot is soaked through.

8. Keep the pots moist until seedlings begin to appear. As the plants grow, thin the seedlings to one plant per pot. Water the pots as necessary to keep moist.

9. Plant each individual peat pot in your garden when seedlings have reached the desired height and weather conditions are favorable. Plant the entire pot into the ground or larger container.

Tips & Warnings

• Peat pots are easier to handle during the seedling stage if left in strip form. Separate when ready to plant.
• In some parts of the country, these are referred to as Jiffy Strips or Square Jiffy Pots.
• Buy your peat pots early in the season as they are usually one of the first items to be sold out at most garden centers and superstores.

Resources

• Backwoods Living website