Starting Seeds in Cow Pots

If you’ve read Just Veggies for a while, you’ll know I have limited light in my house. Getting a jump on spring and starting seeds indoors can be difficult under those conditions. But I do try.

I stick with the seedlings that have a beefier constitution, sturdy stems, nice broad cotyledons, and first true leaves. Think beans, peppers, and squashes. If those guys stretch themselves toward my paltry light sources, their sturdiness should keep them going. Thin guys like tomato seedlings just keel over.

About the first week in April, I’m going to sow some seeds. I have a few packets of jalapeño peppers, some Hijinks pumpkins, and some assorted squashes. These should hold up okay. Fingers crossed.

Now, in the past I’ve tried all sorts of suitable methods for starting seeds. I’ve used old margarine tubs with drainage holes in the bottom. I’ve used seedling flats meant for the job. I’ve even used the recommended clear-plastic cover to hold in the moisture. They worked with varying degrees and they are all suitable for the job.

What are Cow Pots?

This year, I’m using something different. I received some free samples of something called Cow Pots. No, they aren’t pretty pots with cows painted on the outside. These pots are made from cow manure. That’s right, these are cow poop pots.

It’s not pure poo. The cow’s stuff has been composted and refined to remove all nastiness of its original state to form a fiber. This manure-fiber is then formed into a pot. And, because it is 100% biodegradable, you can plant the pot in the ground when it’s warm. The Cow Pot will break down once it is planted.

That breakdown action does several things: It makes the pot penetrable by the growing roots, so they can expand into the surrounding soil more easily; it releases into the soil all the good nutrients inherent in manure, making it available to the plant; and the pot just disappears—in about three to four weeks, too—leaving only the fiber behind to add much-needed compost to the soil.

Using Cow Pots indoors

Wait! Is this pot going to degrade on your windowsill while you’re starting seedlings indoors? No. Only the action of bacteria and other decomposing organisms living in the soil can begin the decomposition process.

And wait again! Do these things smell like cow poo? Nope. I’ve had a stack of these pots in my office for two months. They DO NOT smell.

I heard the owner of the company speak about the origin of the pot. He’s a dairy farmer in Connecticut. He and his fellow dairy farmers were under increasing pressure to limit the waste left behind by the dairy animals.

As you know, manure runoff entering water systems and such can be detrimental to the environment, throwing natural systems off balance. They can burn the methane in manure in a methane digester, leaving behind liquids and solids. The nutrient-rich liquids are used to fertilize the crops. What to do with the solid fibers? This guy had a brilliant and entrepreneurial thought about how to solve his dilemma. Form it into a pot.

You can find Cow Pots in local garden centers. Or visit cowpots.com. I’m sure they’d be happy to sell some to you, too.