The National Collection Of...

By Mwillis
...of Elmlea pots!

Tomato seedlings


Where would I be without Elmlea pots??

Leeks


On average we probably use about one pot of Elmlea a week, and I save the pots because they are really good as plant-pots. I need a lot of small pots at this time of year, and it would cost me a fortune to buy as many as I need. Actually the Elmlea pots are better than most purpose-made plant pots, because they are taller and slimmer. They are ideal for things that like being planted deeply, such as tomatoes and leeks.

Of course I always make a hole on the bottom of each pot for drainage purposes, but this is easily done because the pots are quite flimsy.

I reckon that an Elmlea pot lasts at least two years, usually three, but they do eventually go brittle and start to crack. Oh, and by the way, just in case you were wondering what it is, Elmlea is a cream-substitute. We use the low-fat version. It is very good for making "cream" sauces, and for Gratin Dauphinois.