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Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

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May Dreams Gardens

Potting Tidy

January 3, 2011 By Carol Michel 21 Comments

Do you know the proper name for this?

The proper name for it is “Potting Tidy”.

I love having a potting tidy because it makes the whole business of potting up plants neater than say, laying out some newspapers and dumping potting soil on the papers.

Really, potting soil on newspapers? How very uncivilized. You are gardening, not trying to make a mess. Do the right thing and get yourself a potting tidy.

A potting tidy makes potting up plants indoors a positively pleasant proposition.

Not to mention how fun it is to say “potting tidy” around other gardeners and it is especially fun to throw out the phase “potting today” when talking with non-gardeners. Try it. You’ll see.

Potting tidy — as much fun to say as it is to have.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: humor, indoor gardening

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cyndy says

    January 3, 2011 at 11:33 am

    Hi Carol – I've been doing tidy potting for a long time, but I just called it recycling the cat box 🙂

    Reply
  2. Angela @ Cottage Magpie says

    January 3, 2011 at 11:50 am

    I have been wanting to do this for so long! I have been waiting until my garden shed was free to be used as a shed. You know, instead of a storage unit. Haha! This year!
    ~Angela~

    Reply
  3. Layanee says

    January 3, 2011 at 12:07 pm

    It does look quite tidy. Mine is usually in a garbage can but that needs to be done.

    Reply
  4. Darla says

    January 3, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    I just use a five gallon bucket.

    Reply
  5. Lisa at Greenbow says

    January 3, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    How tidy of you to have your potting soil in a pan.

    Reply
  6. Commonweeder says

    January 3, 2011 at 12:56 pm

    I have never been notably tidy – in any area, but I am looking forward to my new potting table in my new shed. Which has a dirt floor.

    Reply
  7. Gail says

    January 3, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    Tidy potting is one Martha Stewart behavior that hasn't found its way to C and L! But, I do agree with you~it's a great phrase and I can have a lot of fun introducing it to our non gardening friends! xxgail

    Reply
  8. Marie says

    January 3, 2011 at 1:34 pm

    I have my potting tidy containers from a relative's hospital stay. If you see people running around a hospital snatching plastic wash basins, you can bet they're gardeners!

    Reply
  9. Susie says

    January 3, 2011 at 2:42 pm

    I have one of those!!

    Reply
  10. Laura W says

    January 3, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    Eureka! I've searched online to buy one of these in the past and had to just keep trying different terms for the actual item. Very happy to finally know the proper term. Where did you get yours?

    I'm also looking for a larger version that I've woeked with before and love. The sides are thin green metal and it slides onto a wooden base? I tried to locate it by the name stamped on the side (which I don't recall) and found zero results. Pretty sure it was manufactured in the UK. Any ideas?

    Reply
  11. Liz says

    January 3, 2011 at 4:20 pm

    Hi,

    Potting tidy! Well, they are certainly civilised, assuming you're not lazy like me and know you'd still end up using newspaper! lol.

    I have a potting table, and yet instead it's full of plants in the pots and nowhere left to pot anything up, so I still use the wall – which is at the perfect height to do such work!
    You can take a horse to water…

    Reply
  12. Ivynettle says

    January 3, 2011 at 7:03 pm

    I've never seen it except on your blog, but I remembered the name.

    It's a pity I've never seen them for sale anywhere, but at least now I've got a corner where I can set up a permanent potting table.

    Reply
  13. xoxoxo says

    January 3, 2011 at 7:09 pm

    Ooooh! Any old rubbermaid container would do the trick too! I always put off repotting things because of the mess I have to clean up after… but as a result things die and I kick myself EVERYTIME. Im going to get tidy this year!

    Reply
  14. Patsy Bell says

    January 3, 2011 at 7:59 pm

    Potting Tidy indeed! I shall commense at once. Splendid idea.

    Reply
  15. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    January 4, 2011 at 1:17 am

    You know I want one.

    Reply
  16. Helen says

    January 4, 2011 at 4:46 am

    Hey, I have one, and in fact used it just the other day. Had no idea what it was called, though… I just call it a potting tray. Got it at Lee Valley Tools. Not from the catalog (or I'd know it was called a "potting tidy") but from wandering around their store one year. Can't leave Lee Valley without buying *something.*

    Reply
  17. Janet/Plantaliscious says

    January 4, 2011 at 10:33 am

    I love my potting tidy, mainly because I am so bad at tidying up after myself when pricking out etc, and was leaving trails of compost everywhere… I got mine as part of a deal, with a sieve, stool and stand for the tidy, all fitting neatly into the end of my little greenhouse. Heaven.

    Reply
  18. Vetsy says

    January 4, 2011 at 8:31 pm

    I have got to have one. The Potting tidy will go on my list of garden tool must haves for this year..

    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  19. dezignlady says

    January 6, 2011 at 3:10 pm

    Oh you know I think I have one of these in the shed and I need to bring it to the garage for winter. Would keep my workbench much cleaner!

    Reply
  20. Nan says

    January 6, 2011 at 3:31 pm

    Here's where an old-house-dirt-cellar really comes in handy. I do all my potting down cellar where spills just add to the floor. :<)

    Reply
  21. Corner Gardener Sue says

    January 14, 2011 at 2:19 pm

    My husband, who loves neatness, bought one of those for me a number of years ago. Sometimes I remember to use it, sometimes, not. I like to spread out, putting potting soil in several pots at a time. Plus, I am not planting as many smaller pots these days.

    Reply

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