Find the Right Smart Pot for the Way You Grow

Most gardeners know Smart Pot for tomatoes, peppers, herbs, blueberries, and patio gardens. But once you get into 100 gallon, 200 gallon, 300 gallon, and all the way up to 1,000 gallon Smart Pots, you are no longer just planting in a container. You are building a garden. For a limited time, Smart Pots sized 100 to 1,000 gallons are 20% off on SmartPots.com - No code needed. Just add a qualifying Smart Pot to your cart and the savings will be applied automatically   A Raised Bed Garden, Without the Building Traditional raised beds can be great, but they also come with a lot of work. You have to buy lumber or metal panels, haul everything home, measure, cut, drill, screw, level, and hope it all holds together once the soil goes in. A large Smart Pot keeps things simple. Just unfold it, place it where you want your garden, fill it with quality soil, and start planting. No tools. No building. No heavy frame. No rusting metal. No rotting wood. Just a proven fabric growing container that gives you the convenience of raised bed gardening with the horticultural benefits Smart Pot is known for. Why Large Smart Pots Work So Well as Raised Beds Smart Pots are round in shape, but their large size gives you the room to plant like you would in a raised bed. A 100 gallon Smart Pot can hold a serious amount of soil. A 400 gallon Smart Pot gives you enough room for a full companion planting setup. A 1,000 gallon Smart Pot can turn an open patch of yard, driveway, greenhouse, or community space into a productive growing area. More soil means better moisture retention, more room for roots, and more flexibility with what you grow. It also makes watering and fertilizing easier because your garden is contained in one large growing space. Instead of feeding a whole in-ground row, you are feeding the soil your plants are actively growing in. How Much Soil Do Large Smart Pots Hold? Here is a quick look at the approximate soil volume in some of our larger Smart Pot sizes. Smart Pot Size Approx. Soil Volume Approx. Cubic Yards Raised Bed Comparison 100 gallon 13.4 cu. ft. 0.5 yd. About a 4 ft x 4 ft bed filled 10 inches deep 200 gallon 27.7 cu. ft. 1.0 yd. About a 4 ft x 8 ft bed filled 10 inches deep 300 gallon 40.1 cu. ft. 1.5 yd. More soil than a 4 ft x 8 ft bed filled 12 inches deep 400 gallon 53.5 cu. ft. 2.0 yd. About a 4 ft x 8 ft bed filled 20 inches deep 500 gallon 66.8 cu. ft. 2.5 yd. More soil than a 4 ft x 8 ft bed filled 24 inches deep 1,000 gallon 134.4 cu. ft. 5.0 yd. Over two 4 ft x 8 ft beds filled 24 inches deep   So when we say large Smart Pots can work as raised bed gardens, we mean it. These are not small grow bags trying to act bigger than they are. These are serious growing containers with real soil volume. What Can You Grow in a Large Smart Pot? A 100 gallon Smart Pot is great for gardeners who want to grow a larger mix of vegetables in one place. Think tomatoes, peppers, basil, marigolds, lettuce, onions, carrots, or strawberries all growing together in one Smart Pot Garden. A 200 to 400 gallon Smart Pot gives you enough room for bigger planting ideas. You can grow a salsa garden with tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, and onions. You can plant a pollinator garden full of flowers and herbs. You can try companion planting with corn, beans, squash, marigolds, basil, or dill. You can even build out a compact vegetable garden without needing to tear up your yard. A 500 to 1,000 gallon Smart Pot is for gardeners who want to go big. These larger sizes are great for community gardens, schools, farms, nurseries, backyard gardeners with serious growing goals, or anyone who wants a large raised bed style garden without having to build one. The Smart Pot Difference A wooden or metal raised bed can hold soil, but it cannot do what Smart Pot fabric does for roots. Smart Pot fabric allows air to move through the container wall. When roots reach the side of the Smart Pot, they are air pruned instead of circling around the container. This helps create a healthier, more fibrous root system inside the soil. That matters because healthier roots make it easier for plants to take up water and nutrients. Better roots lead to better plants. Smart Pot fabric also helps with drainage and aeration. Instead of holding too much water at the bottom like many hard sided containers, Smart Pots allow excess water to drain while still keeping the soil active and oxygenated. That is one of the reasons gardeners and professional growers have trusted Smart Pot since 1984. Lighter, Longer Lasting, and Easier to Store Large raised beds are hard to move once they are built. Wood breaks down. Metal can bend, dent, or rust. And once a raised bed is assembled, it is usually there to stay. Smart Pots are different. They are lightweight before filling, easy to place, and simple to store when not in use. At the end of the season, you can empty them, clean them, let them dry, and fold them down for storage. They are made to be used again and again. For gardeners who want flexibility, that is a big deal. Start Your Smart Pot Garden and Save 20% If you have been wanting to build a raised bed garden but do not want the hassle of building, now is the perfect time to go bigger with Smart Pot. For a limited time, save 20% on Smart Pots sized 100 to 1,000 gallons at SmartPots.com No code needed. Just add a qualifying large Smart Pot to your cart and save instantly.  

Shrubs, trees, and turf. Throw in an ornamental garden, and you’ve got the typical American yard. There’s no denying the beauty of flowering roses surrounded by emerald grass. But what if you could turn your landscape into a cornucopia of free, mouthwatering food? That’s the idea behind edible landscaping. Let’s look at some garden design ideas that deliver fresh, delicious produce for you and your loved ones. In five simple steps, you’ll be growing crops of your very own! 1. Scout Before You Sprout Prior to planting, carefully observe your yard. What areas receive the greatest sun exposure? Where are your irrigation lines, water hoses or other sources of moisture? Are you working with trellises, a patio, greenhouse or raised vegetable garden? Make a rough sketch of your space and develop a vision of how it will look when it’s finished. “Planning before planting” is a great rule of thumb for any gardener. 2. Plan Your Plate Now that you have a vision and a sketch, it’s time to match edible crops with the strengths of your landscape. If you’re working with a trellis or pergola, vine crops are an excellent choice. Grapes, cucumbers, and sugar snap peas will turn your scaffolding into a source of delicious flavor and nutrition. In extra-sunny areas, tomatoes, peppers, squash and eggplant will be right at home. And for your partially shaded patio? Broccoli, onions, leeks and cabbage are perfect. Looking for patio design ideas? Try Smart Pots. They radiate heat, keeping your crops nice and cool in the hot summer sun. 3. Add Some Eye Candy Growing an edible garden doesn’t mean giving up flowers. Plenty of varieties are equally appealing to the eyes… and taste buds! Depending upon the cultivar, carnations can be sweet or peppery. Hibiscus delivers notes of cranberry — perfect for your cup of tea. And lavender exudes a perfumed essence that compliments both sweet and savory recipes. REMEMBER: Many plants are poisonous to humans. Carefully research edible flowers in your garden before putting them on your plate. Never consume flowers picked in public spaces, including parks. These flowers may have been treated with toxic herbicides. And it goes without saying: Don’t use toxic herbicides or pesticides in your edible landscape. 4. Keep Pests Suppressed Since you’ll be dining on the fruits of your labor, it’s important to use organic pest control. Keep rabbits, raccoons and squirrels at bay with hot pepper spray. Puree a few cups of very hot peppers and mix it in a spray bottle with soap and water. Spray your edible garden a couple of times a week, and your furry friends will lose their appetites. Creepy crawlies plaguing your crops? Diatomaceous earth kills snails, slugs, ants, aphids, mites, earwigs, and cockroaches. Essential oils are another effective solution. Rosemary repels fleas, flies and mosquitoes, while peppermint drives away squash bugs, spiders and beetles. 5. Get Creative! Once you’re hauling in bountiful bushels, it’s time to have some fun in the kitchen. Zucchini and squash make delicious vegetable spaghetti. For a fresh take on melon, try some watermelon ice cubes or infused water. Or kick your cucumber game up a notch with a cucumber sandwich or Asian cucumber salad. Partaking in the fruits of your hard work is the crowning experience of edible landscaping. So go all out. Whip up a wildly tantalizing recipe… And dig in!Shrubs, trees, and turf. Throw in an ornamental garden, and you’ve got the typical American yard. There’s no denying the beauty of flowering roses surrounded by emerald grass. But what if you could turn your landscape into a cornucopia of free, mouthwatering food? That’s the idea behind edible landscaping. Let’s look at some garden design ideas that deliver fresh, delicious produce for you and your loved ones. In five simple steps, you’ll be growing crops of your very own! Top rated products Smart Pot Raised Bed Planter $61.59 – $109.99Price range: $61.59 through $109.99 Select options Smart Pot Lil’ Shorty Raised Bed Planter $55.59 Add to cart View cart Smart Pot Urban Compost Sak $60.59 Add to cart View cart

First, a Quick History Lesson… In 1984, High Caliper Growing introduced fabric pots to the tree farm industry. Invented four years earlier by Ralph Reiger from Oklahoma City, fabric pots immediately drew the attention of progressive tree farmers and nurseries. These early adopters were eager to find a product that improved the speed and efficiency of tree growing. The result was nothing less than spectacular. Growers found they could plant and harvest trees in a fraction of the time required by ball-and-burlap planting. Mortality rates, labor costs and shipping costs all plummeted. As it turned out, container planting produced trees that were not only hardier but much easier to harvest. And 2 to 3 times as many trees could fit on a truck. It all added up to massive savings on production and shipping costs. In 2006, High Caliper introduced Smarts Pots to the retail market. These air-pruning pots were designed for smaller plants. Commercial growers and home gardeners quickly discovered Smart Pots’ numerous advantages over traditional growing containers. Before long, a wave of competitors flooded the market with cheap, low-quality imitations. Nothing Beats the Original High Caliper Growing’s original fabric pots provide numerous benefits, features and advantages that benefit home and commercial growers: 1) Unlike traditional containers, which cause root circling, Smart Pots promote a process known as “air pruning.” When roots reach the boundary of fabric pots, they sense the presence of oxygen penetrating the fabric container. Instead of circling the pot seeking an exit, roots form finely branched structures that deliver moisture and nutrients to the growing plant more efficiently. A larger, healthier root mass leads to vastly improved yields. 2) Smart Pots promote excellent drainage. Excess moisture drains directly through the fabric, virtually eliminating root rot and its associated parasites. 3) Smart Pots are completely free of chemicals, dyes and BPA. They are chemically inert, so there is never a danger of harmful chemicals leaching into the soil. 4) Smart Pots are made 100% in America. American manufacturing gives High Caliper Growing total quality control over the manufacturing process. 5) High Caliper Growing’s fabric pots are incredibly durable and made specifically for your grow or garden. When properly used, stored and maintained, they deliver a minimum lifespan of five years. And Now, a Look at the Competition. Imitation fabric pots can’t live up to the extraordinary benefits delivered by Smart Pots. Here are just a few of their shortcomings: 1) They’re typically made overseas. Primarily in China, to be exact. Chinese imitations not only lack quality control. They lack something every grower relies on—consistency. Buyers can’t be sure they’ll get the same quality, design or fabric from one batch to the next. 2) Many foreign-made fabric pots contain lead, harmful dyes, and BPA. When you’re growing plants for consumption, the risk of chemical contamination is high. Why risk your health — or the health of your customers — just to pinch a few pennies? 3) They lack durability. Some imitators are of such poor quality, they split open when filled with soil. Extra stitching and hems are telltale signs of lackluster fabric. If it requires extra stitching to remain intact, its effective lifespan is limited. 4) They’re too thick or too thin. This defeats the greatest advantages of authentic Smart Pots. Fabric that is too thin results in excessive drainage. Overly thick fabric inhibits drainage. That causes root circling, rot and a host of other problems. So How Can You Tell Smart Pots from Cheap Knock-Offs? Actually, it’s pretty simple. Just look for the white Smart Pot tag. If it’s not there, you’re probably getting less than you bargained for. The Smart Pot tag is a symbol of American-made quality since 1984. Thanks to rigorous testing, refinement and top-quality craftsmanship, you know you’re getting the best. Perhaps you’ve heard the popular saying, “Fake it until you make it.” When it comes to fabric pots, you’re better off choosing the real deal. So be sure to look for the white Smart Pot tag. When you see (and taste) the incredible results, you’ll be glad you chose the world’s original fabric pot.