you find a way to reuse everything!!..you're the ultimate recycle and reuse gardener..today I put 3 Blue Mouse Ears in the shed (it's wood - attached to the back of the garage)..rather than planting small plants this late I decided to let them be until spring..I put them in a sturdy cardboard box with crumpled newspaper..soil was moist from a recent rain..some leaves pulled off but not all..the "coffin" is like a smaller version of my shed..

its not in the sun .. right???

ken

"you're the ultimate recycle and reuse gardener." I'm afraid it's in our blood. My parents and my husband's parents showed us great examples of how to reuse items. Your mini "coffin" sounds cute Nicholsworth55.

Ken, the "coffin" may get some morning sun in the spring, but being in plain sight like that, I will be able to deal with it when that happens. I will be able to partially open up the top or cover it with some white material or move it (last resort) if needs be.

What a great idea! By the time Thanksgiving comes around I say ENOUGH with them and cut them off. I don't believe they are adding a thing to the plant. I cut some tops off the other day and dropped a few green leaves on the deck and 4 days later they are still lying there green unattached. I would clean up the(debris) in the pots so bugs don't start families in there. Be sure air can circulate over them, and wait until spring.

-Babka

with pots... in the cold frozen MI i live in ... the biggest winter problem is wind ... on pots... a moist pot in fall .. though frozen solid ... will end up bone dry .. and in the freezer.. that is called freeze dried.. and when roots freeze dry.. they tend to rot.. if in spring... while the pot is still frozen ... starts filled with water .. melting snow ... rain ... etc ....

so the box it self.. solves the whole wind issue ... and i would bet you dont need the top at all .. unless to protect black pots from sun in winter ... we just dont want the warming of the small pots ...

so i would suggest you be not too concerned about hermetically sealing them with the top ... your first pic shows such ... and i am just discussing the concept for others ..

vermin.. if any.. might also be an issue ...

ken

ps: if necessary ... once fully dormant.. there is no reason you couldnt stack them right to the top ... if you have more you need a spot for ...

I hadn't thought about the effect of wind on pots. I was thinking the top was necessary to protect the pots from too much snow during those heavy, windy blizzards. My thought is that if I put the top on, but leave a gap, mice may find it a very comfortable home. So my choice is to cover it completely and every now and then have a peek to see if everything looks OK.

If I leave the top off, then everyone coming to my front door is going to wonder what kind of weird person has all those pots and lives in that house. But then, if I keep the top on, everyone will wonder what is in the "coffin." Can't win either way . . . but, you know . . I don't care!