Every gardener has been there: You gently press the soil down around that last flower, veggie or shrub and feel a real sense of satisfaction… until you see the big pile of plastic pots next to you. While many of those plastic containers are recyclable, most are used once and end up in a landfill (especially in Chicago). 

Christy Webber Farm & Garden is helping to reduce the impact of single-use plastic pots by offering biodegradable RootMaker Green pots in our Native Plant department. 

These (literally) green pots are made with sustainably sourced wood pulp, can be reused, and will eventually break down with help from wood-munching microorganisms—in your compost bin or local landfill. Safe for plants and people, these plastic-free pots won’t take hundreds of years to break down or add to our microplastics problem.

Visit our Native Plant department or order native plants from our online shop to try out these new biodegradable green pots—available in select one gallon sizes. You’ll not only reduce your plastic use, you’ll help support local pollinators and birds by planting native plants in your yard or in containers on your roof deck or balcony.

How long do the pots take to break down? We don’t know yet! Thanks to Possibility Place, one of our native plant suppliers, we are among the first garden centers to offer RootMaker Green pots. If you choose to compost these new pots, we would love to hear feedback on your experience, so we can share that information. We’ll be conducting our own experiments too! Feel free to reach out at cooper.forsman@cwfng.com.