designed for the way women work.
Root Pouch: Making A Difference One Fabric Pot At A Time
Category: Presenting "The Curious Gardener", Strong Women Building A Gentle World, Tools & Techniques
Ashley Fromm, the youngest member of a four-person partnership at Root Pouch in Hillsboro, Oregon, didn’t set out to change the world when she graduated from college in 2008, but that’s exactly what she and her partners are doing. Ashley, along with her godfather, his wife and her sister, are equal stakeholders in a company that manufactures fabric growing pots made of recycled plastic bottles. Their company is so in sync with the times that the words “landfill” and “gardening” no longer seem incompatible.
Root Pouch got its name when the founders decided to use the kangaroo as a metaphor for their product because both of them ‘protect their young’, says Ashley. This led to the tagline “Better for the plant, better for the planet.”
Early on they formed a partnership with the Ye family in China, combining the horticulture expertise of the Root Pouch team with the Chinese expertise in recycling and geotextile technology. Ashley calls them their ‘mirror family’ and the close bond they formed continues to flourish.
The arguments for fabric pots versus plastic pots, which are still the standard in most places, are dizzying. At the end of my conversation with Ashley I was a convert to the “Better for the planet” brand promise.
Here are some of the facts:
- Root Pouch last year alone removed 1,200 metric tons of plastic water bottles from circulation that were otherwise destined for landfills.
- Each 5 gallon pouch they produce prevents 2-3 bottles from going to landfills. In contrast plastic pots, even if recycled, will use some petroleum-based fossil fuels.
- Root Pouch pots can be folded and ‘baled’ so that they take up about 1/6 the amount of space in shipping and transportation that plastic pots do, saving millions of gallons of petrol.
We all know what it’s like to remove a plant from a plastic pot and find it is rootbound, its roots encircling the plant at the bottom of the container. With a fabric pot, by contrast, when the roots hit the fabric sides they shoot out dense fibrous roots which encourages plant health. This is the “Better for the plant” part of the equation.
Ashley grew up in Idaho, went to college in the Bay Area of California, and studied international business. For the past year she has been working from home, sharing office space with her husband of almost 2 years, and a new sheepadoodle puppy, who sits quietly on her lap through our phone interview. She loves that her real office in Hillsboro is dog-friendly and looks forward to bringing him in to meet the other dogs. She says she misses meeting with customers and traveling to trade shows, which was a big part of her business lifestyle before the pandemic. She’s a VP with responsibilities for sales and marketing.
Part of her job is educating customers and prospects about the benefits of a fabric pot but also about the special properties of her fabric pots. Root Pouch pots are the only ones made with recycled plastic bottles plus a blend of natural fibers, making the pots more breathable. The fabric has been engineered to offer thermal protection to roots too, making the plant warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
The exact properties of the Root Pouch blend are the ‘special sauce’ says Ashley, and treated as a family secret recipe. All of their fabrics are BPA and toxin free.
Ashley has her own vegetable garden at home, all planted in Root Pouch fabric pots. She grows tomatoes, potatoes, asparagus, carrots, as well as herbs such as rosemary, cilantro and basil. Root Pouch makes containers that are 100, 200 and 300 gallons in size for raised beds. Like all the others, at the end of the season you dump out the soil, wash the fabric and fold it up for storing until next season.
Womanswork carries the 5 gallon container from Root Pouch. It is called degradable, not biodegradable. They are not meant to be planted in the ground, but used like a typical pot would be, above ground. Wash and fold them for storing at the end of the season and you will get several seasons out of them.
For more information about Root Pouch visit their website at https://rootpouch.com/
I would like to enter the giveaway
Loved the article. Would love to try these.
I have larger pouches… love them – did not know there were seed starting size ! Brilliant idea in recycling reusing reinventing.
Love the idea of using less plastic. That and more has been many lessons in our homeschool co-op. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Would love to add more sustainable products to our gardening adventures.
What you are doing is awesome!!
Seems like a genius product and I would love to try!
Sounds like a wise way to decrease our use of plastic.
I’ve used the larger fabric pots for years and prefer them to the hard plastic. I look forward to trying the seedling size.
Can’t wait to try those!
Very cool! And huge sizes for raised beds – my preferred vegetable gardening method now.
Sounds like a great product. . Would love to try.
I’m very impressed and will probably try these. I hope in the future they can be manufactured in the US, but that doesn’t seem likely. It is encouraging that Womanswork is promoting their product in this way.
Eagerly anticipating my opportunity to win!
No more plastic tubs sitting around the greenhouse. Great! Looking forward to trying them.
Great idea!
Wow! My solarium is a greenhouse just now and I would love to try these starting containers! I loved reading about Oregon; I used to live in Portland and it brought back nice memories of the beautiful lands and nurseries there. Thanks for the stories!
Very wise invention!!!
Will be happy to oder a pot from Woman’s work!
Excellent idea! As I take my daily walks I carry a bag and pickup plastic bottles. Keep our Earth free of plastics. I am so glad someone found a use for these plastics. Kudos to you. I will purchase a Root Pouch for myself. Thank you for your Earth Friendly product.
What a great idea! The impact on the environment looks to be game changing. Way to make a difference Ashley!
Solves my problem of poor, rocky soil and the transport of heavy clay pots.
I love that these are made of recycled materials. I would love to try them.
Very ambitious girl to have a great idea and go thru with her plan. You go girl!! Am wanting to try this wonderful product .
What a wonderful idea! I’ll definitely give them a try.
Awesome innovation!
I make my own orchid pots with a wood burning tool and plastic containers. It’s a perfect way to reuse and repurpose and the. Recycle. Thank you for promoting this concept
Thank goodness for the folks whose innovations find a way to recycle \reuse plastic. These little starters look very useful!
I start many of my plants from seed but I’m always looking for a new way to do that. This looks like an innovative way to start healthy plants!
I love the idea of these pots. Fingers crossed that I’m lucky enough to win some to try.
Great idea. It is something we all need to do more of and think about.
I have recently been active in my garden planting peonies. Always checking for new growth. So exciting. Would love to spend time with your seedlings.
Thank you for the chance.
What a fabulous addition to your line of products! Who knew these were in my own “backyard” in the Portland, Oregon Metro area? Would love to try them. Thanks!
What a brilliant concept, and I love the idea of the two families, one American and one Chinese, collaborating to create these.
What a great idea! I start quite a few of my plants from seeds, so rewarding!
I would love to try as I am looking to reduce waster and love recycling ideas.
I would love to try as I am trying to use recycled items more.
I feel inspired and hopeful reading about this business idea that seems to consider all aspects important to gardening and caring for the earth in a way that protects it for the next 7 generations! Thank you WomansWork for promoting this innovative company.
Another creative use of cast-offs! Looking forward to trying these in my gardening adventures.So much to continue to learn. Thank you.
Love this!!?
Almost nothing makes me feel happier then gardening ( holding those grand babies is tops with gardening a close second) open to trying anything new that can improve my garden.
Very impressed. Will think about using them.
what a great idea!
Thank you for all you do to make products to help the environment. What a genius product. I have purchased Womanswork products for over 20 years. Well thought out and sturdily constructed products. Thank you!
This brilliant… can u do something about styrofoam next…pls
I need all the help I can get starting seeds!
These are so awesome!
I have been looking fir something like this! An amazing story! Thank you for sharing!
I have been wanting to try these! Such a perfect concept
Thank you for this.. i hope the world sees the genius
Next challenge find domething to do w Styrofoam
Would love to try this out next year when I start seeds – thanks!
It’s springtime – definitely time to start some seed starting! 🙂
This looks like fun. I’ve never tried this before and would love the opportunity. After COVID last year, I went crazy out in the yard with the garden and painting, powerwashing, etc. I think this would be much more relaxing and productive!