Painted Planting Pots

Now that the warmer weather is setting in, it's perfect time to begin growing garden herbs.  Or, if you're without a garden of your own like me, pots are a great substitute.  Who says they have to be plain terra cotta? Below is a fairly simple tutorial on how I painted my planting pots and choosing environmentally-friendly paint.

Can you guess what I'll be growing in them?

What you'll need:

• terracotta pots and saucers (I used three 6" ones)
• paint (one 2 fl oz bottle of Americana in 'zinc' can cover three 6" pots and saucers)
• paint brushes / small sponges (make-up sponges will work too)
• old newspaper
• pencil
• Sharpie Water-Based Medium-Point Pen

[images coming soon]

What to do:

1.  Make sure pots and saucers are clean. If you just purchased them, they should be ok.  If you're using old pots, place them in a white vinegar-water solution (more info here). 
2. Once clean, apply the first coat of paint. To have a nice, finished layer, paint several thin coats -- outdoors.  Painting will likely take two stages, the top/bottom of the saucer and the inside/outside of the pots.  When painting the inside of the pots, only paint down approx. 1" from the top. Let dry for about 45 minutes to 1 hour on newspapers before applying the next coat.  I used 4 coats in total with small, partial touch-ups. 
3. After finishing the final coat of paint, take the pencil and very very lightly write out your message - plant / herb types, name of a friend (gifts!), etc. It may be helpful to draw a straight line parallel to the bottom of the pot.  
4. Test the sharpie pen on newspaper before using on the pots.  It requires a lot of shaking and a decent amount of pressure for the ink to flow.  Trace over the pencil, stopping every so often to shake again.  

The Potential Impacts of Paint

It's not something often thought of.  It lingers on our walls for years until a fresh coat is painted over top.  But without proper precautions, paint can have negative effects on indoor air quality and breathing conditions.  Steps have been taken to make paint less-dangerous -- at least there's no lead anymore (and that took nearly 75 years to put into effect after the dangers of lead were discovered).  Today the largest danger in paint are VOCs - volatile organic compounds.  As paint dries, these compounds are released and combine with existing gases in the air to form ozone.  This has been linked to breathing problems and headaches, and in extreme cases cancer, as well as liver and kidney damage.

If you're in the market for paints, look for key-words like 'low VOC' or 'VOC free,' and opt for water-based paints over oil-based.  Another good indicator is the Green Seal, given to paints with VOC levels below 50 g/L for flat finishes and 100 gL/ for non-flat finishes.

Image from greenseal.org

As rapid consumers, Americans bring thousands of goods into our homes each year, several of which have not been tested for chemicals.  Unfortunately, companies have limited product safety standards to meet and oftentimes prioritize profit over environmental responsibility and consumer health.  This leaves shoppers unaware of potential dangers in the items they're buying.  But you don't have to be! A few of my favorite trusted sites on product information are listed below:

• Cradle to Cradle - reusable products that eliminate the need for material extraction and future waste by increasing its life-span.
• EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database - look up the dangers of beauty/cosmetic items. Over 61,000 products recorded.
• Household Products Database - perhaps the largest range of items of the sources listed here.
• Safer Products - US Consumer Product Safety Commission (government-sponsored) website were people can report problems with specific goods.

Being a smart shopper means more than saving money.  While the majority of products on shelves have hidden dangers, more and more sustainable goods are emerging as consumers demand higher safety standards.