****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I've ordered several products by Bootstrap Farmer over the last couple of years, and I have to say I love this company."Buy once, cry once." - Are these trays more expensive compared to other options? Yep. Are you going to have to replace them next year because they are cheap crap that will break after a single use? Not a chance. Will you be saving a lot of money in the long run by buying these one time, instead of rebuying the cheap crap year after year? Most certainly. These things are awesome so far, and I don't foresee any issues with them lasting long into the future.The inserts are about an 8.5 / 10 for me. They are just slightly oversize for the trays, so they bow up in the middle a bit. It's not as noticeable when the pots are all filled with moistened soil or coco, the weight will force the center down. I also wish they sat a bit more flush with the bottom of a 10x20 tray to make bottom watering easier, but honestly that is just nit-picking. I love that the insert holds each pot individually. I've been doing the 32 2.5" square pots in a 10x20 tray for a few years now (with cheaper pots that need replacing frequently) . One of the main issues with that was stability when moving the trays around, taller pots like to tip over. Replacing my trays with Bootstrap Farmer's heavy duty ones helped, since they aren't nearly as flimsy as my old trays. These inserts solve the problem completely though. Each pot is secured individually in the tray. I love it!As for the pots themselves, they are perfect for starting seeds that you don't want to worry about needing to transplant for up to a couple months. Yes, you can fit 72 plants in a standard 10x20 tray, but they will only stay in those tiny cells for a week or two before you need to move them to a bigger container (like these 2.5" pots). Far more efficient to just start them out in these larger pots.I do need to note that the pots I received are not the ones shown in the pictures on the product listing. The ones I got match the pictures posted by a couple other reviewers, with the increased height/width, and the expanded 'lip' on the upper edge of the pot. When in the cells the pot edges touch each other without the half inch gap between them. This has an impact if using the plastic domes with your trays, as the domes will not slide over the outer edges of a full tray of pots as neatly. Pushing the dome down until it was a bit under an inch from touching the tray worked 'well enough', and felt like it might deform or damage the dome if I went further. While that still worked decently at keeping humidity up, it's not as good of a seal as you would get with the smaller pots shown in the product description pics. I kind-of prefer the larger pots though, to be honest. Did they switch versions or manufacturers at some point? Is there still a chance of receiving the smaller pots? What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? The world may never know...A couple reviewers have mentioned the smell as a negative aspect, but personally it's not an issue for me. Yes, there is a strong 'new plastic' smell when you first open the box. It's probably because they are shipping these things out as fast as they can make them, they aren't sitting in a warehouse for a year or more to give the odor time to dissipate. I just rinsed everything well under water in case there were any chemicals from the manufacturing process remaining, and a couple weeks later the smell is barely detectable. First world problems, honestly. :)These things are like tanks and will last many years, there is more room in these pots which means transplanting doesn't have to take place as quickly.Starting root sensitive seeds (cucumbers,melons, and some squash varieties)….. these are exactly what’re the farmer ordered…I like that these are made in USA and seem like my kids wont break them from just picking up a fully loaded tray up and moving.I received the correct number of pots, but only two trays!Best for seed starting. Self watering, no fear of dropping because this is sturdyThese are so nice. They are sturdy and will be able to be used again and again. 100% recommend them.There is more than one 1020 style tray. I called Bootstap Farmer directly. If you order this you need SHALLOW 1020 MICROGREEN TRAYS with NO HOLES. If you order the regular seed tray they will not sit directly on the bottom and you won't be able to bottom water properly.Item just arrived today so haven't used yet, but im very happy about their size and sturdiness. Will update once I plant in them.Item arrived damaged. For the price spent on these trays I expected better.
