The charming way that Monty Don uses small terracotta pots in his garden – it’ll make your space a lot safer

Monty Don just posted a photo of his purple sprouting broccoli and tomatoes, and it wasn’t the thriving crops that caught my eye the most – it was actually the way he used terracotta plant pots as a safety measure.

There are a fair few ways to use broken pots in the garden, but if you have healthy spares lying around, Monty’s method is simple – and it looks a lot nicer than shoving other objects on the end of your plant supports.

I’ll be taking a leaf out of Monty’s book to save myself any accidental injuries in my own garden!

Monty Don’s purple sprouting broccoli and ‘Gardener’s Delight’ tomatoes were the stars of his recent Instagram post – he said they’re loving the hot summer weather – but it’s what he wrote in brackets at the end of the caption that I liked the most: ‘[The] flowerpots are to stop poking out my eyes on the broccoli canes.’

I’ve spotted safety terracotta pots in a couple of Monty’s Instagram posts, and the way he uses them is simple: he balances one small pot on the end of each of his plant supports. Even the best plant supports can pose a safety hazard, and it’s easy to forget they’re there while you’re weeding your vegetable bed or tending to your crops in other ways – but Monty's trick will keep you from injuring yourself.

It’s worth cleaning your terracotta pots if you want to have them looking their best. Or, you could buy a new set, like this affordable 12-pack of 6.5cm terracotta plant pots from Amazon.

What I like most about Monty’s plant pot trick is that they actually look nice – almost rustic, or Mediterranean, if you prefer that kind of garden design scheme. This set of 18 terracotta grow pots from Crocus are a similar style to Monty's, too.

Commenters on Instagram agree that it's a brilliant idea, noting that they've very nearly injured themselves on their own plant stakes and canes from time to time. If you have children, that's even more of a reason to accident-proof your garden.

Where to buy small terracotta pots

Will you be using tiny terracotta pots as a safety measure in your garden?