Making plant pots with garden clay

Hello there!

My partner & I have recently moved to a rural village in North Spain (Asturias). With the cabin we've been renting comes a piece of very interesting land. It's heavily sloped, originally covered in brambles, and next to a small tributary that feeds into a large river.

After a lot of work with the asadas we've managed to remove most of the brambles that were covering up the view. What's left is this crazily shaped sloping piece of land that comes down to the stream. As such, the soil is exceptionally clay-ey. I was digging there the other day to create terraced beds, and this wet orange mud was splashing everywhere. So I know that to plant we have to add a LOT of extra organic matter. No problem.

However, I was thinking of another way of actually using this clay. My partner had this idea to decorate terracotta pots and sell them at the market with lovely plants inside. I liked the idea, but didn't think it was too cost effective as we would have to buy the pots first. As we have such a surplus of this material, why not have a go at making our own pots?

So what I've come across on the subject so far is this guy and some other useful looking YouTube vids.

But I wanted to know if anyone else has had success with this? Anyone used clay from their land to make stuff before?

Muchas gracias!

I started to say "clay is clay" so go ahead and try it, but actually there are all sorts of clay and it isn't all perfect for pots. Some can be fired at low temperatures and others take very high temps (porcelain); some are more groggy; some are better suited to water-proofing (bentonite, for example, is used to line ponds); and some are even used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics (kaolin is a prime example). Having said all that, however, I should point out that since Spain is known for its tile roofs and decorative tiles, it's a pretty safe bet that your clay is going to be fine for pots. Just sift out large rocks and soak the dry clay in a bucket of water for a couple of days -- agitating it once in awhile -- to float out any botanical debris. After that, you can dry it out on some scraps of sheetrock or even on cardboard until it is of a workable consistency. Roll some of it into a long finger-sized cylinder and bend it into the shape of a donut. If it can do that without cracking and falling apart, it should be fine to use.

And to answer your other question ... yes, I have done this with clay from our land. We have two distinct types here -- one is the typical orange-brown clay most people think of as terra-cotta and the other is an interesting type I'd never seen before. It's black and almost looks like tar, but it bends and is workable just like the other kind. It makes a very pretty dark gray pot. I've not fired any of it, so that is only the dry color. I have no idea what it will look like when fired. If I ever get time to do it, I'll take photos and let you know how it turned out.

Amazing answer, thanks so much Deb I appreciate how it was so catered to where we live, too.

yes, I think you're right in saying that the clay here is probably going to be the terracotta stuff. It certainly looks like it. I'll have a go at digging some out this weekend and post the results if and when there are any..

Incidentally, today I dug out a small pond on the slope which unearthed plenty of the orange goodness. Due to the slope it was initially difficult to create a level pond until I had the revelation to use the unearthed clay to build a wall equal to the upper slope height. Such an easy building material, it was like being a muddy child. I wonder if this stuff could also be used for walls..in some sort of insulation technique? Our house is completely made of stone (bar the wooden floors and roof) and we'd really like to insulate it for winter but so far don't have too many ideas.

It's great to know you've tried it yourself with success! I think the clay you're referring to could be similar to the one the guy uses in the vid above? But maybe it's darker..sounds beautiful though. Would love to see photos if you ever do try it out.

On that note, do you have your own kiln or use a normal oven? Or do you make the kiln using the clay like this guy