Can I really just stick peat pots in the ground?

I have a bunch of seeds planted in 3" peat pots including morning glories, roma and beefsteak tomoatoes, and lupines. Can I just stick the pot in the ground at planting time without disturbing the seedlings?

Yup! Go for it!

Thanks, tommyr! Another newbie garden question answered thanks to DG. ;)

Actually--It is recommended that you break apart the peat pots a bit, as they do not disintegrate as quickly as they should and hamper the roots from growing out in the soil.

Same goes for those peat pellets that swell up and you plant seeds in them.. There is a fine netting around them and this also hampers roots from growin out intot he soil as quickly as they should.

Not a big deal--just give the peat pots a quick rip and then plant.....

Gita

Another thing to think about when putting the peat pots into the ground- sink the edges below the soil line or they will dry out quick.
I pull the netting off the pellets when planting- gently.

I've read that peat pellets/pots "used" to be made with non-disintigratable netting, which led me to believe that they are now made with the opposite. However, when I was digging up parts of the garden for this year, I found last year's peat pots still completely intact, netting and all. Is the netting truly disintigratable now?

The thing with the netting and the pots is that they disinigrate VERY slowly and as Gita & granny said you need to break them apart a bit and make sure they WHOLE thing is under to assist in break down-I think the long time it takes is why a lot of us a switching to cow pots....I have some of the peat pods with the netting this year and when I transplant them I am going to try to take the netting off 1st-for my annuals I don't worry as it makes them easier to pull out of the ground, but for my perennials, I want the roots to be big & strong!!

My peat pots aren't the expanding pellets with netting, so at least I don't have to worry about that. They're 3" Jiffy Pots that I filled with my own potting mixture (some great all-organic stuff I found). I wonder if I can just slit one side and cut away the bottom with an X-acto knife or something. At least that way I wouldn't disturb the seedlings and I could still plunk them in the ground without worry that the roots wouldn't have enough room to grow.

I would cut at least 3 slits in it and the bottom...

the plants i got yesterday were in peat pots and said to gently pull off the bottom of the pots before planting

I would score the sides too-you will get better root growth