I think the idea of potting up once at least before putting it into the ground was so that it had a chance to develop more stems. I agree, roots coming out the bottom in less than one year is happening to me as well. I did figure out a larger container, a juice pitcher - drilled holes in it. While potting up one yesterday I ripped off half the roots entwined in netting to keep out snails. We'll see how that survives. Thanks for your ideas. Ginny

What kind of self-watering pots are these? A few kinds are: Home Depot's system where you have an outer ceramic pot and then a clay pot on the inside. Neither of these have holes. You then put water between them and the inner pot soaks up moisture. Earthbox/Gardener's supply which is a large rectangle all one piece. Walmart which has a very small reservoir in what look like normal round plastic pots. Homemade Earthboxes out of either large rectangular containers or 5 gallon food buckets.

Stew pot is actually closer, Linda. The style we currently call "Dutch oven" is a flat-bottomed kettle with a lid added. And is, of course, with its heavy, heat-holding design, ideal for stewing. Kettles originally were round bottomed (and some had legs), designed primarily to be hung over an open fire; either from a tripod or a crane. They did not have lids. There was a point, measured in gallons, where a kettle became a cauldren, but I misremember it right now. Thirteen comes to mind, but don't take that to the bank. Dutch ovens, of course, had three legs and a deeply recessed lid so you could put coals both under and on top, to provide even, dry heat. They were used on the hearth, not in the firebox. In the first quarter of the 19th century, "portable" cast iron stoves became popular. Initially kettles were still used by removing an eye and setting the pot right in the hole, over the open fire. Eventually they began modifying the pieces, flattening the bottom and adding a domed lid. A chicken fryer has a somewhat different configuration; being relatively wide for it's height (for stability), and with sidewalls that slope more sharply than those of a skillet. Chicken fryers, too, have domed lids; many of which are of the self-basting type. Now, if you really want to know about hearth trivia, ask me nicely and I'll tell you were the term "hob nobbing" comes from.

I purchased a set of try-ply Calphalon Contemporary cookware. Then, I purchased separate pieces of various brands depended on my needs. For non-stick, I have some Calphalon hard anodized and Lodge cast iron cookwares. Except for cast irons, most, if not all, non-stick cookwares have teflon or similar substance which is harmful when cook at high temperature. The fume is invisible and is known to kill indoor bird pets. Unlike other cookware, you should not preheat non-stick cookwares. It will make the cookware hotter than it should. If you want to be on the safe side, cast irons are best for non-stick and healthy to use too. Most come pre-seasoned and ready to use. Beside giving you some needed irons, cast iron cookware will give you some muscle too =o) If you're a serious cook, it's hard to stick with just 1 brand or 1 type of cookware. Nevertheless, chose the types that would best fit your cooking methods. ie: I like to brown meat or fish before putting it in the oven. I chose the Calphalon tri-ply stainless and cast irons so I could move from the cooktop straight to the oven and cook in high heat.