Moving potted plants, any idea to minimise bulk?

[goldenpeach]

Basically I have around thirty (or more) potted plants, some are big plants I keep outside in very heavy pots. The mover is not keen on taking them because he has to use two vehicles due to my massive furniture and heaps of books and it will be costly for me. DP not keen on hiring a self-drive van, so we are going to the new place with the car a few days before the big move and we are thinking of moving some but it's small car with our daughter in child seat behind. I thought of getting plants out of pots in moist plastic bags, leave compost behind in compost bin and stack pots, then buy compost at the other end and plant. It's a bit of a mad idea, any suggestions?

Do you have any friends or family that would be happy to babysit your plants whilst you are moving, and then you do a few trips to and fro to collect them? Or are you moving a fair distance?

I counted the plants, there are over 60, I did underestimate. I am moving 2 hours plus away by car and my friends are not really plant people, not my extent, they have few pots....

I think the unpotting and repotting would be a solution, tiresome though. Will your removals not take any plants for you, say the bigger ones, so you are left with the smaller ones? Do you need to take them all or can you take cuttings, seeds? Perhaps split the load into four - one for the removals, one to take when you go earlier, one to take when you do your final move, and some to temporarily house with friends (ones that are hardy and will withstand a bit of neglect in the short term).

I empathise, we're going away soon and I'm fretting about my garden - I have veg growing! I am hoping the ILs will actually pay attention to the weather and have the foresight to check the plants, even if they think it's not been that hot or that it's rained...!

I unpotted, stuck in plastic bags with water inside bags and the bags in plastic crates and it took two trips by car plus the movers. The plants did all fine. I planted them at the other end in the ground and some are still in crates and happy as it has been raining. I did have to leave some behind and freecycled the rest.

That's good news :-) Hope you are settling well into your new home x