Can I Leave My Pots Outside All Winter?
Find out what makes our pottery frost resistant and tips for winterizing your outdoor containers by watching this short video with Gasper Home & Garden Showplace Buyer, Dana Gasper.
Our Pottery Story
Gasper’s lava pottery and much of the glazed pottery are curated personally by owner, Robert Gasper and his daughter Dana during trips to Vietnam. Over the years they have toured many different factories and seen countless colors and styles of pottery throughout the region.
There are a few main reasons that authentic Vietnamese pottery, like those imported by Gasper is so weather resistant. The first is the type of high-quality clay predominately used in the construction of Vietnamese pottery and is naturally found in Vietnam. The second reason is the thick wall hand construction process which imparts strength and durability. The third reason is the high heat firing processes which result in finished pottery with an extremely low moisture content. Pottery with high moisture content is more likely to crack in freezing temperatures due to the expansion of the water within the walls of the container themselves. Lastly, because the pieces are heavily glazed, Vietnamese pieces are not as porous as other pottery such as terra cotta.
During their most recent trip, Robert and Dana were fortunate to see the process of hand-making many different pieces of pottery. No matter how varied the size and style, the craftsman starts by taking clay and pushing it into a mold by hand. After the initial drying time, the piece is taken out of the mold and then the seams are hand smoothed, and any patterns or textures are added before another round of drying which is required before the unique glazes are applied.
The unique Vietnamese glazing process is 100% hand applied and this produces a totally unique texture and color as no two can possibly be exactly the same. The pots are then fired for eight days at temperatures reaching 2300 degrees. The result is the strong, durable, beautifully glazed outdoor containers that you see at Gasper Home & Garden Showplace in Richboro, PA.
*Reminder: No pottery is 100% frost-proof, but by taking certain precautions such as making sure your pot has excellent drainage, you can safely leave your containers outside all winter long.
You can find more information on how to successfully winterize your pottery by clicking this button.
Most of Gasper’s pottery is imported from Vietnam. The clay used in Vietnam pottery tends to produce some of the most frost-resistant pots we have because of the composition of the clay itself.
