Good to Grow

Knee-deep in dirt and covered in mosquito bites, Kay Wells knew there had to be a better way. 

Not long after moving back to St. Louis from the West Coast with her family in 2012, Wells, who was working in the aerospace sector at the time, decided to start digging up an in-ground garden at her home. Her time spent in California inspired her to give her family a green space, and she was also eager to reconnect with her childhood, where she learned how to properly plant tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots on her family’s farm. It all sounded idyllic — that is, until the mosquitoes arrived.

“I was outside gardening, fresh from California, with no bug spray, shorts, and a T-shirt,” Wells remembers with a laugh. “I look down and there was a scene of mosquitoes tearing me up. I ran inside and in an instant was like, ‘I only need to water my plants but once a month.’ It was this obsession and idea and creation, all in that moment.”

Armed with a few 30-gallon storage totes, PVC plumbing tubes, and Computer Aided Drafting software, Wells got to work fashioning a few grow boxes. In the first, she grew a two-foot-tall tomato plant; in the second, five bushels of asparagus. Those makeshift planters would soon become the prototype for Posie Pots, Wells’ line of innovative self-watering planters now made on 3D printers.

Posie Pots combines Wells’ lifelong passion for horticulture with her professional background in mechanical and manufacturing engineering. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Saint Louis University and Missouri Institute of Science & Technology, respectively, and has worked in product development, R&D, and six sigma methodologies for Amazon, Bayer, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman, among other companies.

“I’ve always had a very deep and intense curiosity for aerospace, aeronautics, and really overall design — how we as human beings can create something that did not exist before,” Wells says. “And while I was working at those places, doing R&D, I learned all about rapid prototyping, 3D printing, additive manufacturing, and composite engineering. I knew everything about materials science, how structures and strengths come together, and also the art in it — how to make it aesthetically beautiful and pleasing, how air actually flows in and out of different angles and concave and convex curves and all of these different mathematical equations. Art meets science meets gardening with the Posie Pot.”

After that initial seed of an idea, Wells spent five years on research and development before acquiring her first 3D printer in 2018 and officially launching Posie Pots the next year. Her planters feature a patented water system that helps with drainage, aeration, and circulation of the plant’s root system so that plants only need to be watered once a month. 

Posie Pots are available in several sizes and stylish designs, including the popular wave and twisted square pots, and Wells also takes custom orders for pots incorporating specific logos and branding. Posie Pots require just one third of the soil and 95 percent less water than a typical pot, making them less susceptible to pests, root bound, and root rot. The pots are designed to take the guesswork out of taking care of plants, as evidenced in the company’s tagline — “Worry not, you’ve got a Posie Pot.”

Wells continued to bootstrap the company up until 2022, when Posie Pots was named to the third cohort of the University of Missouri–St. Louis’ Anchor Accelerator. She received $50,000 in non-dilutive funding and an eight-week business development program that enabled her to scale the business by buying more 3D printers to increase production, expanding marketing efforts, and broadening Posie Pots’ footprint outside of St. Louis. 

Wells has continued to find support from St. Louis’ startup community in the years since. In 2024, the company was named to the first cohort of Saint Louis University’s New Venture Accelerator, which gave it the opportunity to receive up to $50,000 in non-dilutive funding and mentorship. Later that same year, Posie Pots received $75,000 in non-dilutive funding as one of 20 innovative companies to be named to the newest cohort of Arch Grants recipients. As Posie Pots positions itself for national expansion, Arch Grants will provide Wells with wraparound support to help the company grow and scale, including strategic introductions to venture capital firms and angel investors, access to Arch Grants’ Expert-in-Residence program, and discounted or pro bono services from local legal and accounting firms, among other benefits.

“Arch Grants focuses on attracting and retaining innovative companies that drive economic growth in St. Louis,” says executive director Gabe Angieri. “By choosing to headquarter here, our portfolio companies strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and create lasting impact. Extraordinary entrepreneurs like Kay create jobs, secure patents, and bring more investment capital to our region, and we’re excited to help her and an ever-increasing community of founders push St. Louis to new heights of innovation and economic vibrancy.”

Wells says the support from the St. Louis community has been vital to the success of Posie Pots, which are available for sale on the brand’s website, as well as local retailers including the gift shop at the Missouri History Museum and Dierbergs Markets as of spring 2025. All of the pots are produced in Wells’ space in the Wellston Business Incubator, which doubles as a warehouse and showroom (open by appointment only).

“The community is amazing. I’ve lived in multiple other cities and have traveled to almost all 50 states, and St. Louis just has really good community hometown support,” she says. “St. Louis has a lot of brotherly and sisterly love; we really do help each other and network with each other. The grants and the funding and all of that is amazing, of course; you need that to propel your business. But the community and people banding together and wanting to support you and be of service to you — it’s really authentic.”

Wells is also working closely with the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center St. Louis (AMICSTL) to advance her 3D printing work, including a giveback component working with students and the community under the blanket of advanced manufacturing, agtech, and science, technology, engineering, art, and math education. Wells herself grew up just one street over from AMICSTL’s forthcoming facility in North St. Louis and says it’s important to her to be a steward in her community, particularly for local youth. She has also partnered with Lincoln University of Missouri’s St. Louis Urban Impact Center to teach kids about 3D printing, CAD software, and plant science, spending eight weeks over the summer helping students germinate and transplant sunflowers and teaching them how to convert computer drawings into 3D printing files. 

“I remember visiting places like the (Missouri) History Museum when I was a child, and seeing a stereolithography 3D printing machine, which was a powder-based machine, and it was printing a rabbit,” Wells says. “I remember the adults taking us and showing us everything, and I really feel like it’s important for myself and my generation to continue to give back, to have open arms, and to continue to push forward science, technology, engineering, and the arts.”

In 2024, Wells was selected as one of 500 entrepreneurs out of nearly 15,000 applicants across the country to be invited to Walmart’s 11th-annual Open Call pitch event in Bentonville, Arkansas. Posie Pots are now currently available for sale on the Walmart website and in 100 Walmart stores; the more items Wells sells, the greater her chances of securing a permanent placement with the retailer.

But while Posie Pots continues to grow its footprint across the country, Wells remains firmly rooted in St. Louis. In 2023, the company’s self-watering pots were featured on Good Morning America’s “Deals & Steals” segment, and Wells was particularly thrilled to hear host Tory Johnson note that the pots were “made in America — St. Louis, to be specific.”

“That really makes me feel proud that we could keep St. Louis on the map,” Wells says. “There’s so many great people that are here in St. Louis and come from here. It’s very important to keep St. Louis as home. I’ve lived away for several years, and I know what that feels like, but between friends, family, the community, and the network, it all stems from here.”