Sounds like a fantastic swap, too bad I'm so far away.
Pitimpinai, I rip newspapers into approximate squares and put one or 2 squares into any pot with holes to be sitting on my concrete or deck. It prevents dirt easily coming out the holes.
I'm wondering if it might help you to retain more moisture in the soil when you pot up early? You could use 2 or 3 layers and pots would not get water logged, just slow it down.
