Grow Bags and Planters

Grow bags [Growing bags] take less than 30 minutes to plant up and have enough space for three vegetable plants. They were introduced for use in the greenhouse, but can be used anywhere – and now planters can be bought to make them attractive enough for a spot on the patio. They are also useful where plants could become infected by soil-borne diseases.

Well known as a good way to grow tomatoes, grow-bags are also ideal for sweet peppers, chilli peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, and courgettes as well as salads - in fact any plants that don't have deep roots. In a greenhouse plant two to three in each bag in May, or June for planting outside, and you will be harvesting plump vegetables from July to September, or a succession of fresh salad leaves in a matter of days.

 

 

Planters

 

Planters are giant grow bags which makes life easier for you to grow great crops!

 

Because of their larger volume, they are easier to manage and less inclined to dry out. The larger volume also gives more room for roots and leads to less stressed plants that not only yield better but also are much less prone to pest and disease attack.

 

How to plant grow bags

 

- First soak the young plants in their pots thoroughly to help reduce root damage during transplanting.

- Meanwhile, shake the grow-bag to loosen the compost, breaking up any lumps you can feel through the plastic, and shape the bag into a plumped-up pillow, with some of the compost pushed into the corners of the bag. [it's a good idea to bring the bag into the warmth of the greenhouse a day or two before planting]

- Pierce the base of the bag for drainage

- For tomatoes, etc, cut out the pre-marked squares for 3 individual plants and plant up in the normal way, with the top of each root ball just below the top of the bag

- If you want to plant salads, cut out a long rectangle in the top of the bag and sow seeds in rows. Try sowing endive, lettuce, basil and rocket for a selection of salad leaves

- Water in well.

 

Watering and plant support can be made easier with a variety of gadgets that we stock in spring.

 

Aftercare

 

- Members of the tomato family (peppers, aubergines etc) will need to be staked. Push a cane into the bag next to each plant and attach the cane to a frame, preferably a proper grow-bag frame that is made to offer the necessary support. Tie the plant to the cane

- Keep the compost moist

- When flowers appear, begin to feed plants such as aubergine, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers with a high potash fertiliser such as liquid tomato feed.

- The contents of cropped-out grow-bags can be recycled in the garden as soil conditioner