Grow Bag Gardening

As a child I remember my dad using grow-bags on the patio for growing his tomatoes and my mum complaining about the sight of them. But, they have come a long way since those early days and now have dedicated websites, blogs, flicker sites and even their own houses.

So what is the phenomenon?

Traditionally the bags were used in the greenhouse because of their space saving efficiency and also plants or vegetables would not become infected by any diseases lurking in the existing soil. Although, they are still widely used in the greenhouse they make ideal plantings areas for small gardens where space is at a premium.

How to prepare and plant

• Loosen the compost in the bag by shaking and kneading it like a pillow.
• Shape the bag into a low hummock, making sure compost is evenly spread.
• Pierce the base of bag for drainage and cut out the pre-marked planting areas of a trough if you are planting salad crops.
• Scoop out compost from each planting area leaving a big enough hole for the root ball of your plant. Put a plant in each hole and refill around it with compost. The top of each root ball should be just below the top of the bag.
• Improve the effectiveness of your watering by burying a small flower pot in the compost alongside each tomato plant. Filling the pot when you water means water is directed to the roots of the plant and doesn't run off the surface of the compost.

What to grow

Growing bags are ideal for plants that don't have deep roots, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, chilli peppers, aubergines and courgettes. However, with so many additional accessories available such as bottomless plant pots you could try a whole range of plants for instant colour in difficult planting areas.

Aftercare

If you are growing taller or top-heavy or top-heavy crops push a cane into the bag next to each plant. Tie the plant to the cane and attach the cane to a frame. This will prevent the plants from toppling over in the wind or if they become top heavy.

Keep the compost moist and feed plants such as aubergine, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers with a high potash fertiliser when flowers appear - this will ensure you get the plumpest fruit. When crops have finished, split the bag open and recycle the compost as a soil conditioner in the garden.

Gardening- No Thanks

Gardening – No thanks

As I review a plethora of gardening calendars for this month I keep coming to the same conclusion. It’s just too cold and wet! We can expect sub-zero temperatures, gale force winds, frost pockets and a deluge of rain.

However, for those of us willing to brave the outdoors this is the month to batten down the hatches and make sure everything is secure, well staked and protected. And, if you are feeling particularly adventurous then you could always ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days, dig over vacant plots, prune apple and pear trees and reshape the lawn.

Vegetables – Yes please

Alternatively, why not start thinking vegetables. I started growing ‘my-own’ last year on a small scale and was truly amazed at the results. Ok, we never became self-sufficient, but picking your own ripe tomatoes in October was a real sense of achievement, if not slight odd!

You don’t have to have masses of space to grow vegetables, a small sunny area in the garden is ideal or alternatively you can use a range of containers. From my experience last year, the amount of success you have or yield, very much depends on the time you want to invest.

If you’re not an experienced grower, then I would advise keeping it simple and manageable at least in the first year. Select some of the basic family favourites, but don’t be put of experimenting with some of the Classic Mediterranean vegetables such as tomatoes, aubergines and peppers especially if you have a sheltered hot spot such as a sunny patio.

Seed or Seedlings
Again, this rather depends on your time. There are a host of seeds available and a large number are now ‘sow direct’ which as the name suggests can be sown direct into your plot or out into your containers. Alternatively, you can sow into seed trays and shelter them during the colder weather before planting them out later.

Seedlings are obviously more expensive but provide greater flexibility as you simply plant them out as and when they are available at your local garden centre. However, you maybe limited on choice in some instances.

General care

• For containers most crops will grow perfectly well in a multi-purpose compost, either peat based or peat free.

• If sowing into the ground, then ensure the plot is weed free, has good drainage and dig in a soil improver or manure to give you crops a kick-start.

• Maintain an even water supply and ensure good drainage to prevent water-logging.

• Apply a high nitrogen liquid fertiliser if growth flags and high potassium liquid fertiliser for flowering and fruiting crops.

• Ensure any pest and disease control products you use on your vegetables or fruit are suitable for edible plants.