How to Use Growing Bags for Plants
Growing bags are plastic bags that contain a peat-based compost. They are ideal for balcony or small gardens, where space is a premium and you don't want to be fiddling around with dirt. This article provides the basics on using them.
Steps
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Obtain or make your growing bag. If you purchase it, look for a good quality peat-based compost mixture. If you make your own growing bag, add the same contents into a bag that is large enough to grow your plants. In both cases, you will need to make a rectangular slit in the bag to create a rectangle with edges on the top half of the bag. Make sure to leave plenty of edging to contain the peat compost mixture.
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Position the bag where you will grow your plants.
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Plant shallow-rooted plants in the bag. Good choices include tomatoes, peppers (capsicum), eggplants, zucchini, cucumbers, marrow, strawberries, French beans, lettuce, herbs and flowers.
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Keep the bag well watered. Poke a few drainage holes in the side of the bag and keep it well watered. The plastic heats the peat mix up considerably, so keeping a moist soil is essential for the growing plants to succeed.
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Make the most of the space. When space is a premium, and gardening in this way is the only opportunity you have to grow your own vegetables, you can increase the crop by under planting. For example, if you are growing tomatoes which grow tall, add some lettuces or radishes underneath the tomatoes. Just be sure to wait until the tomatoes are well grown before planting the under-plants.
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Add more nutrients as the season moves on. Over time the plans will deplete the nutrients already in the mix and you will need to add more. A compost tea addition is ideal.
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Prop up tall plants as needed. You may need to add stakes or similar objects to prop up taller plants as they grow. Be careful not to pierce these through the bottom.
Tips
- Don't grow deep-rooted vegetables such as carrots or beetroot, as they will not succeed in the shallow bag soil.
- Provided you do not plant the same vegetables in the bag, you will be able to reuse it next season. If you keep the soil, you will need to replenish it with more nutrients.
- If the growing bag has undesirable advertising on it cover this with hessian or jute sack, or arrange pebbles or flower pots around to hide the text and colours. Marigolds in pots will help to keep the pests away.
Things You'll Need
- Growing bag or make-your-own equivalent
- Additional fertilizer treatments
- Scissors or gardening knife to slit the bag and make drainage holes
- Shallow-rooted plants
- Watering containers
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