Gardening in Grow Bags
Grow bags are easy solutions for gardeners who do not have a lot of space to spare for such an activity. The thing with these bags is that they prove to be beneficial for all kinds of gardeners. However, it is the small-space gardeners and their urban brethren who benefit the most from these bags. These bags are the perfect options if you are looking to create a garden on decks, stoops, or patios.
What advantages do you get from using grow bags?
Gardening with grow bags provides you with several advantages such as giving you additional space as and when you need the same. It also makes it easy for you to harvest your crops and attract pollinators. Grow bags offer you the scope of crop rotation as well! A great thing about grow bags is that they are available in different sizes which means that you can find the right size for any crop that you are looking to grow by using them. The convenience of these bags can be understood the most when you are looking to harvest root crops such as new potatoes or sweet potatoes by using them.
How do they compare with plastic containers?
If you are already using plastic containers for gardening and it has proved to be successful for you there is no reason why you should make that switch to grow bags. Usually, however, it has been found that using grow bags for gardening offers you better results than plastic containers. One of the prominent areas of difference between a plant grown in a rigid plastic container and one grown in a grow bag is in the behavior of the roots. Usually, the latter method yields healthier roots because here they get the air on the soil that they need to grow.
How to select the finest grow bags?
Heavy-duty landscape fabric is supposed to be the best material as far as a grow bag is concerned. Such fabric is normally made from polypropylene. This material is usually a food-grade product that does not contain anything harmful and lasts long as well! Polyethylene is yet another common material used as a landscape fabric — it is created by recycling plastic bottles. No matter which fabric you choose in the end make sure it is spun-bond fabric because it is supposed to have the finest staying power.
What is the right size for grow bags?
It is wrong to think that the volume of the bag is the only important consideration in this particular context — the overall dimensions of the bag are more crucial over here. For example, some bags tend to be wider than deeper, and vice versa. If you are growing plants with shallow roots such as onion, lettuce, and garlic you can use a shallow and wide grow bag. However, if you are looking at deep-rooted plants like the following you would need a taller bag:
· carrots
· parsnips
· tomatoes
· peppers
· Brussels sprouts
Always, choose bags with at least five gallons in volume!
One of the best things about these bags is that you can use them to grow just about any kind of crop under the sun as long as it can be also grown on a raised bed or in a plastic container. Make sure that you provide the plants with the right environmental conditions for them to grow, drain the soil well, and apply the water properly. This way, the performance of the plants would be at par with your expectations. Having said all this, it is still better to go for plants that mature quickly for grow bags.
