Growbags, or grobags, are a very useful growing medium in many gardening situations. Their benefits include:
- Savings in time and heavy labour – no digging or soil preparation.
- High quality, disease free compost, rich in nutrients for strong plant growth and heavy crops. They’re particularly useful to avoid repeated use of the same tired soil in a greenhouse.
- Easy irrigation and feeding.
- High yields from a small space. They’re ideal for patio gardening.
…and when the crop is finished, the spent compost provides a very good mulch to spread around the garden.
Choosing your Growbags
- Don’t economise – look for full size 3 plant (18-20L) bags from a reputable company, preferably including a wetting agent.
- Peat-free composts are improving, but most people still find peat bags give the best results.
- If you’re reluctant to use peat, most garden centres and DIY stores will offer peat free growbags.
- As a compromise, insist the peat is not dug from environmentally sensitive sites, or try low-peat growbags.
Preparation
- In cold weather, store your bags in a warm place for a few days, or cover with black plastic sheeting, to warm.
- Shake bags thoroughly to loosen the compost and prick the bottoms with a garden fork for drainage before putting them in their planting positions.
- Set up supports for tall plants and position any watering aids in the bag before planting.
- Cut a cross the size of the plant pot at each planting station, peel back the plastic and plant.
Plant Supports
- Unless you can support tall plants against a wall, or hammer stakes into the ground around the growbag, you’ll need to use a self supporting growbag frame.
- If you’re a handyman it’s easy enough to make your own, or various designs are available from garden centres.
- One of the most convenient is one which doubles as a growbag mini greenhouse. These are available from internet retailers like Highland Garden Supplies for around £10.
Watering and Feeding Growbags
- Plentiful water and feed are vital for fast-growing grow bag plants, and as their roots fill the bag, water can easily run off without soaking in.
- There are plenty of growbag watering gadgets on the market (most of them costing more than the growbag itself!) but best is a DIY no-cost solution.
- Simply cut a couple of pot-sized crosses in the top of the bag between your planting stations and sink a 9 cm plastic plant pot into the compost up to its rim in each position. Direct the water and feed into these pots and it will quickly soak down to the bottom of the bag.
- However, if you have more than three or four bags, it’s worth investing in a drip feed watering system, and, if you’re away a lot or out at work during the day, a timer to ensure regular watering in your absence.
- Companies like Hozelock and Gardena offer complete kits from £15-£20.
- A moisture meter is an invaluable aid in checking how much water you need.
What to Grow in Growbags
- The most popular growbag crops are probably tomatoes, but they’re also good for growing many other food crops.
- Growbags are particularly good for growing strawberries.
- A grow bag will also support a very respectable kitchen herb garden.
- Finally, don’t overlook their potential for growing flowers, both for cutting and for ornamental displays on patios and terraces.
The Next Step – A Raised Garden Bed
If your grow bag garden is a success, try building a raised garden bed, which can be even more productive and requires little more space.