Growing vegetables in Gro Bags and/or containers.

I've never grown veg before and need a new challenge this year.I'm not able to prepare a new area for various reasons, so I thought I would try Gro Bags and containers. Has anyone any experience or advice before I start ? Do Gro Bags have enough nutrients? Which compost would be best for containers? Today I bought plants of tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries to try.
I'm really unsure about this, and hope someone can help please.

Marigold

marigold: In general, you want to mix your soil with more nitrogen if you want leaf development (like lettuce, kale, cabbage), and more phosporous for fruiting. I'm not quite sure what grow bags you are referring to, but it may be a product I haven't seen here in the States.

Most of my veggie gardening is done in containers. I use large pots, 5 gallon buckets, and halved barrels. The tomatoes and peppers will not survive a winter, but the strawberries will, if they are put in the ground or the container is adequately insulated against the freezing and thawing effects of winter.

We grow almost all our veg in containers now, the borders are stuffed to the brim! A few veg placed in the borders can look really nice too and the runner beans are good ornamental climbers. We also grow a particular variety of potato in the border because they have such a beautiful blue flower but it's not advisable to grow normal spuds that way, these crop quite poorly so we can get away with it. Beetroots also have a nice leaf to add to any container or border.

The growbags are ideal for any veg bar root crops although if you want to grow tomatoes in them; plant the tomatoes in the growbag, get a bottomless 7-9inch pot (or you can buy the ring culture tubes from the GC), place them over the toms and then as the toms grow up fill more soil in the pot, like earthing up potatoes, they will fruit much better than in just the growbag.

If you want to grow cabbages, caulis etc they are much better in open ground than containers, if you do grow them in containers press the soil down really hard around the roots. We use halved chemical barrels for potatoes but you can use practically anything as long as it's deep and the same for runner beans (you will need a strong climber support for these). Peas and beans do well in the medium containers run up a small wigwam or trellis and look pretty too. If your growing broad beans give them a 5inch or larger pot.

Peppers and Aubergenes have a tough time outside even this far south and will appreciate an open, slightly shaded greenhouse. Strawberries are good container companions for flower pots if space is limited.

Any soil will do for growing veg as long as there are plenty of nutrients, multipurpose compost and growbags are probably the easiest to use. The westland growbags are a little expensive and not organic but if that's not too much of a worry, you can't go far wrong with them.

Yes, it's a wondrous idea to plonk a bottomlesss flowerpot - upside down - over a growbag. I'm doing that this year for outdoor tomatoes and (in the greenhouse) peppers.

Another idea I use to grow in my awful paddock soil (clay over a hardpan of chalk and flint) is to ram a deep hole through the hardpan with a crowbar, wiggle it around to form a cone, then fill the cone with compost. On top goes a big bottomless flowerpot half filled with compost and held in place with a cane.

The tomato module etc goes on top and is filled up to the first leaves with compost.

I get giant plants even in 'impossible' soil.
Problem is, I have now committed myself to planting 240 tomatoes that way - and each takes 5 minutes to set out!

Anybody know an old codger close to Ivinghoe Aston (Dunstable area) who'd like to earn some cash in hand, ramming holes in the next three weeks?

John

Can you buy bottomless flowerpots?

Marigold.

I've not seen bottomless pots for sale Marigold but you can buy the Ring Culture tubes from the GC for a couple of quid for 5 or so. I seem to have so many pots it's easier and cheaper to cut the bottom out of them and they last for a few years too whereas the ring culture tubes should be thrown away each year.

Bottomless flowerpots can't be bought (I think) but...

I bought 72 very large 2-gallon (?) plastic buckets from a florist in Tring last month for just £10 the lot (true). It seems, florists just throw them away. A garden centre would charge you £3 or so for them. Each...

Or phone a local landscape gardener. They throw away thousands of big plastic pots every season. Or ask your local fish & chip shop for its old tin oil cans, and cut the tops and bottoms off.

At worst, cut the top and base off a plastic milk bottle. That's a wondrous pot plus cloche and it also has an integral handle hole for a bamboo cane!

John

Thank you soooooo much for this information.....I am gardening on a budget and I really appreciate your help.

Marigold.

John

Great tips! Sainsburys were selling off the black florists buckets 2 years ago for 10p each and I bought a bundle there.