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Plastic pots vs fabric pots for greenhouse veg?

johnbaronjohnbaron Posts: 75
in Fruit & veg
I've been looking for a good source of reasonably strong but not overly heavy duty (not really necessary as they aren't going to be moved much) pots for the chillies, peppers and such like in the greenhouse. 

The price of 25-30l pots is a lot more than I was expecting £30-40+ for 10 and I need 15-20 so it's going to start getting expensive!

While searching I found fabric 'pots' geo-textile bags for the want of a better description, which promise better drainage, aeration and less roof circling. They work out a bit cheaper as well. 

Has anyone got any any experience of these fabric bags and how they compare to using plastic pots? 

Do they stand up ok when full of soil or do they just collapse and leak water everywhere and should I just stick to plastic pots?

Thanks 


Posts

  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    As long as you don't plan to move them AT ALL, they work great.  Any bit of movement disturbed the soil, and therefore the roots.  Beechgrove made mention to a fabric potato bag they loved that had lasted them several years, and only cost a few quid.. you might want to find out the type they used. They are a great size for the plants you mention.  Bob Flowerdew also mentioned the other week on GQT that he often takes a quality grow bag and plops it down on it's end, and cuts an X in the top to plant one tomato in per bag.. giving it deeper root space than the traditional on-the-side method.  I spent several years gardening on a patio.. and my favorite thing was plastic bins made into DIY Earthboxes.  https://www.google.com/search?q=diy+earthbox&safe=strict&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=svin&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJzuiXpO3aAhVWImMKHT2bA2gQ_AUIEygD&biw=1024&bih=672
    They are inexpensive and still look reasonably nice.  
    Utah, USA.
  • ThankthecatThankthecat Posts: 421
    If -and that's a big 'if' - you know someone who buys freezer food in bulk you might strike lucky like I did and get some polystyrene boxes. Don't ask me what capacity they are, I haven't a clue. But they are fantastic for melons in the gh and as we have very stony soil I also use them to grow carrots and parsnips outside. Just stick them on the beds, fill with a mix of soil and compost and sow direct into them. I continue to grow them in the gh if we haven't pulled them all by the first frost. 
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    edited May 2018
    You can get polystyrene boxes from aquarists too - they are used to transport tropical fish!
    Also good to cover with hypertufa to make 'stone' troughs.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Morrisons sell the old  buckets that cut flowers are delivered in for around 5 for a quid. Drill your own holes in the bottom.  They are ideal for tomato plants, dahlia plants, bulbs in winter...
  • PlashingPlashing Posts: 328
    I too use buckets from Morrisons for my tomatoes and peppers over and over again with care and wash them out every time you want use them you will, have good results.
  • Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267
    I was given nearly a hundred flower buckets a couple of yrs ago from the local Spar, free.  They are ideal as bottomless pots, I've cut some in half, put in  a grow bag tray with gravel and filled with compost.      
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