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Fabric Grow bags and mulching for vegetable container gardening
jaybeestar78
Posts: 29
in Fruit & veg
Hi,
I'm new to gardening and have started growing on a small scale some vegetables and herbs.
Has anyone used fabric grow bags? How well do they cope in cold weather? I have concrete flagstone in my backyard and going to put some kale in grow bags but not sure if they would work when it snows in months to come. I've already worked out how to protect the plants using a cloche covered in fleece but can't think of a better way to protect the bottom of the grow bag. Any ideas please?
Also, for mulching I'm not sure what's best and cheaper to use? I've got only around 3-4 pots and couple of fabric grow bags and would like to protect the soil from freezing by covering with mulch. Whenever I search for mulch suitable for veggie gardening, its available in bulk bag. They are out of my budget and I also do not have space to store the bulk bag anywhere in my tiny backyard. Please can you advise what's best and cheaper to use for mulching for vegetables.
Thanks in advance.
Best Regards,
JayB
I'm new to gardening and have started growing on a small scale some vegetables and herbs.
Has anyone used fabric grow bags? How well do they cope in cold weather? I have concrete flagstone in my backyard and going to put some kale in grow bags but not sure if they would work when it snows in months to come. I've already worked out how to protect the plants using a cloche covered in fleece but can't think of a better way to protect the bottom of the grow bag. Any ideas please?
Also, for mulching I'm not sure what's best and cheaper to use? I've got only around 3-4 pots and couple of fabric grow bags and would like to protect the soil from freezing by covering with mulch. Whenever I search for mulch suitable for veggie gardening, its available in bulk bag. They are out of my budget and I also do not have space to store the bulk bag anywhere in my tiny backyard. Please can you advise what's best and cheaper to use for mulching for vegetables.
Thanks in advance.
Best Regards,
JayB
0
Posts
Is there a reason you wouldn't just use decent plastic pots for growing in? They would last longer, although the other alternative is some timber raised beds which would give you more scope
Any compost is fine for mulching, but any veg you grow during winter will also be suitably adapted for cold temps
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Fairygirl, I'm growing both in plastic containers and also in fabric grow bags to see the difference in growth of the vegetables. Whilst doing some research on fabric grow bags it says that it prevents spiralling of the roots in the container. It promotes air pruning of the roots – creating lots of smaller finger roots. These roots are then able to absorb moisture and nutrients more efficiently so plant grows faster and stronger.
Thanks for the advise on the mulching, I definitely have compost so will give it a go.
philippasmith2, Fabric grow bags are made of non-woven felt material. They are similar to grow bags for potatoes but I guess different material. You can buy different sizes and its quite convenient for people like me who have limited space to grow. Also, easy to wash and fold away when not in use. The concept is similar to air-pots (company based in Scotland I think) but instead of plastic this is made out of fabric.
As this an experiment for comparing results between plastic and fabric pots, will just wrap them in bubble wrap and see how they work out when it snows
Thanks again for your guidance.
Best Regards,