Are Grow Bags Any Good: Types Of Grow Bags For Gardening
Grow bags are an interesting and popular alternative to in-ground gardening. They can be started indoors and moved out, repositioned with the changing light, and placed absolutely anywhere. If the soil in your yard is poor or just nonexistent, grow bags are a great choice. Keep reading to learn more about gardening with grow bags.
What is a Grow Bag and What are Grow Bags Used for?
Grow bags are just what they sound like-- bags you can fill with soil and grow plants in. When sold commercially, they are usually made of thick, breathable fabric, much like a reusable grocery bag. The bags are usually rectangular and come in a wide array of heights and widths, making them much more versatile and easily arrangeable than most hard plastic containers.
It’s possible to create the illusion of raised beds by simply placing a series of grow bags together in a large rectangle. Unlike raised beds, however, grow bags require no construction and can be shaped exactly to your needs.
Have you decided at the last minute that you want to grow tomatoes? Just tack a few extra grow bags on the end. Grow bags can also be packed up and stored inside when not in use. Unlike plastic containers, they fold flat and take up virtually no space.
Gardening with Grow Bags
Grow bags are a perfect option if you have no space for an in-ground garden. They can be arranged along a porch or windows and even hung from walls in any place you can find that receives sunlight.
They are also good if your soil quality is poor, both as an alternative and a treatment. After your fall harvest is in, dump your grow bags in an area you hope to have a garden. After a few years of this, the soil quality will improve greatly.
You can achieve this very easily by using paper grocery bags instead of store-bought fabric ones or other types of grow bags available. Over the summer the bags will biodegrade, leaving behind good, high-quality soil in your future garden.
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So, if the question is whether grow bags are any good, the answer would be a resounding, yes!
The only child of a horticulturist and an English teacher, Liz Baessler was destined to become a gardening editor. She has been with Gardening Know how since 2015, and a Senior Editor since 2020. She holds a BA in English from Brandeis University and an MA in English from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. After years of gardening in containers and community garden plots, she finally has a backyard of her own, which she is systematically filling with vegetables and flowers.
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