I live in a hot dry place, but lost the war to crab grass in the ground, and in raised beds. Enter fabric pots sitting in a container. I only have to water twice a week (they sit in water on day on day 2, but it's gone by day 3). I plant a full garden in those fabric pots- everything! I now have the lushest, most high-producing garden ever! (also they are on pallets, at waist level- no bending over, and no weeds.)
If you put the pots inside a shallow container they work much better. A small kiddie pool works great to set them in. It gets too dry in TX without a way for better watering.
@@WagwanHappyPappyHapPap I’m in AZ and planning on trying some fabric pots this year because I want to grow more but since I don’t have a really ideal spot for another raised bed think I need to be able to move them around. I was thinking of a kiddie pool for bottom watering but don’t want to chance leaching chemicals into our food. I’ve picked up some large platters at thrift shops for my deck plants. Anybody have a food safe idea for larger options?
I love my fabric pots! Our outdoor faucet leaks when I'm watering the rest of the garden or lawn so I surrounded it with my fabric pots and they soak up what leaks out so I don't have to think about watering them and the leaking water doesn't go to waste
@Stella Z it's not the gasket that's leaking. It's leaking out of the handle I'm not really sure how to describe it. I just haven't found a replacement top for it because it's really old and I didn't want to have to put in a whole new pipe just yet.
@@alorastewart7091 look up replace hose bib packing, there are a good number of youtube videos, really cheap and easy, takes a screwdriver and some pliers
I'm 69 and love my grow pots. I use 1 gal. , 3 gal. And 5 gal. I suffer a bad back and arthritis real bad so these are greatfor me. Happy 😊 gardening everyone! 🌱
I've been using fabric pots for about three years now. My favorite vegetable to grow in them? Definitely Potatoes! When they are ready to harvest I literally just flip them out over a screen set on my wheelbarrow, sift out the dirt and pick up the potatoes. Works great! And I don't have to spend hours digging them out of the ground and trying my best to get them all!
I had great success with potatoes and 20 gallon grow bags, but I put layers of leaves debris from the forest and straw. Potatoes were huge! Did not do so well with the sweet potatoes and just soil 30 gallon bags. Tiny.
This is my very first garden and fabric pots blew my mind. They are so much more affordable at larger sizes than anything else out there. I got my 40 gallon ones for around $10 each.
@@priscillashaw5715 Anything I want 🤣 Jokes aside they are like small raised beds so I have a variety of things all in the same bag. Some are flowers but I have tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, potatoes. They are deep enough to grow carrots next year and I even have some homemade trellises in a couple for stuff that climbs or needs staking. I love them!
@@mlynnw7831 I grow 2 cucumbers per 5 gallon bag and as far as tomatoes 🍅 you can grow them in a 5 gallon perfectly and they do just fine! In fact the roots no matter what size of a grow bag or a vegetable you have will always start growing through the bottom of the bag and root themselves deeply in the ground which actually helps to strengthen any plants and helps it grow better, you just don’t want to be moving the grow bags around and ripping those roots. But honestly I grow 20 different varieties of tomatoes and every single one of them is in a 5 gallon bag and does perfectly 🍅
ok, you got me. Even though it won't quit snowing here, I decided I'd better start getting some stuff together to hopefully garden this year once spring decides to grace us with it's presence.
Last year was the first time I used fabric pots! They were fantastic! I could move them to take advantage of changing sunlight conditions. The 20 gallon ones were a bit more difficult to move so ones that size and above either need to stay put or have support under them. Most of mine have handles which are super helpful! I over wintered leeks, onions, garlic, celery, kale and Swiss chard in them. All growing beautifully!
I recently learned that plants are able to uptake microplastics through their roots. and it should be obvious to any dummy that plastic and fabric pots can break down in the sun and release microplastics into the soil. so that;s why I've decided to avoid plastic and fabric pots from now on (unless I find fabric pots made of organic materials like cotton or hemp fabric, I would love those). I will probably just use wood planters now
p.s. I was growing in these in 2010 so they are definitely more than 10 years old. but personally I think air pruning is way over-rated. I had problems with them drying out way too fast, I should've been using pots that were a lot bigger. But I think the ideal size for fabric pots is a lot bigger than the ideal size for plastic pots, because of the drying issue
I've never used them, maybe some day. But last year I used old feed bags, I have rabbits and chickens and those single use bags drive me nuts. I rolled them down, put in some homemade compost a potato and instant bag, worked good, even with me neglecting them and using store bought potatoes. Oh and a guy on youtube has videos on how to sew your own fabric pots if anyone is interested, I'm sure you can just run a search.
Exactly!!! Most people are exactly like me and their favorite part of gardening is the daily watering so you can check them out and see how beautiful they are and how much they have grown! Watering is literally the number one reason why both new and old gardeners (killing them with love ❤️)kill their plants but with grow bags it’s literally impossible to overwater them so it’s a win-win situation ♥️♥️♥️
@@GodsChild145 I overestimate the amount of water a plant needs. It gets hot and dry in SoCal so it's always better to over water than under water during peak season. I'm prepared this time with shade cloth and my irrigation system
I have ten fabric pots and adore them! So lightweight and easy to move around. I’ve had them for 2 years now and their the only pots I will use from now on!
I experimented this past summer. Fabric pots did the best. Be sure to place them in a container to water from the bottom. My tomatoes 🍅 loved them. Thnx Lucas.
Great comparisons! Every pot has its pros and cons for sure! Over the past several years I have largely transitioned to plastic hydroponic 5 gallon bags. I use them for almost all my veggie planting with my 50/50 reused potting soil from the year before and compost. Their many side holes help limit the root wrapping effect and being plastic bags, they take up almost no space when not in use, much like a fabric pot but even less. Being plastic they tend to require a lot less watering, and they are dirt cheap so if you ever accidently ruin one or need to rip a bag to get out them pesky carrots or sweet potatoes, your not feeling it in your wallet. I use large fabric pots for things like fruit trees, rhubarb, horseradish, and things of that nature.
@@firequeen2194 mostly yup, norm where I find them the cheapest with shipping. I buy Hydrofarm grow bags. Can buy a box with 16 packages, 25 grow bags per package they just durable enough to last a few years but cheap enough to throw away after a single use if needed.
You should watch some videos on growing either outside or inside hydroponics using the “Kratky method” which doesn’t require any electricity a.k.a. pumps or anything like that and is sooooo fun, cheap, uses 90% less water than soil and super simple (set it and forget it)!!! Last year I tried some outside for the first time and grew eggplants and tomatoes and lettuce in 5 gallon buckets and wow they are just absolutely amazing and continue growing and growing until frost kills them off!!! Way more productive!!! Also nutrients are cheap and easy to mix up.
Would love to hear more, what kind of soil to use, actual set ups for different vegetables and what you do different with a pot. Please follow up with some specifics. Thanks!!
I have used both air pruning plastic pots and fiber pots. What Luke says is right on mark for garden and most other planets. The exception, for me, is trees. With trees, the tap root hits the bottom of the fabric pot turns at a right angle and creates that dreaded "J" root. All this to say, I do use fabric pots a lot, but will only propagate trees for short time in them and then transplant the trees into the plastic air pruning pots. Luke, If I am doing something wrong I would enjoy the education. you are a great communicator and videographer. well done!
I use fabric pots - 10 and 30 gallon ones - to grow young fruit trees and blueberries. I have a slightly alkaline soil, so it was very challenging to growing blueberries. The fabric pots make it much easier to get the lower ph that the blueberries need. And my raised beds filled with homemade animal manure and straw bedding compost make for the ideal ph for all my vegetables with plenty of nitrogen. I plan on moving in the next 2 -3 years and didn't want to leave my young blueberries, peach, apricot , and avocado trees behind. These are all thriving in the fabric pots.
I looked into getting some last year but didn't for various reasons. After watching your video I'm going to get some and put them inside a bigger plastic ppt during the hottest month to save on watering all the time.
Luke, this video was like a breath of fresh air. Fabric pots are now on my radar; and radar says you got em; some tri- fecta and vermiculite and I'll be growing big! Thanks
As one who has limited in ground space, containers in general are a go-to in my gardening. Fabric pots are fabulous. Yes - more watering and fert, but the ROI is well worth it. Great vid.
Got turned onto fabric pots some time ago. Have been using them to grow potatoes mostly. Have grown carrots in them, but with not spectacular grow. For past two years growing herbs and spices, going gang busters. Love that they come in sizes varying from 1 gallon up to 25 + gallon.
I also grew potatoes in fabric pots and had good sized potatoes. I put the pots together, touching so that they were almost one big pot in terms of watering. This year I am going to place a number of them snuggly in a large plastic bin that will catch rainwater and help with the watering.
I live in New Mexico, where the temperatures get quite high in the nineties so I have to be concerned about over-heated beds. I've found I can grow successfully in fabric pots, but I've always picked light grey colored pots. I'm tempted to purchase a black pot this year so I can experiment and compare the temperature of the soil.
Great info! Last year I grew green beans, carrots, cilantro and lettuce in my fabric pots. Last fall I planted garlic in the fabric pots and also in ground for comparison.
I've had great luck with fabric pots, and plan to use them more in the future. (A fabric raised bed ... hmmmm....) Another advantage is that the black fabric warms up well on sunny spring days, so the plants get going faster. The tendency to dry out in hot weather can be alleviated by placing them close together. The biggest problem I've had with fabric pots is moving them when growing root vegetables. Carrots, potatoes and other roots grow really well in cloth pots, as long as they're not moved. If they are moved, the soil shifts around too much for root vegetables.
Here in Colorado, it can get dry as a bone. I have trouble watering regular pots some days, sometimes have to do twice a day. I think fabric pots wouldn't work for my case.
Feeling good about a bunch of fabric pots I ordered for this growing season! 👍 I’m encouraged to hear you like them for potatoes as that’s my plan. I don’t have in-ground space for potatoes in my best sun location, so this will be my experiment for 2023! Great video.
I'll be trying out unglazed terra cotta pots this summer as an "Olla watering system " for my raised beds. We will definitely be removing them for the following winter season. We use the fabric pots for potatoes. They grow awesome in them. Love your videos Luke. 🙂
I did potatoes in fabric pots last year, with all the rain we had in SE Michigan, I actually lost some to rot. But, they mostly did well, and (reassured by this post) I'll keep growing my potatoes this way. It's hard to beat harvesting from fabric pots!
I love fabric pots! One con though is they're not good for hot or dry climates because they dry out so fast and don't retain moisture as well. But they're great for other climates.
Luke your content is exceptional for the Midwest gardener. Can't speak for those unlucky enough not to be in the Midwest. 😂😂 Keep up the good work. I'm supporting your retail business in appreciation.
Your sharing your knowledge and experience with us is so greatly appreciated. Thank you for continuing to educate and encourage all the home gardeners out there. Take care everyone
You have answered all my concerns on Fabric Pots. My husband and I have been debating on the use or not. You have locked in our decision to move forward with the purchase of Fabric Pots. Thank you for what you do and your time sharing your knowledge of gardening.
Air Pots are my first choice. It has all the benefits which fabric pots have and above, except one thing. You cant store it so well like the fabric pots and it costs a bit more. But in any other case Air Pots from Superoots wins.
I've been using fabric pots for two years and I love them. I even have two that are like raised beds. I use my decorative pots for flowers onthe deck and porch and use fabric for veggies, herbs, etc. They are great for areas with poor soil but good sun while you are improving the soil
We have raised beds, but have also used fabric pots for over a decade. It was nice to learn all the pros & cons of each type of container. You ROCK! 👍💥😊♥️ Giving thanks for years of excellent work.
7 Gallon grow bags have been my go to for "movable" plants for a few years now. I have 32 of them for this year that I will scatter around the property with peppers in them. Also use them for growing weed indoors in the winters, highly reusable and machine washable.
This will be my first year growing in fabric pots. They seemed like a good option, since I will have to move my cold loving veggies to another part of the yard when it starts getting hot. Fabric makes that so much easier
I love these pots have them in many different sizes from 1gallon I thing-15cm pot equivalent… right up to 20gallons. And they are great, I did all my growing in them last year. This year I’m changing it up as put in some raised beds and gonna grow things differently. Still using these pots tho. And I do have sauces under the ones that I can get to fit as it does work for the water and nutrients leaving and being in the tray and then going back up into the pot. Which is great.
I really like using the fabric pots for trees and large plants I plan on transplanting. Super simple to slice open with a razor blade instead of trying to dump a tree from a large plastic pot and possibly damaging the tree
A con for high desert environments such as NM is that higher UV levels will destroy the direct sun facing side of a fabric pot faster than a plastic pot. Hence would need some sort of sun shield if placed outdoors in the direct sun.
This is my third year of using growbags. I have 26 in my garden. I grow spring through fall. I leave the grow bags outside, covering the soil with leaves when they are dormant. My biggest problem is grubs getting into a few bags per season, attracting possums. I had to replace two growbags from last year because of possums clawing through them to get to the grubs.
Tried some last year from other source, squirrels tore them up and used in their nests; so I cut the torn ones up and left by the trees as a resource for them. :) The remaining good ones I have offered to a neighbor. I did purchase two difference brands; I believe one was more breathable than the other. Also, I did not like how the roots at the bottom wove through the fibers of the cloth pots. My root veggies seemed to do better in them than my tomatoes, but it was a very humid year last year and many here did not have success with tomatoes. Will continue to use my two 25 gallon bags for potatoes this year, but going back to raised beds and clay pots for everything else.
Nice! I have been transitioning to fabric pots as my plastic buckets and totes fall apart. This was my first summer in fabric, and I had great results.
ps: I use 1/4 " drip lines connected to the garden drip system to irrigate the fabric pots. This works very well in the 95+ degree dry summer northern Ca climate.
Used fabric pots/grow bags last year. They worked well but were too easy to Dry out., especially the sides. This year I am lining each with a grocery plastic bag with a bunch of holes punched in bottom. All My potatoes came up in less than 10 days after planting.
Acquired a large number of 25L and a few 30L fabric pots with coco coir and perlite from a police raided grow site over the weekend. My uncle and his allotment buddy must have got over 250 between them, I managed to get one run of 57 in my car, I have kept around 30 to try this year. My main concern is that I’m bad with watering already, I ain’t gonna be much better at it this year 🙈
Yeah you're gonna need to water those pots at least twice a day in July and August. Even 3 or 4. Get yourself a kiddie pool to sit them in and let them sit in an inch of water on the hottest days. Once they dry out, the plants good as dead
@@BettyBoopBarnes I figured as much, thanks! Almost seems like it’s worth putting these fabric pots into larger plastic/ceramic pots which leave an inch or so gap at the sides to get the best of both worlds...
@@Infiniti25 I couldn't manage my garden without a drip system and timers, huge timesaver and peace of mind. Betty's got it right, get a rigid kiddie pool to place your fabric pots in along with the drip. Surround your pots with lava rock or similar to keep water level below rock level so there's no standing mosquito lake. Lots of vids on this.
Great video, Luke! I wish I had seen a video like this two years ago when I first started growing in grow bags. Your mention of setting the grow bags in a tray to catch runoff is something I started doing last year and it made a big difference in how often I had to water. From my experience I find that with more shallow rooted plants (lettuce, spinach and such) I can water and let the bags sit in the tray for several hours if needed until the excess water has been wicked back up. With plants with deeper root systems (peppers and tomatoes) and with carrots and parsnips I found it best to only let the bags sit in the water filled trays for a few hours or so because as the roots got deeper they seemed to getting more waterlogged. I'm going to try potatoes and sweet potatoes in containers for the first time this year and I'm looking forward to seeing how the grow bags compare to plastic pots. Thanks again for sharing such useful info! Oh, forgot to mention how much a thick layer of mulch can help too!
@@raizelschectman932 For large grow bags you'll probably have to get creative and look for something that might not be garden related. Before I started using plastic saucer type trays for my 5 gallon bags I used a couple of drywall mud pans from lowes. I was able to put a couple of 5 gallon grow bags in each one. If you go with something similar that is deeper than you need make sure to drill a couple of holes a couple of inches up from the bottom for overflow drainage. I've also seen people use a kiddie pool to hold several grow bags. Good luck!
I use several different pots. One is a double laundry basket with screening or weed block between the two layers. They also fit nicely in oil change pans for subirrigation.
I love my fabric pots too! The ones I have are felt, not sure if that makes much of a difference. The other thing I would caution is that if you place them directly onto the ground the roots will grow through the bottom but this can also be a pro if you want to use it as a more permanent container.
Here in the South you really need to keep up with moisture in the summer. I've used the fabric for a few years now. I actually like 20 gallon growers pots for most vegetables I grow. The summer heat here is relentless. Here's an idea; white plastic pots for the summer here in the south. I've actually painted the outside of plastic pots white. It helps.
Grow bags do just fine here in the south! I am in Florida and use nothing but grow bags and haven’t had any problems at all! I do daily watering and of course just as with any method you mulch the top which keeps the moisture in!!!
I have a lot of fabric bags. I've had 8 blueberry plants in 8 bags for 6 years. I might replant in newer bags this year, but I think they'll last another Wisconsin winter. Since I've had them awhile, they might not make them the same now, but I've been very happy with them!
Since they tried banning plastic bags in my city stores have been handing out fabric but still nonetheless plastic bags. They are cheap and weak but should still do a decent job as fabric pots. I will try this out, but the dryness of our Saskatchewan climate gives me concern about going away for a weekend even.
I just had several come in this week. Happy Saturday planting with my 10 and 4 year old grandsons today! Thanks, Luke! I’m also loving your pallets and concrete blocks behind you…how smart!
I tried growing potatoes, carrots, and radishes in 20 gallon fabric pots and it was an epic fail. This was me. Others may have a great success with them. They did do good at holding a few peach trees over, until I was ready to plant them. 😊
I had peppers in them last year. They dried out in July. I tried to rehydrate by soaking them repeatedly. There were still large pockets of dust when I pulled them in October. You're gonna have to water them at least 3 times a day in the summer heat. At least! The water escapes out the sides of the pots instead of going into the soil. I'm sticking with plastic.
It was so hot last year here in Texas. Everyone was struggling to get peppers. Anything over 85 degrees makes plants stop producing fruit. I tried misters, fans etc. to cool them off enough to fruit, nothing worked. But once things cooled back off in September they started fruiting. I was harvesting peppers up until January this past winter. After trying to cool them off and that not working. I knew the heat would stop fruiting. No matter how much water. So to keep them from drying out, until it cooled back off. I just moved them to the shade. I heard about your kiddie pool idea. But that brings mosquitos, birds, snakes, frogs etc. and the kiddie pool also kills the area of grass underneath. And algae will grow making the water all. Ashy. I also don’t think they look very attractive as lawn art.
I agree with you. Extra watering, extra fertilizing, to me, the benefits do not outweigh these cons. The water leaching out the sides when you’re trying to water them is so annoying. I use the bags for gathering up weeding and pruning, carrying mulch where I can’t use a wheelbarrow. You have to be careful about the pots you get too, as some of them have recycled plastic in the fabric, and these fabric pots are breaking down into micro plastics in your yard. Yuck. Terra cotta👍
The only way for me to grow in fabric is adding coco coir, at least 30%. Coco is hydrophilic so it immediately sucks all the water without problems with leaking. Always add coco coir in your potting soil no matter if you grow organically or hydro. Peat is a PITA to water if it dries out.
I have tried terracota, plastic and felt pots. I do prefer some big, black, plastic ones for the blueberry bushes. The fabric ones are awesome. I grow tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and we are now trying sweet potatoes. My eggplants will be next... Rosita's from MIgardener! These felt pots are really great. Totally agree. Perfect for our tiny greenhouse.
@@outbackbreathing361 I only have the 5 gallon ones which are perfect for me in size and weight. I have grown Puka Suntuy Camotillo potatoes, Canchay and Peruanita potatoes getting more than 1 kilo per pot for "papa nueva" or potatoes harvested a little early. Great size potatoes. Have some stillbgrowing in then. I grow determinante tomatoes in these bags too.
I used some of these last year. My cherry Tom did great in them, but everything else struggled. Doesn’t retain enough water, and needs to be set in a tub so it can wick up from bottom. This , over the season destroys the bottom. As for moving them once filled, impossible. They are way to heavy and ripped out handles. Heard you say you only have to water twice as much. Not where I’m from. During hot summer, we had to water these pots 3-4 times a day. As for fertilizing, a lot more than you say, due to fact that when you water, it runs out, again putting them in a tray to soak up fertilized water, rots bottoms even faster than straight water
I've been using grow bags for some time, and I notice how they break down faster than hard plastics. Although I see how grow bags are made BPA free or PFAs, I have concerns. I came across a video explaining how BPA are like "wack-a-mole" chemicals such as to swap a few ingredients with what are cousins to bpa. The RUclips video "Why titled "BPA Free Plastic: Why It Does NOT Protect You | Harvard Professor Joseph Allen" is informative. It's tough being an consumer, weighing the pros and cons of what safe products to use that won't harm the environment or cause toxic exposure
Luke, what about cleaning or sanitizing between seasons? I usually bleach my plastic containers but I’m not sure how you clean these since they’re not really plastic but not totally fabric either that can go in the washer
Most everything that I grow especially the veggies I grow in fabric pots. I can't dig in my yard due to the field bindweed. Their roots are such a thick tangle and have spread under the entire yard it makes digging impossible for me. So, I have had success growing the veggies and flowers that I want by using the fabric pots and that makes me happy. 🌱
@@janicemoyer854 thanks for the advice and I have considered that. However, as a 68 yo single woman with limited mobility, I'm trying to find a middle ground with my ambitions to have a garden and recognizing my decreased physical abilities. I very often think I can still do more than I can actually do. So I'm going to stick with a thick layering of the cardboard and I have many large bags of different types of Espoma organic composts to cover the cardboard and even some mulch to cover. Hopefully it'll suppress the bindweed and I can get some native flowers to grow among the grow bags. At least that's the plan.....🤞
@@janzebuski3559 gardening keeps us young! Don’t be fooled by this old picture cuz I’m old too! I’ll need a calculator to do the math cuz i can never remember 😜
I was just looking at some other grow bags. It appears they come in various types of material (plastics too). I was wondering if the fabric ones get moldy too. I purchased some pots from you guys. The 3 gallon are a bit too small, so 10 gallon are best. Great information and points. You answered ALL of my questions. I don't have a green thumb, so I'm looking for ways to be successful.
My second year with 7gallon grow bags. Novice gardener. Tomatoes, potatoes, vining squash and edible gourds,onions. The onions were a flop and everything else was just fair nothing great. Learned a lot about watering and feeding plants. This year in40+bags incredible success! Big beautiful tomatoes, much larger and more potatoes and the vining veggies are filling the cattle panels. Got my bags off Amazon at $12 a dozen. I did get some colored ones fromBootstrap in Texas just for pretty and they were quite a bit more. I mixed my own soil and reused it, with amendments, this year. This week I’m planting Zucchini, summer squash and green beans just to see what comes of it. I’m retired and it makes me feel productive to garden a bit. The younger grandkids like to help when they visit and the two great grandkids might like to get their hand dirty in a couple years.
I have an idea for plastic pots. Opposite the handles put in two nice heavy duty nylon zippers, with a flap so the zipper hardware doesnt touch the plants root system (think blue jeans with a zippered fly!)...I wonder if that could work if a person needed to repot the plant?
I've always considered peat/paper pots to be just for seedling starting, them being biodegradable means I just pop the whole pot in the garden and let my plant grow through the pot into the soil.
How do you know when you need to repot your plants in a bigger bag with fabric pots ? (As with other pots, it's easy to see the roots poking out of it or taking the whole soil out in one go to see the state of the root)
Epic Gardening Is offering some lined pots for dry climates. They are based in CA. I’m in AZ so I thought I’d try them and also some unlined ones for comparison. I’m unsure if the lining will affect the root pruning benefit. Off to look at MI Gardener’s offerings.
I like how they have handles and how they prune the roots when they hit the side but they're hard to get the plant out without being really careful. That's my only pet peeve about these is that they are hard to get the plant out. Plastic pots are a lot easier to get the plant out you just squeeze the sides and hold it upside down. With these I have to take like a butter knife to get the roots that are stuck to the cloth out of the way and then transplant it by pushing up on the bottom of the cloth pot. That's all that is on Amazon is mostly cloth pots, and you have to buy 50 or 100 plastic pots.
A better solution are grass roots fabric pots which have a liner in the middle 2/3 of the pot. This allow moisture and soil life to flourish around the edges and not dry out while allowing oxygen and air in st the top and bottom. You can also wrap Saranwrap around the middle 2/3 of your fabric pot.
I have some of the grassroots pots also. Love them. I live in a hot arid area in southern New Mexico. Had issues with regular fabric pots developing dry pockets.
I live in a place with extremely hot, dry summers (no rain at all from late April to late November). Fabric pots are fine for winter crops, but in the summer, it’s a real battle to keep them from drying out constantly.
I put mine in under the bed sterlite bins. Bottom watering. Grew tomatoes, potatoes, and cucumbers last year. This year using them for cabbage, garlic, onions, and cherry tomatoes.
@@ljgerken thanks for sharing that info! I just checked them out on Amazon and they look great. I found another youtuber doing a review on the Grassroots pots (don't want to promote another channel on here so I'm not posting a link) and went ahead and placed an order. Thanks again
I live in Florida and literally all I grow in is GROW BAGS, I’ve NEVER had any issue with them drying out! I water them once per day, which is my favorite thing to do in the garden and I enjoy the daily watering and then of course as with ANY method you want to mulch the top of them to keep moisture in. They work absolutely perfect!!! I’ve seen lots of different channels that have watering drip system set up in them as well.
I live in a hot dry place, but lost the war to crab grass in the ground, and in raised beds. Enter fabric pots sitting in a container. I only have to water twice a week (they sit in water on day on day 2, but it's gone by day 3). I plant a full garden in those fabric pots- everything! I now have the lushest, most high-producing garden ever! (also they are on pallets, at waist level- no bending over, and no weeds.)
If you put the pots inside a shallow container they work much better. A small kiddie pool works great to set them in. It gets too dry in TX without a way for better watering.
Although the kiddie pool can leach hazardous chemicals as they're not food grade.
absolutely. I added some plastic saucers under my fabric pots. keeps them from drying out too fast.
@@mdubore thank you. Great idea.
Oooo I have two kiddie pools not being used. I bet I can fill both of them. TY for sharing that.
@@WagwanHappyPappyHapPap I’m in AZ and planning on trying some fabric pots this year because I want to grow more but since I don’t have a really ideal spot for another raised bed think I need to be able to move them around. I was thinking of a kiddie pool for bottom watering but don’t want to chance leaching chemicals into our food. I’ve picked up some large platters at thrift shops for my deck plants. Anybody have a food safe idea for larger options?
I love my fabric pots! Our outdoor faucet leaks when I'm watering the rest of the garden or lawn so I surrounded it with my fabric pots and they soak up what leaks out so I don't have to think about watering them and the leaking water doesn't go to waste
That's a good idea - but try replacing the gasket on your hose. I did that last year, and eliminated leaking.
@Stella Z it's not the gasket that's leaking. It's leaking out of the handle I'm not really sure how to describe it. I just haven't found a replacement top for it because it's really old and I didn't want to have to put in a whole new pipe just yet.
@@alorastewart7091 look up replace hose bib packing, there are a good number of youtube videos, really cheap and easy, takes a screwdriver and some pliers
@@alorastewart7091 Sometimes all you need to do is tighten the nut on the handle Stephen. Give it a quarter turn and see what happens
I have the same issues and plumbers cost so much!! Such a great tip
I'm 69 and love my grow pots. I use 1 gal. , 3 gal. And 5 gal. I suffer a bad back and arthritis real bad so these are greatfor me. Happy 😊 gardening everyone! 🌱
I'm 62 and in Missouri. Looking forward to starting stuff from seed shortly, with grow lights.
Great age! Happy gardening!
I've been using fabric pots for about three years now. My favorite vegetable to grow in them? Definitely Potatoes! When they are ready to harvest I literally just flip them out over a screen set on my wheelbarrow, sift out the dirt and pick up the potatoes. Works great! And I don't have to spend hours digging them out of the ground and trying my best to get them all!
I had great success with potatoes and 20 gallon grow bags, but I put layers of leaves debris from the forest and straw. Potatoes were huge! Did not do so well with the sweet potatoes and just soil 30 gallon bags. Tiny.
What size of pot do you use for the potatoes?
@@outbackbreathing361 So that they are easier to pick up, I use 10 gallon
IKR
@@Saoirse.n.Murphy but did sweet potatoes 🍠 do any great with leaves and straw?
This is my very first garden and fabric pots blew my mind. They are so much more affordable at larger sizes than anything else out there. I got my 40 gallon ones for around $10 each.
What do you grow in 40 gallons
@@priscillashaw5715 Anything I want 🤣 Jokes aside they are like small raised beds so I have a variety of things all in the same bag. Some are flowers but I have tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, potatoes. They are deep enough to grow carrots next year and I even have some homemade trellises in a couple for stuff that climbs or needs staking. I love them!
@@kristinamurphy4847 thanks lol. I'm hoping to do tomatos and cucumbers.
@@priscillashaw5715 You can grow cucumbers in a 5 gallon and tomatoes in a 7 gallon or larger grow bag.
@@mlynnw7831 I grow 2 cucumbers per 5 gallon bag and as far as tomatoes 🍅 you can grow them in a 5 gallon perfectly and they do just fine! In fact the roots no matter what size of a grow bag or a vegetable you have will always start growing through the bottom of the bag and root themselves deeply in the ground which actually helps to strengthen any plants and helps it grow better, you just don’t want to be moving the grow bags around and ripping those roots. But honestly I grow 20 different varieties of tomatoes and every single one of them is in a 5 gallon bag and does perfectly 🍅
ok, you got me. Even though it won't quit snowing here, I decided I'd better start getting some stuff together to hopefully garden this year once spring decides to grace us with it's presence.
Last year was the first time I used fabric pots! They were fantastic! I could move them to take advantage of changing sunlight conditions. The 20 gallon ones were a bit more difficult to move so ones that size and above either need to stay put or have support under them. Most of mine have handles which are super helpful! I over wintered leeks, onions, garlic, celery, kale and Swiss chard in them. All growing beautifully!
Where are you located?
@@cherylrussell4023 Portland Oregon metro area. We do get hard frosts, occasional snow, and ice storms but mostly rain from October through May.
I recently learned that plants are able to uptake microplastics through their roots. and it should be obvious to any dummy that plastic and fabric pots can break down in the sun and release microplastics into the soil. so that;s why I've decided to avoid plastic and fabric pots from now on (unless I find fabric pots made of organic materials like cotton or hemp fabric, I would love those). I will probably just use wood planters now
p.s. I was growing in these in 2010 so they are definitely more than 10 years old. but personally I think air pruning is way over-rated. I had problems with them drying out way too fast, I should've been using pots that were a lot bigger. But I think the ideal size for fabric pots is a lot bigger than the ideal size for plastic pots, because of the drying issue
I've never used them, maybe some day. But last year I used old feed bags, I have rabbits and chickens and those single use bags drive me nuts. I rolled them down, put in some homemade compost a potato and instant bag, worked good, even with me neglecting them and using store bought potatoes.
Oh and a guy on youtube has videos on how to sew your own fabric pots if anyone is interested, I'm sure you can just run a search.
My garden mostly consistent of fabric pots. They are super cheap yet durable plus it helps with over-watering
Exactly!!! Most people are exactly like me and their favorite part of gardening is the daily watering so you can check them out and see how beautiful they are and how much they have grown!
Watering is literally the number one reason why both new and old gardeners (killing them with love ❤️)kill their plants but with grow bags it’s literally impossible to overwater them so it’s a win-win situation ♥️♥️♥️
@@GodsChild145 I overestimate the amount of water a plant needs. It gets hot and dry in SoCal so it's always better to over water than under water during peak season. I'm prepared this time with shade cloth and my irrigation system
I use 7 gallon fabric pots and have diy Ollas in the center of each one. They work great.
Began gardening on my Dallas, Texas, deck last summer with fabric pots and drip irrigation. Excellent results! I’m adding more this year.
I have ten fabric pots and adore them! So lightweight and easy to move around. I’ve had them for 2 years now and their the only pots I will use from now on!
Same here.
I experimented this past summer. Fabric pots did the best. Be sure to place them in a container to water from the bottom. My tomatoes 🍅 loved them. Thnx Lucas.
I love my fabric pots! I made mine out of landscape fabric. They hold up well.
Great comparisons! Every pot has its pros and cons for sure! Over the past several years I have largely transitioned to plastic hydroponic 5 gallon bags. I use them for almost all my veggie planting with my 50/50 reused potting soil from the year before and compost. Their many side holes help limit the root wrapping effect and being plastic bags, they take up almost no space when not in use, much like a fabric pot but even less. Being plastic they tend to require a lot less watering, and they are dirt cheap so if you ever accidently ruin one or need to rip a bag to get out them pesky carrots or sweet potatoes, your not feeling it in your wallet. I use large fabric pots for things like fruit trees, rhubarb, horseradish, and things of that nature.
I like the idea of the hydroponic pots, where did you get them? Amazon?
@@firequeen2194 mostly yup, norm where I find them the cheapest with shipping. I buy Hydrofarm grow bags. Can buy a box with 16 packages, 25 grow bags per package they just durable enough to last a few years but cheap enough to throw away after a single use if needed.
You should watch some videos on growing either outside or inside hydroponics using the “Kratky method” which doesn’t require any electricity a.k.a. pumps or anything like that and is sooooo fun, cheap, uses 90% less water than soil and super simple (set it and forget it)!!! Last year I tried some outside for the first time and grew eggplants and tomatoes and lettuce in 5 gallon buckets and wow they are just absolutely amazing and continue growing and growing until frost kills them off!!! Way more productive!!! Also nutrients are cheap and easy to mix up.
Would love to hear more, what kind of soil to use, actual set ups for different vegetables and what you do different with a pot. Please follow up with some specifics. Thanks!!
I have used both air pruning plastic pots and fiber pots. What Luke says is right on mark for garden and most other planets. The exception, for me, is trees. With trees, the tap root hits the bottom of the fabric pot turns at a right angle and creates that dreaded "J" root. All this to say, I do use fabric pots a lot, but will only propagate trees for short time in them and then transplant the trees into the plastic air pruning pots. Luke, If I am doing something wrong I would enjoy the education. you are a great communicator and videographer. well done!
I use fabric pots - 10 and 30 gallon ones - to grow young fruit trees and blueberries. I have a slightly alkaline soil, so it was very challenging to growing blueberries. The fabric pots make it much easier to get the lower ph that the blueberries need. And my raised beds filled with homemade animal manure and straw bedding compost make for the ideal ph for all my vegetables with plenty of nitrogen. I plan on moving in the next 2 -3 years and didn't want to leave my young blueberries, peach, apricot , and avocado trees behind. These are all thriving in the fabric pots.
I looked into getting some last year but didn't for various reasons. After watching your video I'm going to get some and put them inside a bigger plastic ppt during the hottest month to save on watering all the time.
Luke, this video was like a breath of fresh air. Fabric pots are now on my radar; and radar says you got em; some tri- fecta and vermiculite and I'll be growing big! Thanks
I add some soil moist to the bottom half of the pot for most all my grow bags except potatoes.
As one who has limited in ground space, containers in general are a go-to in my gardening. Fabric pots are fabulous. Yes - more watering and fert, but the ROI is well worth it. Great vid.
What do you grow in them
@priscilla shaw I've grown a lot in them. Dwarf tomatoes, eggplant, squash, herbs, potatoes, flowers ... I've even tried cucumbers. 🙃
@@ceecee-thetransplantedgardener what kind of squash did you do in what size? What size did you use for your cukes
Got turned onto fabric pots some time ago. Have been using them to grow potatoes mostly. Have grown carrots in them, but with not spectacular grow. For past two years growing herbs and spices, going gang busters. Love that they come in sizes varying from 1 gallon up to 25 + gallon.
In southern california fabric pots dry out super fast. takes a lot more water than plastic pots especially less than 10 gallons.
I got my first fabric pots for this year! Most of my garden is in pots, buckets, half barrels, raised beds and a 15X15 in ground square!
I tried fabric pots last season for the first time. I'm definitely getting more this year! Thanks for the video!
I also grew potatoes in fabric pots and had good sized potatoes. I put the pots together, touching so that they were almost one big pot in terms of watering. This year I am going to place a number of them snuggly in a large plastic bin that will catch rainwater and help with the watering.
I live in New Mexico, where the temperatures get quite high in the nineties so I have to be concerned about over-heated beds. I've found I can grow successfully in fabric pots, but I've always picked light grey colored pots. I'm tempted to purchase a black pot this year so I can experiment and compare the temperature of the soil.
I'll be trying fabric pots for the first time this year. Thanks for the information, Luke! And the humor! 😂🤣
Hey!!! Hi Ke Le!!!!
@@hollyjasinski7207 Hi Holly! How ya doing?
I’m doing great! Furiously seeding and potting up bare roots for spring- lol! Hope to see you on the live chat later today!
Thanks for the Intel on fabric pots. I bet they'd be easy to make if I can find the fabric.
I have some fabric pots, and used one only. I get thick moss buildup on the fabric.
Great info! Last year I grew green beans, carrots, cilantro and lettuce in my fabric pots. Last fall I planted garlic in the fabric pots and also in ground for comparison.
How did your comparison turn out?
@@AllAboutTheHarvest I don't know yet. They are growing, looking good and will harvest probably around the 4th of July.
what size bags did you use for the carrots and garlic?
I've had great luck with fabric pots, and plan to use them more in the future. (A fabric raised bed ... hmmmm....)
Another advantage is that the black fabric warms up well on sunny spring days, so the plants get going faster. The tendency to dry out in hot weather can be alleviated by placing them close together.
The biggest problem I've had with fabric pots is moving them when growing root vegetables. Carrots, potatoes and other roots grow really well in cloth pots, as long as they're not moved. If they are moved, the soil shifts around too much for root vegetables.
Here in Colorado, it can get dry as a bone. I have trouble watering regular pots some days, sometimes have to do twice a day. I think fabric pots wouldn't work for my case.
Feeling good about a bunch of fabric pots I ordered for this growing season! 👍 I’m encouraged to hear you like them for potatoes as that’s my plan. I don’t have in-ground space for potatoes in my best sun location, so this will be my experiment for 2023! Great video.
I'll be trying out unglazed terra cotta pots this summer as an "Olla watering system " for my raised beds. We will definitely be removing them for the following winter season. We use the fabric pots for potatoes. They grow awesome in them. Love your videos Luke. 🙂
I use them in Phoenix Arizona, they work great. In the hottest part of our summers, 117 out, I only need to fill them every other day.
I tried 10 seven gallon root pouch fabric pots last year and was very impressed. I ordered another 10 this year.
I got 25 gallon fabric pots last year, amazing!
I did potatoes in fabric pots last year, with all the rain we had in SE Michigan, I actually lost some to rot. But, they mostly did well, and (reassured by this post) I'll keep growing my potatoes this way. It's hard to beat harvesting from fabric pots!
I love fabric pots! One con though is they're not good for hot or dry climates because they dry out so fast and don't retain moisture as well. But they're great for other climates.
Terra cotta is unmatched for my roses, houseplants and herbs, always. Even outdoors.
Luke your content is exceptional for the Midwest gardener. Can't speak for those unlucky enough not to be in the Midwest. 😂😂 Keep up the good work. I'm supporting your retail business in appreciation.
I didn't realize there were so many advantages, I just knew I love them. Thanks for the info!
Your sharing your knowledge and experience with us is so greatly appreciated. Thank you for continuing to educate and encourage all the home gardeners out there. Take care everyone
You have answered all my concerns on Fabric Pots. My husband and I have been debating on the use or not. You have locked in our decision to move forward with the purchase of Fabric Pots. Thank you for what you do and your time sharing your knowledge of gardening.
They're wonderful
I have so many.
Air Pots are my first choice. It has all the benefits which fabric pots have and above, except one thing. You cant store it so well like the fabric pots and it costs a bit more. But in any other case Air Pots from Superoots wins.
I've been using fabric pots for two years and I love them. I even have two that are like raised beds. I use my decorative pots for flowers onthe deck and porch and use fabric for veggies, herbs, etc. They are great for areas with poor soil but good sun while you are improving the soil
Luke- your prices are great on fabric pots! I just bought mine. 🤞 I will love them too ❣️
I just got my fabric pots today! Perfect timing. You missed low cost as a big pro for fabric! High quality 10 gal I got 5 for $40 including shipping.
That's an incredibly high price. I can usually get five for under $20
We have raised beds, but have also used fabric pots for over a decade. It was nice to learn all the pros & cons of each type of container. You ROCK! 👍💥😊♥️ Giving thanks for years of excellent work.
7 Gallon grow bags have been my go to for "movable" plants for a few years now. I have 32 of them for this year that I will scatter around the property with peppers in them. Also use them for growing weed indoors in the winters, highly reusable and machine washable.
This will be my first year growing in fabric pots. They seemed like a good option, since I will have to move my cold loving veggies to another part of the yard when it starts getting hot. Fabric makes that so much easier
I love these pots have them in many different sizes from 1gallon I thing-15cm pot equivalent… right up to 20gallons. And they are great, I did all my growing in them last year. This year I’m changing it up as put in some raised beds and gonna grow things differently. Still using these pots tho. And I do have sauces under the ones that I can get to fit as it does work for the water and nutrients leaving and being in the tray and then going back up into the pot. Which is great.
@migardener01 don’t believe this lol
I really like using the fabric pots for trees and large plants I plan on transplanting. Super simple to slice open with a razor blade instead of trying to dump a tree from a large plastic pot and possibly damaging the tree
Do you see a way not to damage the pot for transplants like trees a certain size ?
@Xavier Cruz take it out as a normal pot, I think
@@gisellefrias2686 mm do you have those fabric bags too?
A con for high desert environments such as NM is that higher UV levels will destroy the direct sun facing side of a fabric pot faster than a plastic pot. Hence would need some sort of sun shield if placed outdoors in the direct sun.
This is my third year of using growbags. I have 26 in my garden. I grow spring through fall. I leave the grow bags outside, covering the soil with leaves when they are dormant. My biggest problem is grubs getting into a few bags per season, attracting possums. I had to replace two growbags from last year because of possums clawing through them to get to the grubs.
Sprinkle a tiny bit of milky spore in the soil
Tried some last year from other source, squirrels tore them up and used in their nests; so I cut the torn ones up and left by the trees as a resource for them. :) The remaining good ones I have offered to a neighbor. I did purchase two difference brands; I believe one was more breathable than the other. Also, I did not like how the roots at the bottom wove through the fibers of the cloth pots. My root veggies seemed to do better in them than my tomatoes, but it was a very humid year last year and many here did not have success with tomatoes. Will continue to use my two 25 gallon bags for potatoes this year, but going back to raised beds and clay pots for everything else.
Nice! I have been transitioning to fabric pots as my plastic buckets and totes fall apart. This was my first summer in fabric, and I had great results.
ps: I use 1/4 " drip lines connected to the garden drip system to irrigate the fabric pots. This works very well in the 95+ degree dry summer northern Ca climate.
Used fabric pots/grow bags last year. They worked well but were too easy to
Dry out., especially the sides. This year I am lining each with a grocery plastic bag with a bunch of holes punched in bottom. All My potatoes came up in less than 10 days after planting.
Acquired a large number of 25L and a few 30L fabric pots with coco coir and perlite from a police raided grow site over the weekend. My uncle and his allotment buddy must have got over 250 between them, I managed to get one run of 57 in my car, I have kept around 30 to try this year.
My main concern is that I’m bad with watering already, I ain’t gonna be much better at it this year 🙈
LUCKY 🥳🥳🥳
Yeah you're gonna need to water those pots at least twice a day in July and August. Even 3 or 4. Get yourself a kiddie pool to sit them in and let them sit in an inch of water on the hottest days. Once they dry out, the plants good as dead
@@BettyBoopBarnes I figured as much, thanks!
Almost seems like it’s worth putting these fabric pots into larger plastic/ceramic pots which leave an inch or so gap at the sides to get the best of both worlds...
@@Infiniti25 I couldn't manage my garden without a drip system and timers, huge timesaver and peace of mind. Betty's got it right, get a rigid kiddie pool to place your fabric pots in along with the drip. Surround your pots with lava rock or similar to keep water level below rock level so there's no standing mosquito lake. Lots of vids on this.
Do you sell?
Great video, Luke! I wish I had seen a video like this two years ago when I first started growing in grow bags. Your mention of setting the grow bags in a tray to catch runoff is something I started doing last year and it made a big difference in how often I had to water. From my experience I find that with more shallow rooted plants (lettuce, spinach and such) I can water and let the bags sit in the tray for several hours if needed until the excess water has been wicked back up. With plants with deeper root systems (peppers and tomatoes) and with carrots and parsnips I found it best to only let the bags sit in the water filled trays for a few hours or so because as the roots got deeper they seemed to getting more waterlogged. I'm going to try potatoes and sweet potatoes in containers for the first time this year and I'm looking forward to seeing how the grow bags compare to plastic pots. Thanks again for sharing such useful info!
Oh, forgot to mention how much a thick layer of mulch can help too!
What kind of trays would you get for 20 gallon.
pots
@@raizelschectman932 For large grow bags you'll probably have to get creative and look for something that might not be garden related. Before I started using plastic saucer type trays for my 5 gallon bags I used a couple of drywall mud pans from lowes. I was able to put a couple of 5 gallon grow bags in each one. If you go with something similar that is deeper than you need make sure to drill a couple of holes a couple of inches up from the bottom for overflow drainage. I've also seen people use a kiddie pool to hold several grow bags. Good luck!
Lol, 😂that first line in your intro took me totally by surprise and made me laugh. Now, I'll go listen to the rest of your lesson for today.
Well Luke, great episode. Thank you so much for all this valuable information! I'm sold!!! I love this option!
I use several different pots.
One is a double laundry basket with screening or weed block between the two layers. They also fit nicely in oil change pans for subirrigation.
I love my fabric pots too! The ones I have are felt, not sure if that makes much of a difference. The other thing I would caution is that if you place them directly onto the ground the roots will grow through the bottom but this can also be a pro if you want to use it as a more permanent container.
I hate dragging in my Terra Cotta pots for winter
Here in the South you really need to keep up with moisture in the summer. I've used the fabric for a few years now. I actually like 20 gallon growers pots for most vegetables I grow. The summer heat here is relentless. Here's an idea; white plastic pots for the summer here in the south. I've actually painted the outside of plastic pots white. It helps.
Grow bags do just fine here in the south! I am in Florida and use nothing but grow bags and haven’t had any problems at all! I do daily watering and of course just as with any method you mulch the top which keeps the moisture in!!!
@@GodsChild145 absolutely.
@@GodsChild145are you north, central, or south Florida?
I’ll have to try them as I never have enough pots.
I have a lot of fabric bags.
I've had 8 blueberry plants in 8 bags for 6 years. I might replant in newer bags this year, but I think they'll last another Wisconsin winter. Since I've had them awhile, they might not make them the same now, but I've been very happy with them!
Since they tried banning plastic bags in my city stores have been handing out fabric but still nonetheless plastic bags. They are cheap and weak but should still do a decent job as fabric pots. I will try this out, but the dryness of our Saskatchewan climate gives me concern about going away for a weekend even.
I just had several come in this week. Happy Saturday planting with my 10 and 4 year old grandsons today! Thanks, Luke! I’m also loving your pallets and concrete blocks behind you…how smart!
I tried growing potatoes, carrots, and radishes in 20 gallon fabric pots and it was an epic fail. This was me. Others may have a great success with them. They did do good at holding a few peach trees over, until I was ready to plant them. 😊
You should try growing them again! I grew all of those things in grow bags and they do excellent!
@@GodsChild145 what kind of soil did you use? I have already planted my potatoes and didn’t even bother with carrots or radishes.
Was just looking at grow bags this past weekend.
Perhaps the manufacturers should consider adding a Velcro strip on the side for east opening for transplanting
I had peppers in them last year. They dried out in July. I tried to rehydrate by soaking them repeatedly. There were still large pockets of dust when I pulled them in October. You're gonna have to water them at least 3 times a day in the summer heat. At least! The water escapes out the sides of the pots instead of going into the soil. I'm sticking with plastic.
It was so hot last year here in Texas. Everyone was struggling to get peppers. Anything over 85 degrees makes plants stop producing fruit. I tried misters, fans etc. to cool them off enough to fruit, nothing worked. But once things cooled back off in September they started fruiting. I was harvesting peppers up until January this past winter. After trying to cool them off and that not working. I knew the heat would stop fruiting. No matter how much water.
So to keep them from drying out, until it cooled back off. I just moved them to the shade. I heard about your kiddie pool idea. But that brings mosquitos, birds, snakes, frogs etc. and the kiddie pool also kills the area of grass underneath. And algae will grow making the water all. Ashy. I also don’t think they look very attractive as lawn art.
I agree with you. Extra watering, extra fertilizing, to me, the benefits do not outweigh these cons. The water leaching out the sides when you’re trying to water them is so annoying. I use the bags for gathering up weeding and pruning, carrying mulch where I can’t use a wheelbarrow. You have to be careful about the pots you get too, as some of them have recycled plastic in the fabric, and these fabric pots are breaking down into micro plastics in your yard. Yuck. Terra cotta👍
The only way for me to grow in fabric is adding coco coir, at least 30%. Coco is hydrophilic so it immediately sucks all the water without problems with leaking. Always add coco coir in your potting soil no matter if you grow organically or hydro. Peat is a PITA to water if it dries out.
I love planting in these fabric pots. They are also great if you need to move plants from one location to another and need a temporary home for them.
Yup. I have over 100 of them in my garden
I have tried terracota, plastic and felt pots. I do prefer some big, black, plastic ones for the blueberry bushes. The fabric ones are awesome. I grow tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and we are now trying sweet potatoes. My eggplants will be next... Rosita's from MIgardener! These felt pots are really great. Totally agree. Perfect for our tiny greenhouse.
What size pot do you use for tomatoes, and what size do you recommend for potatoes?
@@outbackbreathing361 I only have the 5 gallon ones which are perfect for me in size and weight. I have grown Puka Suntuy Camotillo potatoes, Canchay and Peruanita potatoes getting more than 1 kilo per pot for "papa nueva" or potatoes harvested a little early. Great size potatoes. Have some stillbgrowing in then.
I grow determinante tomatoes in these bags too.
I used some of these last year. My cherry Tom did great in them, but everything else struggled. Doesn’t retain enough water, and needs to be set in a tub so it can wick up from bottom. This , over the season destroys the bottom. As for moving them once filled, impossible. They are way to heavy and ripped out handles. Heard you say you only have to water twice as much. Not where I’m from. During hot summer, we had to water these pots 3-4 times a day. As for fertilizing, a lot more than you say, due to fact that when you water, it runs out, again putting them in a tray to soak up fertilized water, rots bottoms even faster than straight water
I've been using grow bags for some time, and I notice how they break down faster than hard plastics. Although I see how grow bags are made BPA free or PFAs, I have concerns.
I came across a video explaining how BPA are like "wack-a-mole" chemicals such as to swap a few ingredients with what are cousins to bpa.
The RUclips video "Why titled "BPA Free Plastic: Why It Does NOT Protect You | Harvard Professor Joseph Allen" is informative. It's tough being an consumer, weighing the pros and cons of what safe products to use that won't harm the environment or cause toxic exposure
Luke everything you mentioned Is so true I love the fabric pots even If there Is a down fall
I learned a lot today from this video! Thanks
Luke, what about cleaning or sanitizing between seasons? I usually bleach my plastic containers but I’m not sure how you clean these since they’re not really plastic but not totally fabric either that can go in the washer
Most everything that I grow especially the veggies I grow in fabric pots. I can't dig in my yard due to the field bindweed. Their roots are such a thick tangle and have spread under the entire yard it makes digging impossible for me. So, I have had success growing the veggies and flowers that I want by using the fabric pots and that makes me happy. 🌱
Cover it with cardboard and try lasagna gardening. It works great but i do also us a lot of fabric pots as I prepare my small portions of my garden.
@@janicemoyer854 thanks for the advice and I have considered that. However, as a 68 yo single woman with limited mobility, I'm trying to find a middle ground with my ambitions to have a garden and recognizing my decreased physical abilities. I very often think I can still do more than I can actually do. So I'm going to stick with a thick layering of the cardboard and I have many large bags of different types of Espoma organic composts to cover the cardboard and even some mulch to cover. Hopefully it'll suppress the bindweed and I can get some native flowers to grow among the grow bags. At least that's the plan.....🤞
@@janzebuski3559 gardening keeps us young! Don’t be fooled by this old picture cuz I’m old too! I’ll need a calculator to do the math cuz i can never remember 😜
Wow! I recently discovered these fabric pots and I’m definitely going to start using them!
I was just looking at some other grow bags. It appears they come in various types of material (plastics too). I was wondering if the fabric ones get moldy too. I purchased some pots from you guys. The 3 gallon are a bit too small, so 10 gallon are best. Great information and points. You answered ALL of my questions. I don't have a green thumb, so I'm looking for ways to be successful.
I’m growing my potatoes in grow bags this year, was shocked at the price on Amazon, found them for $4.50 at the dollar store yesterday.
😮. Off to the dollar store! 😉
My second year with 7gallon grow bags. Novice gardener. Tomatoes, potatoes, vining squash and edible gourds,onions. The onions were a flop and everything else was just fair nothing great. Learned a lot about watering and feeding plants. This year in40+bags incredible success! Big beautiful tomatoes, much larger and more potatoes and the vining veggies are filling the cattle panels.
Got my bags off Amazon at $12 a dozen. I did get some colored ones fromBootstrap in Texas just for pretty and they were quite a bit more. I mixed my own soil and reused it, with amendments, this year.
This week I’m planting Zucchini, summer squash and green beans just to see what comes of it.
I’m retired and it makes me feel productive to garden a bit. The younger grandkids like to help when they visit and the two great grandkids might like to get their hand dirty in a couple years.
I had great success growing in fabric bags last year, I plan to use them again this year.
I sit mine in a garbage bag to retain moisture
I use a lot of these myself, especially for my fruit trees the big big ones! Love them
I have an idea for plastic pots. Opposite the handles put in two nice heavy duty nylon zippers, with a flap so the zipper hardware doesnt touch the plants root system (think blue jeans with a zippered fly!)...I wonder if that could work if a person needed to repot the plant?
I agree with you. Fabric pots are great in my garden.
I've always considered peat/paper pots to be just for seedling starting, them being biodegradable means I just pop the whole pot in the garden and let my plant grow through the pot into the soil.
I use fabric pots for my veggies and love them!
Just tried fabric pots last season and really like them. Got more this season PLUS a drip system to help with watering. Totally recommend!
How do you know when you need to repot your plants in a bigger bag with fabric pots ? (As with other pots, it's easy to see the roots poking out of it or taking the whole soil out in one go to see the state of the root)
I dunk my fabric pots down in 5 gallon buckets of rain water also! Pull them out slowly and that is how I've watered my babies 😊
I love the idea of using the fabric pots. Can you line the inside of the pot with plastic with some holes in it to help prevent water loss?
Epic Gardening Is offering some lined pots for dry climates. They are based in CA. I’m in AZ so I thought I’d try them and also some unlined ones for comparison. I’m unsure if the lining will affect the root pruning benefit. Off to look at MI Gardener’s offerings.
@@BethLarsenSedonadid you try the lined bags?
I like how they have handles and how they prune the roots when they hit the side but they're hard to get the plant out without being really careful. That's my only pet peeve about these is that they are hard to get the plant out. Plastic pots are a lot easier to get the plant out you just squeeze the sides and hold it upside down. With these I have to take like a butter knife to get the roots that are stuck to the cloth out of the way and then transplant it by pushing up on the bottom of the cloth pot. That's all that is on Amazon is mostly cloth pots, and you have to buy 50 or 100 plastic pots.
A better solution are grass roots fabric pots which have a liner in the middle 2/3 of the pot. This allow moisture and soil life to flourish around the edges and not dry out while allowing oxygen and air in st the top and bottom.
You can also wrap Saranwrap around the middle 2/3 of your fabric pot.
I have some of the grassroots pots also. Love them. I live in a hot arid area in southern New Mexico. Had issues with regular fabric pots developing dry pockets.
I live in a place with extremely hot, dry summers (no rain at all from late April to late November). Fabric pots are fine for winter crops, but in the summer, it’s a real battle to keep them from drying out constantly.
Plastic kids pool❤
I put mine in under the bed sterlite bins. Bottom watering. Grew tomatoes, potatoes, and cucumbers last year. This year using them for cabbage, garlic, onions, and cherry tomatoes.
Fabric pots usually are sold along side plastic trays that are lightweight and transparent so you can catch excess drainage and bottom water them.
@@ljgerken thanks for sharing that info! I just checked them out on Amazon and they look great. I found another youtuber doing a review on the Grassroots pots (don't want to promote another channel on here so I'm not posting a link) and went ahead and placed an order. Thanks again
I live in Florida and literally all I grow in is GROW BAGS, I’ve NEVER had any issue with them drying out! I water them once per day, which is my favorite thing to do in the garden and I enjoy the daily watering and then of course as with ANY method you want to mulch the top of them to keep moisture in. They work absolutely perfect!!! I’ve seen lots of different channels that have watering drip system set up in them as well.