Originally introduced in the Seventies, growbags were a gardening revolution. Designed as a solution to combat the build-up of pests in greenhouse soil, they have changed the way we garden under glass. Thanks to their affordability, they have become increasingly popular in recent years.

They’re super for growing in greenhouses, but their manoeuvrability makes them flexible gardening options for outdoor gardening spaces; even balconies. Choose plants with shallow root structures for growbags, as they aren’t particularly deep if you want to grow several.

Some great choices include tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, radishes, spring onions and courgettes.
You can also grow salad crops like lettuce and spinach. There is some prep you should do before planting. First, loosen up the peat-free compost like you would fluff up a pillow. This will break up any clumps of compost.

Then, make sure the bag has some drainage holes on the ground-facing side, so your plants don’t end up waterlogged. You can find out more about how to effectively water growbags on my YouTube Channel@daviddomoney.

You will often find peat-free growbags with pre-marked squares on the top of the bag. These are spaced well for your plants, so cut them out with a pair of scissors or a Stanley knife. You could also cut them out as one large rectangle if you want to grow a row of smaller plants, like salad crops. Your growbags are now ready for planting.

Top-heavy crops will need a stake, such as a bamboo cane, to help them stand upright. You could buy specialist canes and support frames or construct one yourself.

It’s important to remember that the nutrients in a growbag are finite; they will run out eventually. I suggest you top up every so often with liquid fertiliser to enrich the soil. Position them next to a warm wall, providing shelter, or a greenhouse if you have one.

I go one step further in my garden; I position my growbags in my Keder greenhouse. It has specialist cladding to evenly disperse sunlight and maintain consistent temperatures for successful growing.

Once you’ve finished growing everything you can from your growbag, you can still make use of the compost. You can either add it to your compost heap, or use it as a mulch or soil conditioner for your garden borders.
Peat-free growbags have made gardening much easier and more accessible. Make sure you get the most out of them and your garden by trying your hand at it this year.

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