How To Make Garden 'Grow-Bags'

Well, it's that time of year  again.  Time to start planing my veggie garden. This is year three of my 'learning-via-mistakes' experiment and heaven knows, I've made some real doozies  but I've also learned quit a bit too...plus, it's been fun, fascinating and interesting.

Last year I discovered 'grow-bags' at one of those chain hardware stores. Because of my limited physical abilities (back surgeries, spinal fusions) I can not dig a traditional garden nor lift more than 5 Lbs. so if I want to grew veggies, which I do I need to look for a less physically demanding method. Grow Bags look to be the answer but they are pretty darn pricey. A great idea but for me they are cost prohibitive -so- I did what I always do, surf the web looking for ideas on how to get what I need for next to nothing. Not because I'm cheap, to be perfectly frank, I am dirt poor: Here's what I've found:




For a wealth of info & advice visit: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/

One man's cheap and organic alternative to fancy store-bought grow bags.

You Grow Girl: Gardening for the People

 

In the Bag
Cauliflower and tomatoes grown in plastic bags.

by Sampath Jagannathan
One man's cheap and organic alternative to fancy store-bought grow bags.

Take a plastic bag.
Fill it with soil.

Scatter some seeds.
Water.

Seedlings sprout.
Let them grow.
They become bigger.

Cover the soil with:
Fruit peels.
Uncooked vegetable waste.
Tea and coffee grounds.

Water when the plant asks for water.
It won't ask often.

Will it grow into a plant?

Will it flower?
Will it fruit?

It did for me.

How to Grow Potatoes in a Trash Bag

Growing potatoes in a plastic bag is an almost fool-proof way to grow potatoes.

Step 1: Prepare the Seed Potatoes

About a week before planting, place seed potatoes in a warm spot. When the sprouts that form are about 1/4" to 1/2" long, the potatoes are almost ready to plant. Cut large seed potatoes into chunks about 2" wide. Each piece should have at least two sprouts. After cutting the seed potatoes, let them sit at room temperature for two or three days.

Step 2: Prepare the Bag

Use a pair of scissors to cut several drainage holes in the bottom of a 30-gallon black plastic trash bag. Roll down the sides of the bag and fill about one-third of the way up with potting soil. Place the bag in an area of the garden that receives full sun.

Step 3: Plant the Potatoes

Dust the seed potatoes with agricultural sulfur to protect against fungal diseases. Plant the seed potatoes by burying them, eyes pointed up, about 2" deep in the soil. Water well.

Step 4: Add More Soil

When the potato plants get about 6" to 8" tall, it is time to add more soil and straw to the bag. Add enough soil so that just the top few leaves poke through the dirt. As the potato plants grow, continue to unroll the bag and add more soil. Keep the potatoes well watered but not soggy.

Step 5: Harvest the Potatoes

One clue that the potatoes are almost ready to harvest is that the leaves will yellow and the foliage will die back. At this point stop watering and leave the potatoes alone for two or three weeks so that their skins toughen up. To harvest, slit open the side of the bag to release the potatoes.